Bavay

Bavay is a common French, located in the department of the Northern and the area Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

Its inhabitants is called Bavaisiens.

Geography

Bavay is a small town between Valencian and Maubeuge (Northern). The area of Bavay belongs geographically to the Hainaut French.

History

Gallo-Roman

Bavay, Bagacum in the Antiquity, is a Roman foundation ex nihilo established towards -20. The oldest levels located by recent excavations do not go up beyond the years -20/-10.

The birth of Bavay, after the conquest, results from the reorganization of the territory by Auguste (undoubtedly between -16 and -13). Gaulle conquered by César is then divided in three provinces. The area located between the the Seine and the the Rhine constitutes the Gaulle Belgium and has as a capital Rheims. It is divided into “cities” ( civitates ), administrative units which have at their head a chief town. In this district one of most savage people of Gaulle of the North lived the which occupied a vast area ranging between the the Scheldt, the Sambre and the Meuse: the Nerviens.

Placed at the center of a road junction, Bavay is the required passage between the Germanie and the wearing of war of Boulogne-sur-Mer, head of bridge towards the Brittany, current the Great Britain. The others ways, there are seven of them on the whole, connected the chief town of city of the Nerviens to the capitals of the cities of the close people (Amiens via Arras, Tongres, Cassel, Trier in the east and Rheims in the south). Its position is obviously strategic, but very quickly these ways with military vocation (the future emperor Tibère forwards in Bavay with its armies about the year 4) is used with business ends.

As from the time claudienne and especially under the Flaviens (fine of I^er century), the city develops. Vast monuments are built: a Forum, Thermal baths supplied with a Aqueduct bringing water of a fountain located at a score of kilometers, and other buildings, seems it in official matter, decorate the city.

Medieval

The excavations on the Roman forum allowed the setting the day of Céramique S Des. the history of the city at this period being badly known, one will refer for the broad outlines with the history of the Comté of Hainaut. It is probable that the Roman forum was arranged in defensive unit, certain posterior documents referring to the viel manor house .

At the 12th century, the area of Bavay belongs to the county of Hainaut, and the city is chief town of a Prévôté.

With, the city is strengthened, the drawing of the enclosure Médiéval E and of its important lifting of ground appears still today. The city is the prévôté seat of one.

Modern time

Bavay is attached to the kingdom of France in 1678 (Traité of Nimègue).

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

Forum dating from the 1st century whose importance was revealed by the bonbardements of 1940 which destroyed the buildings which masked it. Several hypocaustes was found under the church and houses, pertaining to a whole from at least five hypocaustes which sign important thermal baths, perhaps public.
Statue of the queen Brunehaut, on the place.

Personalities related to the commune

Jean Lemaire of Belgians (born in Belgians, today Bavay, in 1473).
Jean Goudezki (born and died in Louvignies Bavay, 1866 - 1934). Author, poet, chansonnier of the famous cabaret the Black Cat, in Paris.

Local specialities

“Chew Them”, rectangular candies of which there exist various perfumes;
“Bavaisienne”, beer of guard to old, produced by the Brewery Theillier
“el plonk Ti vindieu”,

Sources, references

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