The paper and knife industries have been manufacturing since the 15 th century and if the former has almost disappeared, the latter maintains the town's god name. The town was established at first on the left bank of the Durolle around the small Moutier church which was hunt and plundered by the Francs in 532, Clovis'son Thierry was the chief. It got back from the ruins while the bishop of Clermont Airtus build a sanctuary on the other bank, over the Martyrs tom Saint Genes. Later a fortified castle was built near this church and from then on, the town developed on the right bank where it became a baronry.

Cutlery in THIERS :
A dense and rural population was exploiting as far as possible this area sometimes with uncommon ways such as the famous " Parsonnier " communities who existed from the Middle Ages to the 19 th century.
Nevertheless, the density of rural population remained thanks to contribution. Soon, THIERS took advantages of its ideal geographical situation to dispatch work to the Eastern mountains, to Western Piemont, to Northern areas (as far as St Victor Montvianeix) and to Southern areas (The Two Vollore).
Little by little, the cutlery area formed through the centuries, spreading towards towns in the neighborhood during flourishing periods and naturally narrowing in times of crisis.

THIERS inhabitants created the " fragmented work " before the word even existed.

Employers, mostly merchants, distributed raw materials, gathered fully manufactured products and then sold it outside the area. " Martinaires ", grinders, polishers, hardeners used the Durolle 's water both as source of energy and as a hardening liquid. Because it was necessary, their tools were scattered along the river. Blacksmiths, scissors finishers, filers, articles and pocket products fitters, scattered in the mountain, their work only needed skill and small quantities of raw materials. Shapers, horn hidders, shopmen, wiping women, packing women, merchants, settled in the town when raw materials and then fully manufactured products arrived.

All these crafts need an explanation but a general one would not be complete without mentionning the commercial dynamism of THIERS Middle Class who created trading posts all over Europ and civility of those country men hawkers who, their bundle on their back, developped far away fruits of this hardworking country.

Massif Central is often shown as a reserve of men looking for extra-workers in the four corners of France.
This outline, proved , most of the time, does not apply to Auvergne Eastern mountains. THIERS area, and its cutlery industry, (and a lot of other products), Ambert area and paper industry knew how to keep population staying there in spite of poor natural ressources. In both cases, emigration is not a primary phenomenon similar to men movements Poitrineau described.
But industry created a secondary movement , farmers of Arconsat were going to hawked knives, ragmen of Livradois looked for rag to make paper.

All things considered, THIERS area seems similar to French Jura, even if differences in relief, climate and population existed. Manufacturing in Jura always employed high skilled labour able to work on meticulous operations as shaping parts of watch-making, watch assembling, turnering, and table-making, manufacturing of objects made of wood and horn, stone working and diamond carving.
THIERS 's labor is very good at wood, metal and horn manufacturing. It knows how to use imported material and to add them value after manufacturing. Soon it gained a great sens of fully manufactured products export.

Cliché studio GIBERT - collection particulière

As another famous " Auvergnat ", painter LAVELLE from THIERS was named Blaise. He was born in 1816 and died in 1895. This " bitord " ,very skillful in painting, also created, in 1848, THIERS Republican periodical " Bon Sens " and was its chief editor.
He had a real passion for his own town and painted (about 1885) this panorama of THIERS we can admire in the room of restaurant " Les trois Canards " situated to PONT DE DORE.

According to its size and the range of the subject, this painting is really a good work, the most important painting consecrated to THIERS among a lot of landscape we can see today which have been painted by other painters.

When we analyze this work, we can see it is interesting in many ways.

For example, we can notice the void due to the demolition of a part of Church " du Moutier " in 1882 following the decision of the Town Council because of its bad state and price it would have cost to restore it.
Also, we can be certain that it was painted before 1885 because we can not see the new middle school " AUDEMBRON ", situated between the " Rue Barbasse " (actually " Rue de la Barante ") and the " Rue de la Gare " (actually " Rue des Docteurs Dumas ") which was built from 1885 to 1888.
Concerning the identity of the painter of this canvas - which LAVELLE did not sign in fact - there is not any doubt possible : time, subject, style and predilection for " the goat " as part of scenery, (as we can notice in other works of the period), remove any ambiguity.
Concerning the place it has been painted, the painter might have put his easel at the " Belins " and in two different places.
Firstly, for the left part, near VIALLON 's property, because we can see Church " SAINT GENES ", then for the right part, near the northern entrance of the village, because we can see, with details, cemetery " Saint Jean " and its tombstones.
Through these angles, deep valley of river " Durolle Saint Jean " is not visible and it seems that the shepherdess, situated in the right part of " Belins ", would only need to walk a few paces accross the plane to reach this building which might give difficulties to people accustomed to this place.
The panorama runs from the bridge over river " Durolle " (where actual road N 89 runs) to Church " Saint Jean ". We can not see the Saint Roch hill.
This painting gives a very good general view of houses scattering along the slopes with uniformity of red tiles, except some few slate covered, Courcon' s property next to Church " Moutier " and building " Favrot " (actually Chat Noir).
On the left of Saint Genes, The Horloge tower, is far higher than it is today.
Because of their important slope, we can notice pointed roofs of " Hotel du Pirou ".
In the foreground, on the left, in the slope below the hospital, vineyards remember us that, at this time, our department was one of the most important wine producer of France.
Places we usually notice as " Franc Sejour " and Hospital, are visible but are not treated with a lot of details.
In short, a moment of life in THIERS, at the beginning of 3rd Republic.

Who was Blaise LAVELLE ?
As we mentionned it above, Blaise LAVELLE was born in 1816 in Meilhaud and died in THIERS on February 27 th of 1895.
He was very skillful in painting and went to Paris in 1848 where he studied under Picot's control.
He created THIERS Republican periodical " Bon Sens " and was its chief editor. Because of his attitude during Napoleon the 3rd 's armed takeover, he was deported in 1852-1853.
He taught sketching in THIERS middle school and showed his work in exhibitions in THIERS from 1865 to 1884.
He became famous because he produced numerousous canvases and printings representing THIERS.
The Town museum kept the portrait he painted of GIRAUD (mayor of THIERS) in 1848-1849.