Cussey-sur-Lison is located 30 km (18 mi) south of Besançon, 23 km (14 mi) west of Ornans, 17 km (10 mi) north of Salins-les-Bains and 15 km (9 mi) east of Quingey.
The little village of Cussey sits on the left bank of the river Lison. It is surrounded by wooden hills whose cliffs stand up to 150 meters (500 ft) above the village valley. This typical landscape of the Jura Mountains is called a "reculée".
The creek Goulue flows through the village where five bridges cross it. An ancient mill "le Moulin du Dessus" (former oil mill and sawmill) is located down the creek before it empties into the river Lison.
The lower part of the commune lies in the Lison river Valley, where a bridge from 1793 crosses it to reach the village of Lizine. A dam and a mill "le Moulin du Bas" (former nail factory and then electric power station) were built by the river.
A view of the village from a hill
Toponymy
The name of the village would come from a Celtic root *cus meaning "rock" or from a pre-Celtic hydronymic root *cus-/cos-.
History
Traces of occupation dating back from the Roman era were found at the end of the 19th century, and recently many items from the Celtic times.
During the Middle Ages, the village was a fief of the Seigneurie de Montfort and close to the Seigneurie of Châtillon. The Church of Saint Christopher would have been founded between the 5th and the 10th century, built in Romanesque style with a single nave. Thus the base of the bell tower can be dated from the 12th century and the upper part from the 14th century due to some Gothic decorative elements.
From the Middle Ages to the Late modern period, the Cussey parish extended to the neighboring villages of Echay, Bartherans and the Castle and Les Granges ("the Barns") of Châtillon.
In 1544, the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spains Charles V authorized the Seigneur de Montfort, knight of honor of the Dole Parlement, to build a bridge on the river Lison instead of a ferry.
In the Early modern period, the village suffered from various disasters : plunder by Swedish soldiers during the Ten Years' War (local name for the Thirty Years' War), the French conquest by Louis XIV and also plague and famine during the 17th century. The population dwindled from 44 households in 1614 to 12 households in 1688.
in 1839, an 18 meter (60 feet) high zinc spire was built on the bell tower of the Church. It was torn down in 1966.
The Church of Cussey with its zinc spire before 1966
Population
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1962
64
—
1968
67
+4.7%
1975
59
−11.9%
1982
46
−22.0%
1990
37
−19.6%
1999
61
+64.9%
2008
69
+13.1%
2012
59
−14.5%
2019
70
+18.6%
Gallery
Bridge on the river Lison
Fountain-lavoir in the village of Cussey
Castle of Châtillon
Choir of the Church of Cussey-sur-Lison
Source of the creek Goulue
Confluence of the river Loue (left) and the river Lison (right)
Dam and former mill on the river Lison
Old house with a stone roof
A view of the village of Cussey in the snow from a nearby hill
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