Agen

Agen (occitan: Agen ) is a common French, located in the department of Lot-et-Garonne and the area Aquitaine. The inhabitants are called Agenais (or Agenois , old name fallen in disuse).

Geography

Situation

Agen is located in the south of France in the south-east of the department of the Lot-et-Garonne on left bank of the the Garonne and at the edge of the side Canal at the Garonne (two sea enters it). The city is between Toulouse (107 km) and Bordeaux (132 km).

Climate

The city profits from a moderate Climat soft in autumn, with generally rainy and wet springs, rather hot and dry summers and soft winters. The winter is soft and the coldest January comprises temperatures close to 5°C. The record of minimal temperature was recorded with -17,4 °C in January 1985. In spring, the temperatures are in regular rise with often rainy May and April. The summer is hot and dry and the records of heat are regular. The Orage S are regular phenomena whose precipitations are abundant and specific. Lastly, the autumn is soft and not very rainy.

Tableau comparative of the weather data of Albi and some françaises
cities

Transportation transport and routes

Agen is located halfway between Bordeaux and Toulouse on a major axis of the valley of the Garonne borrowed since several thousands of years. Today, the commune is crossed by RD 813 (old RN 113) driving in south-east towards Toulouse and the North-West towards Bordeaux. A second main axis the Autoroute A62 passes to the south of the city. These two axes of communication skirt the the Garonne and the side Canal of the Garonne. A third main axis the trunk road 21 leads to north with Villeneuve-sur-Lot then with Bergerac in the Département of the Dordogne. The south, this same main road makes it possible to join Auch in the Gers. The district distributers are composed of several secondary roads. In the North-East, the secondary road 656 joined Tournon-with Agenais then Cahors in the Department of the Batch. In the south, the secondary road 931 joined in south-west Condom and Eauze in the department of the Gers.

The railroad settled in Agen in the years 1850. The station was built of 1854 with 1858. Its metal market was designed by the research department of Gustave Eiffel and built between 1864 and 1866. The first train stops in Agen in 1856 and marks the beginning of the urban and economic upheavals of the city at the end of the 19th century. This station is located on the line Bordeaux - Sète and is exploited by the Compagnie of the railroads of the South. In 1934, the Company of the South is absorbed by the Compagnie Paris-Orleans, which is called then the company Paris-Orleans-Midday. Lastly, in 1938, all the railroad companies are joined together and nationalized to become the SNCF. The station of Agen then forms part of this vast unit.

The Aéroport of Agen Garenne is located on the commune of the Passage, to 3 km in the south-west of Agen on an old army ground and is managed by the mixed trade-union for the departmental aerodrome of Lot-et-Garonne made up of the general advice of the Batch-and-Garonne, of the Communauté of agglomeration of Agen, of the Chamber of commerce and industry and of the Guild chamber. Two flights per days, were ensured by the company Airlinair, make it possible to join the Aéroport of Orly on board 'a ATR 42 of 48 seats. The service is suspended and a new company should take again its activities at the beginning of year 2008. Since 1993, the number of passengers had evolved/moved between 20 with: 31000 per annum. The airport does not ensure the freight of goods.

Blazon and Currency

Etymology

Of Latin Aginnum, drawn from the Celtic root agin (rock, height)

History

Origins

The site of Agen was probably populated at least as of the Neolithic but it is difficult to go back the exact origin to it. The vestiges which we currently have at our disposal testify to a settlement of Ibère origin with 8th and 7th centuries before Jesus-Christ. However, the site occupied at that time was different from that which we currently know: it is the plate of the Hermitage. It is besides this situation (on a rocky outcrop) which would give the key of the toponymy of the city.

The site, although being with the junction of the valley of the Mass and the the Garonne, is not one of the strategic places of the valley. It is thus difficult to explain by the only geography the reason for which the Nitiobroge S (Celte people arrived towards 400 before Jesus-Christ) chose this place to make the capital of their kingdom of it. They had built on this site a Fortified town of approximately 50 hectares, located at 100 meters with the top of the bed of the Garonne. One found traces of this occupation of the ground at the 19th century and more recently, thanks to the team work of the archeologists of the Resident of Agen.

The displacement of the city towards the terraces of the Garonne is undoubtedly former to the Roman Occupation. It is necessary to connect this transfer with the richness of the commercial exchanges which took place along the river like worms the the Pyrenees and the Massif Central. The discovery of the very rich tomb with tank of Boé attests opulence of the local elites at the end of the first century before Jesus-Christ.

A Gallo-Roman city

The Gallo-Roman city left important and rather many traces. Unfortunately, they for the majority were destroyed and in particular most interesting. First of all the Theater, rare enough thing for a town of average importance, more especially as Aginnum was also equipped with a Amphithéâtre (gone back to 215 after Jesus-Christ) which can accommodate: 10000 with: 15000 people, quantifies considerable. There are also indices concerning the existence of at least a Nécropole. The city extended on 80 hectares and thus rather rich and was especially populated. But prosperity was more related to an activity of transit that to a true role of commercial pole. This intense passage is to be put in relation to the early establishment of the Christian religion. As of the end of the 3rd century the chronicles report martyrdoms of saint Caprais and holy Foy. At the next century, the Christian church is organized with its first known bishop, Phébade, whose theological work was worth to him a prestige in all Christendom.

The Middle Ages

As for much of cities, we have few documents concerning the dramatic time of the Great Invasions. During four centuries, Agen lives to pass the Vandales, the Visigoths then the Francs before undergoing the Norman ones at the 9th century. The city was even folded up on it and was strengthened in its first enclosure (ten hectares) around the cathedral Saint-Etienne (site of the current market-carpark) and whose foundation is difficult to date. Completely not having never been finished, the building worsened and threatening to crumble it was demolished at the beginning of the 19th century. It is around this core that developed the medieval city whose urban screen was organized starting from the street of the angles (of which there remains a part) which ended place of the Market (today place of the Slags) i.e. in the foot of the cathedral. The principal vestiges of medieval Agen are religious buildings. It was already seen that the Saint-Etienne cathedral disappeared. But the most splendid monument is without question the church of the Jacobins (transformed today into arts center). The church is the last vestige of the convent of the Jacobins (or Dominican) and dates from the 13th century. Construction, except for the three central pillars (out of stone) which separate the vessel in two naves is out of bricks. Recent work of restoration released from the murals where figure Alphonse of Poitiers (lord of the city and guard of the convent to its construction). It was the place of local or regional great events: in 1354, the Prince Noir accepted the homage of 40 barons there and in particular that of Gaston Phébus.

The city counted a great number of other buildings in religious matter, convents or churches like the current cathedral: collegial the Caprais Saint, mainly of Romance style. Around the church there was an architectural unit to accommodate the canons: monastery, cloister… of which there remains only the chapter house. Exploiting the feudal competitions between Plantagenêts (succeeding the counts de Poitiers) and Counts de Toulouse then between kings d' Angleterre and Capétiens, bishops and inhabitants could escape the supervision from their lords.

As of the 12th century, the city enjoys a certain autonomy, it has a habit, freedoms and franknesses. This autonomy continues at the 13th century (the charter goes back to 1248) and the supervision of the king (or of the count) and of the bishop is increasingly loose. The city is managed by consuls who affix on the solemn acts the large seal of the city representing on the avers a city strengthened with inside a bell-tower and with the reverse an eagle. But the consular administration does not have anything democratic, it is a Oligarchie which often misused its capacities, involving several popular revolts at the following centuries.

The city indeed notably increased during the Middle Ages: it reaches from now on 60 hectares. Agen was a prosperous and populated city (perhaps: 10000 inhabitants whereas Toulouse counted some less: 40000) living linked activities in the Garonne in particular: trade, fishing, flour mill. However, although the city too much did not suffer directly from the terrible confrontations of the Guerre One hundred Year old (it even gained there a little more autonomy) it underwent the consequences of the devastations of the surrounding regions. Moreover, XIVe and 15th centuries knew the terrible epidemic of black Peste worsened by many bad weather and devastators. The Garonne in particular struck by fatal risings.

The time of the Rebirth

End of the One hundred Year old war to the first disorders of the wars of religion Agen knew a rebirth as much material than intellectual. A vagueness of immigration come from the Massif Central, West and of the Pyrenees repopulated the area. Moreover, the diocese was directed by five successive Italian bishops several of them resulting from the family Rovère, connected with the pope Jules II. They were fine well-read men, like Mateo Bandello, author of news. It one of them, is probably written with Bazens, residence of the bishops of Agen, which inspired with Shakespeare Romeo and Juliette. They came accompanied by a whole continuation made up humble folks but also very brilliant like the doctor and humanistic Jules-César Scaliger, known in all Europe, or his/her son, Joseph-Juste, asset with the Réforme (it is one of the " illustres" resident of Agen). Agen, city catholic (and rival of Nérac, capital policy and intellectual of reformed), occupied and was on several occasions plundered by the Protestant troops during this dramatic period. It will shelter a few times the queen Marguerite de Valois, known as the queen Margot .

Returned peace, the city knew a renewal of prosperity after one Great century difficult, as the remainder of the country, because of climatic conditions prejudicial to the Agriculture, activity on which the city was extremely dependant. Popular seditions, plagues and famines do that the true return to prosperity took place only at the 18th century, which attest the many civil buildings: private mansions of the noble rich person families or middle-class women enriched in the commercial and textile activity. It is only at the end of the century that the splendid episcopal palate become was built seat of the prefecture thereafter. Agen is at that time a manufacturing city specialized in the tarpaulin but also cloths, cords and fabrics various. The city leaves its ramparts more and more. She does not fear any more the political disturbances but only moods of the Garonne. One does not hesitate however to embellish the edges of the river by arranging the walk known as " of Gravier" planted the ormeaux one (today amputated and disfigured by the bank road and the wall which separates from now on the town of its river). This place accommodated large the fairs, in particular that of June when the barges came from all Europe. The city depends indeed more and more on its river which exports towards the Americas the Farine of the Highland that one exchanges over there against Sucre. One also sells to the sailors the plum S dried which during the crossing make it possible to avoid the Scorbut. The trade of the wine was also very important but obstructed by the privilege of the wines of Bordeaux prohibiting the sale of the wines of the upstream until Christmas, part of the production was transformed into brandy.

The XIXe century

The Revolution then the continental blockade and the beginnings of the Industrial revolution will carry heavy blows to the Agen-native activities. But this economic numbness that one notes at the 19th century is also to put at the account local middle-class, which lost its dynamism and is folded up on a less and less lucrative ground rent: the agricultural meeting of Agen of 1855 still seeks to show the superiority of the forgery on the wheel! As wrote it Peter Weissberg in the history of Agen published at Privat in 1991: Agen did not miss its industrial revolution: it did not even try it . Thus, the assets which constituted the Railroad and the side Canal of the Garonne, which had, after transformation into “channel of the two seas”, according to the soldiers " to take half of the traffic of Gibraltar and to avoid with our fleet humiliation passing under the guns anglais" , were insufficiently used or do not transfer the day. The contribution of populations come from the Massif Central, the Pyrenees and Spain, made up the very important deficit of labor in an area in serious demographic decline but primarily absorptive by construction and agriculture. The 19th century was however that of the great municipal achievements. As of 1827, Agen has finally a bridge (several attempts fell through, of the Middle Ages at the 16th century and during 300 years one crossed the Garonne by the vat), doubled by the footbridge suspended in 1839 and finally the Tubular bridge, completed in 1843, true masterpiece equipped with 23 arches which span the river and its major bed. It is in 1875 that the Garonne knew its most dramatic rising (it made 500 dead in Toulouse and 8 in Agen) but the Bridge Channel had resisted.

The true transformations of the Agen-native urban screen took place only under the mandate of Jean-Baptiste Durand, between the 1880 and 1895 (city counted at that time: 20000 inhabitants). The two current grand boulevards were bored: Republic and Carnot, this last leads to the Gare, lately built (the principal building is completed in 1858 and two side wings are added in 1886 then destroyed in 1981). On the layout of the old ramparts, dismantled with the Revolution, one carried out boulevards of belt. These large building sites however destroyed testimonys of last like the major part of the Holy-Foy church. It is in 1888 qu ' is inaugurated the new college (Palissy), built on a hillock so that it is with the shelter of the risings. The second college of the city (technical school Jean-Baptiste de Baudre, of the name of the engineer originator of the Side channel) occupies the walls of the great seminar, imposing masonry of the end of the 17th century, built by the Mascaron bishop to perfect the work of the Counter-Reformation.

It is finally Jean-Baptiste Durand who makes build on the site of the old cathedral the market hall, in the style of the markets of Baltard, unfortunately also disappeared him. Extremely fortunately, well off this great work still remain of small arteries, streets and alleys at the half-timbered houses and corbelling or old brick or stone hotels. These constructions, of which oldest are dated from the 14th century, give to Agen a particular seal which one finds in other cities of average importance, safe from too a compulsive eater expansion.

Modern time

Today, the city extended considerably, well beyond the primitive core, only place with the shelter of the floods. Work of damming up of the river must protect the major bed from the raw devastators (the century knew two believed " centenaires" : 1930 and 1952 and the last important flood took place in December 1981). If the population of the city stagnates with a little more: 30000 inhabitants, the agglomeration extended towards the south and is, benefitting the communes from Good-Opposition, Boé and the Passage. According to INSEE, it counts currently approximately: 70000 inhabitants (: 69488 in 1999).

Within a primarily rural and agricultural environment, Agen must draw its richnesses from the agro-alimentary sector. Therefore was created in 1990, Agropole, was located beside the highway exchanger, on the commune of Estillac. However, more the Agen-native large company is the firm UPSA, founded pharmaceutical laboratory in 1935 by Doctor Bru and repurchased by the American group Bristol-Myers Squibb. The industrial fabric is very diffuse today and it is especially the tertiary sector which involves the agglomeration and the city towards the 21e century with in particular the university pole (antenna of the faculty of Bordeaux and I.U.T.) and the National school of Prison authorities (ENAP) in 2000.

Administration

Municipal administration

Since 1790, the functions of mayor of Agen were successively occupied by 43 mayors, whose principal ones were:

Episcopal administration

Agen is the seat of a évêché whose current holder is Monseigneur Hubert Herbreteau, since 2005.

Since its foundation, in IVe century, the Diocèse of Agen saw following one another a very great number of bishops among whom:

See also the complete listing: List of the bishops of Agen.

Health

August 1st

Demography

With the census of 1999, the urban surface counted 94659 inhabitants for 56 communes, the agglomeration 69488 inhabitants for 14 communes. It is the fourth agglomeration of Aquitaine. The principal communes of the agglomeration apart from Agen are the Passage of Agen (8827 inhabitants), Bon Opposition (5759 inhabitants), Foulayronnes (4597 inhabitants), Boé (4503 inhabitants) and Bridge of the Break-in (4259 inhabitants).

Economy

It is famous for the culture of the Pruneau.

Located in the middle of an important agricultural area, agribusiness industry occupies a choice place in the Agen-native economy. Agropole, vast industrial park dedicated to the transformation of the food products, occupies on 70 hectares more than 100 companies and employs 1700 people.

It is also the seat of large a undertaken pharmaceutical UPSA, subsidiary of the group BMS. This Entreprise has two manufacturing units on the community of Agglomération of Agen: one on the commune even and the other on other bank of the Garonne to the Passage, it gather more than 1200 employees.

The entrepise of meat cutting Bigard.

Agen is the seat of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Lot-et-Garonne.

Higher education

  • Airways Formation - School of formation of Airline pilot
  • Appendix of the University of Bordeaux, in particular of the departments of languages and right.

Famous characters

Tourist monuments and places

If Agen were, under the Ancien Mode, a rich city of architectural monuments, some of its monuments were demolished under the successive Révolution and municipalities.

Cathedral Saint-Caprais

Built at the 12th century on the site of a episcopal Basilica built at the 6th century, ransacked by the Norman in 853 then restored, it constituted a Collégiale initially.

Ransacked in December 1561, it became in 1791 a store with fodder before being reopened in 1796 and becoming the official cathedral of Agen, instead of the old Saint-Etienne cathedral, in ruins.

The principal organ was offered by the Eugenie empress in 1858.

The Cathédrale Saint-Caprais of Agen presents several architectural characteristics: its Romance Abside is prolonged by a Gothic vessel with only one Nef. Replacing an old bell-tower out of wooden, the current bell-tower was built in 1835 on the initiative of bishop Mgr of Levezou de Vezins and has the effect of being made up of the three elements Gothic stylistics (Gothic with lancets, radiant Gothic, blazing Gothic) curiously presented in their opposite chronological order.

Museum of the Art schools d' Agen

Founded in 1876, the Museum of the Art schools d' Agen, located in the middle history of the city, is placed in four superb private mansions of the Rebirth , opened on beautiful course interior. It is one of the richest museums of South-west and presents, in a pleasant course evoking the interior of a rich person collector, a whole of Peinture S and Sculpture S, Meuble S and European Faïence S of the Middle Ages at the 20th century.

The museum is particularly famous for its rich person together of Spanish works of the S, among which five exceptional tables of Goya . Among the most remarkable collections, it is also necessary to quote Flemish and Dutch dead natures, paintings of the 17th French century (Champaigne) and Italian (Tintoret), the collection of portraits of the dukes of Pivot (Greuze, Oudry, Drouais, of Troy, van Loo, Nattier…). The 19th French century is represented by the large Masters of painting (Courbet, Millet), the landscape designers of the École of Barbizon (Corot) and the painters impressionist (Boudin, Sisley, Caillebotte, A. Lebourg).

Finally works of the 20th century are presented with two remarkable funds of the French painter Roger Bissière on the one hand, and of Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne, on the other hand.

The archaeological section of the Museum consists of objects coming from sites batch and garonnais: the collection of the times Celtic and Gallo-Roman constitutes one of the major aspects of them. Lastly, a very beautiful donation of Eastern Archéologie (objects of the Bronze Age until the time of the Crusade S, coming from the Lebanon and Syria) came to enrich the museum.

Notre-Dame church of the Jacobins

Also known under the name of Notre-Dame d' Agen , this church is the only vestige of the old convent of the Dominicains, also called Jacobins. Built at the 13th century, it is appeared as a rectangular vessel divided into two equal naves and surmounted of an octagonal bell-tower. It is related to great events of the Agen-native history:

  • on August 9th 1279, it is the witness of the ceremony during which the Resident of Agen is officially restored in England by Philippe III, wire of the king de France Louis IX;

  • in 1585, Marguerite de Navarre, repudiated by his/her brother Henri III of France, arrives at Agen that it tries to involve in the wake of the League. It then transforms the convent of the Jacobins into citadel;

  • on March 12th 1789, the church of the Jacobins is the theater of the meeting of the three orders of the seneschalsy of Agen, in order to write the registers of grievances for the meeting of the General states.

With the French revolution, the convent of the Jacobins was closed and demolished while the church was safeguarded and transformed into stable. It will be reallocated with the catholic worship in 1807.

Notre-Dame church of the Borough

Ogival brick church whose construction goes back to the 12th century, it takes after 1339 the name of Notre-Dame of the Borough and is used first of all as appendix with the Saint-Etienne cathedral, before being attached to the Notre-Dame church of the Jacobins. It was surrounded by a cemetery, reserved to the big families of the city and removed in 1802.

It is appeared as a long brick building, the surmounted of wall-belfry, typical gate of the religious architecture of the south-west of France.

In 1874, its bedside is replaced by a chorus with five sides while in 1962, the hood recovering the gate is demolished.

Church of Cordeliers

More commonly called church Saint-Hilaire , this church is the only vestige of the old convent of the Cordeliers Brothers: completed in 1348, it was increased by two bell-towers in 1892, of which one was découronné in 1963. Closed down with the Revolution, it was returned to the worship in 1827, whereas the old convent of Cordeliers had been demolished and replaced by a gendarmerie.

Vast Gothic vessel with only one nave, it owes its notoriety with its frame, which takes the shape of a hull of ship reversed.

Notable on its frontage - on the left Saint Pierre are the two statues, on the right Moïse carrying the Tables of the Law. On the stained glasses inside one sees Saint Hilaire and opposite him, with the other end of the church, a representation of the trinity (because Saint Hilaire was very active in the defense of the doctrines of the trinity, criticized at its time).

Prefecture

The prefecture of Agen is installed in the old episcopal palate, built 1775 with 1783 by the bishop Jean-Louis d' Usson de Bonnac in order to replace the évêché precedent, old feudal construction fallen in ruins. It was built in the fields of the architect Leroy, raises Soufflot.

Devastated by an accidental fire on October 21st 1904, it was rebuilt in 1909.

Market hall

Thick concrete construction sheltering a surmounted shopping mall of an automobile carpark on floors, the market hall of Agen offers interest only by the two monuments which it succeeded:

1 - The cathedral Saint-Etienne d' Agen , vast basilica started at the 13th century and whose construction, unceasingly stopped by the lack of money and the Wars of religion, never was truly completed. Its lack of external grace was compensated by a very great interior richness.

Rebuilt to nine by the bishop Jean-Louis d' Usson de Bonnac, it was dismantled with the French revolution and its ruins definitively shot down in 1835, under the municipality of the count Adolphe of Raymond.

Saint-Etienne d' Agen was supplied with a bell-tower of extremely curious architecture: nonadjacent to the cathedral, built on an old lathe of the first enclosure of Agen known under the name of turn of Escuragno , it was appeared as a thick arrow out of wooden and slates, with hourds, flanked of four pinnacles and surmounted by a wind vane. This arrow was cut down in September 1793 while the tower, old Romance construction, was cut down in 1885.

2- the market hall of Agen was built in 1882, on the initiative of the mayor Jean-Baptiste Durand on the site of the old cathedral Saint-Etienne d' Agen. Inaugurated in 1884, it was the work of the Lhéritier architect and was appeared as a vast construction of stone and metal, inspired by the Halles of Paris built by Baltard.

Particularly liked Residents of Agen, which judged well it decorative and adapted to the needs for the local market, it was cut down under the municipality of Pierre Pomarède in 1970.

Turn of the Chain

Located in the immediate vicinity of the Saint-Caprais cathedral, this tower is the last vestige of the second enclosure of Agen. Built at the 13th century, it was incorporated in the 16th century in the convent of the Chain, to which it was used as bell-tower. The convent was shaven after the French revolution and this tower was used as prison as from 1815.

About square, built out of stones of average apparatus, it includes/understands a vast room arched in cradle, surmounted of three openwork stages of coupled windows and mullioned windows.

Left a long time with the abandonment, it was restored and shelters today a cabinet of architecture.

Passage on the Garonne

Passage pedestrian, the footbridge built at the 19th century was recently restored. It makes it possible to cross the Garonne to foot. This footbridge makes it possible to connect the town of agen to the village named " Passage".

Pont- channel of Agen

See also: Tubular bridge of Agen

The Tubular bridge of Agen is the oldest bridge of Agen making it possible to cross the Garonne.

Cultural heritage

August 1st

Sport

The Sporting Union Agen is the large general sports club of the city. SWEATED includes/understands in particular a section of Rugby to XV (Sporting Union Agen Lot-et-Garonne) whose flag team evolves/moves in 2006 - 2007 Top 14 and counts 8 championships of France (1930, 1945, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1976, 1982 and 1988). The rugbymen use the Stade Armandie (12 000 places).

The section Football of SWEATED (Sporting Union Agen Football) is more modest. It evolves/moves this season in Championnat of France Amateurs 2.

The horse-races are held on the Hippodrome of Garenne.

Twinnings

See too

Related articles

  • Airport of Agen Garenne
  • List of the bishops of Agen

External bonds

  • Site of the city
  • Tourist office
    • tourist
  • average Altitude and other details
  • Blazon of Agen (the bank of the blazon)

Sources

  • Beaumont Stephan (under the direction of) History of Agen , ED. Privat 1991.

  • Dubernard Jean: Album of old Agen , Editions CTR, Agen, 1983.
  • Lauzun Philippe, Memories of old Agen , 1913.
  • Molinié Jean-Louis, Agen, 25 centuries of history , bulletin of the Genealogical Heraldic Circle of Lot-et-Garonne, 1995.
  • Riotte Jean (under the direction of), Agen of yesterday and today , IC, Agen, 1964.
  • Relieves Andre, the streets of Agen tell their history , Société Academic of Agen, 1973.

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