Bourges

Bourges is a common French, located in the department of the Cher and the area Center. It is also the capital of Berry, old province extending to the departments from Indre and Expensive. Its inhabitants is called Berruyers.

Currency

Summa imperii bolts Bituriges (the sovereign capacity belongs to Bituriges).

Geography

The town of Bourges is located on the Yèvre, with a few tens of kilometers of the “  exact center of France  ”, into full Berry.

Among the districts of the city, Asnières-the-Bourges has its originality.

Climate

Here climatic data in Bourges of 1946 to 2002 (to click on the chart of France).

History

Bourges owes its name to the Gallic people of the Bituriges Cubes.

Antiquity

In Antiquity, it named Avaricum (the Celtic name being Avaric which is also found in the name of the river Yèvre). During the war of Gaules, César made of it the seat, which lasted of long month. Everywhere else as a Gaulle, Vercingétorix had set up a scorched earth policy: no city, no farm was to be used for the provisioning of the Roman legions. However, the inhabitants of Avaricum begged it to save their city, proposing the safety of their city protected by natural defenses (such as the marshes) and by a powerful wall at the south. From this wall, of Ville returned to him the red nomination, as well as Mans. César succeeds in taking the city into that causes hunger its combatants and pushing back the army of help of Vercingétorix. 40  000 men, women and children locked up in its walls, only 800 escaped from it.

Once the conquered city, it is rebuilt in the Roman style with a square plan and many monumental complexes are built: oppidum, carries monumental, aqueducts, thermal baths and amphitheater. Many villas were built and the city will reach an important size (higher than that of the Middle Ages).

The Middle Ages

Thereafter, during the cruel invasions, the city is folded up on itself and a Gallo-Roman enclosure is built with the remainders of the dismantled official buildings.

The city gradually will fall asleep for the period mérovingienne which leaves only little trace.

On the other hand, the Carolingian period is more ostentation to be judged some by the traces than it left, although badly known. Many buildings will be built sign of a social, political and religious reorganization. From this time construction goes back to a hospital and first cathedral from Bourges, with the site of current, by Raoul de Turenne. Of this building a crypt mérovingienne under the chorus of the current building remains. One also attends the construction of a palate under the current prefecture. Many abbeys will be founded with the support of the royal capacity like that of Saint-Ambroix. A first wave of churches will be built such as the Saint-Paul church.

Then at the 12th century, Bourges was the chief town of a Viscount until the last Viscount of Bourges, Eudes d' Arpin in 1101 sells his strongholds for 60.000 under-but to king de France in order to finance his crusade. Bourges between this fact in the royal fields, properties clean of the crown. During this century the city will know a new golden age around the building site of the cathedral and the construction of a new enclosure under the impulse of the king Philippe Auguste. Indeed, the city is an important religious center even if it does not have a center of pilgrimage. Many prelates follow one another of which some will know brilliant careers which will carry out them even to the head office of Saint-Pierre. Combined to the influence of the local families which became very close to the king such of Châtre, of Sully to quote only they, will contribute to the will to construct an exceptional building thanks to the power as well economic as political of the archbishops of Bourges. The catch comes by one night from storm: the struck down cathedral is on fire. It had just been rebuilt and even was not completed yet. The decision makers hesitate but perhaps by competition with the archbishop of Bourges, Henri de Sully, brother of the manufacturer of Notre-Dame de Paris decide in 1192 the construction of a new cathedral on a single and original level: this cathedral will constitute a visible proclamation of the power of the church berruyère but also of monarchy capétienne (the English are very close). From 1192 until the middle of the 15th century this disproportionate building site will monopolize all the city.

At the 14th century the city becomes the capital of the duchy of Berry which is given in prerogative to Jean de Berry third wire of the king de France Jean the Good, brother of the king Charles V. This large lord wire, brother and uncle of king, par of France will develop in his capital a sumptuous court. It will attract in the town of many artists among most brilliant of its time. These large building sites deeply will mark the city. Its greater work will be the construction of a ducal palate (large palace) built on the remainders of the Gallo-Roman wall and in continuity of the remainders of an older palate called the small palace (old palate of the Viscounts of Bourges whose primitive construction would go up with Pépin the Brief. This palate will be attached by a gallery (gallery of the stag) to the Ste Chapelle (or palatine vault). Of these buildings only two of the rooms of pageantry of the large palace (current general advice) remain, the unrecognizable small palace under a frontage replated at the 19th century (current prefecture), the holy vault was completely destroyed certain of these canopies nevertheless were placed in the stained glasses of the low church of the cathedral. Of another elements show the importance which this prince patron for Bourges played thus one can quote like another realization: the central stained glass of the principal frontage of the cathedral (large housteau), the famous manuscript of the very rich hours of the duke of Berry, the astronomical clock located at the origin on jubé of the cathedral (the first of France).

The dolphin, future Charles VII of France, having found refuge in Bourges will use the administration installation by his/her large uncle the duke of Berry to be able to take again the control of its kingdom (mint, court of justice, episcopal see) will be as many assets, his/her son future louis XI will be born besides in the palate from the archbishops in 1423. Charles VII promulgated the Pragmatic Sanction in there 1438.

Jacques Heart, wire of a clothier will be one of the most famous inhabitants of this time, initially working with his/her father as supplier of the ducal court, it will know a fulgurating rise. He marries the girl of the provost of Bourges Macé of léodepart, then will take part in the manufacture of the currencies (what will be worth some vexations to him), then he becomes Minister of Finance i.e. supplier of the royal court, he thus will develop an international sales network thanks to the establishment of a network of counters and a commercial fleet. But its fortune becomes too large and will wake up the jealousies and will lead it to its loss. Translated and condemned by royal justice he becomes a tracked man he will find refuge near the pope Nicolas V, ruined man, all the goods are confiscated and sold with the profit of the king, he dies in exile in 1456. The most outstanding trace that it left in the city is the construction of a private mansion still existing today, the palate Jacques-Heart. Bourges is also the seat of an archbishop's palace, which the dioceses concern Albi, of Cahors, of Clermont, Mende, the Puy-en-Velay, Rodez, Saint-Flour and Tulle. The diocese was one of very first with being founded by Ursin saint at the time of the first evangelization campaigns of Gaulle about the 4th century. From this fact the diocese obtained privileges and the archbishops of Bourges became primacy of Aquitanian (cf Roman provinces) and Patriarch of the Roman church. As of the Middle Ages these prerogatives were disputed in particular by the archbishops of Bordeaux, and currently constitutes nothing any more but one honorary title.

The four “conciliation boards” manage the city, then are replaced in 1474 by a mayor and 12 aldermen. The July 22nd 1487, the Large fire of Bourges still called Grand fire of the Madeleine destroyed one the third of the city and marked the beginning of the decline of the capital of the Berry.

Rebirth

The news of the Massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre reaches Bourges on August 26th, and massacres it Protestants lasts there until September 11th.

In 1585, its governor Chatre adopts the Ligue as of his launching.

17th century with the French revolution

At the 17th century the city knows a new start related to two major events, against reform initially whose Jesuits will be the principal realizers and who will materialize in Bourges by the construction of one their colleges. And the presence then its role as a governor of Berry of future prince de Condé. New ideas and political influence transform the city. The still medieval city opens, the walls are destroyed, of many buildings public is built (general hospital, carmel) or is refitted (Hospital, hotel of the aldermen). Two men play a fundamental role: an architect, the judge, who carries out the majority of these building sites and the archbishop Michel Phélyppeaux of Vrillère, large courtier, whose family are one of richest of France which makes build a palate archiépiscopal, Jardins with the signed Frenchwoman Ours and a great seminar.

The military vocation of Bourges started when a regiment of Dragon was confined there under the reign of Louis XIV. Bourges and its surroundings count from now on many linked activities with defense, in particular the hypersonic blower of Subdray, establishments MBDA (ex-Aerospace), the technical Establishment of experimentation of Bourges (tests of shootings). This last establishment is the successor of the artillery School, established in Bourges in 1839 following an intensive lobbying on behalf of the town councilors.

Economy

  • State-of-the-art technologies

  • ESAM University of application of the Material (Army)
  • Manufacture and test of Arme lies (ETBS: Technical establishment of Bourges), GIAT industries become Nexter in December 2006
  • Training center of the Delegation dénérale for the armament (DGA)
  • Design and Aeronautical manufacture, Aerospace. In the past North-Aviation. Then in 2002 fusion with Matra, to become company MBDA missiles production.
  • Factory Michelin, treats primarily the aeronautical tires (manufacture and retreading).
  • At the 19th century, Bourges owes part of its prosperity with its crossing by the Canal of Berry of which she asked besides the modification of the layout initially envisaged, about 1811, in order to be served by him.

Bourges is the seat of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Expensive the. It manages the airport.

Administration

The city is divided into five cantons:

  • the 1 {{er}} canton account 12  069 inhabitants;
  • the 2 {{E}} canton account 11  227 inhabitants;
  • the 3 {{E}} canton account 20  882 inhabitants;
  • the 4 {{E}} canton account 16  111 inhabitants;
  • the 5 {{E}} canton account 12  191 inhabitants.

Demography

Heraldic

Of azure, with three busy money sheep, the engrêlée edge of mouths, the chief of azure charged with three flowers of gold lily| Malta-Brown |illustrated France (1882)

There exists an alternative:

“Of azure with three sheep of money, horned of sand, coupled of mouths and clarinés of gold, with the engrêlée edge of mouths; with the bent chief of azure, responsible for three flowers of gold lily. ”

See a representation of this last blasonnement

One finds of it sometimes a second, seldom used, illustrated opposite.

Monuments

Bourges is classified Ville of Art and History.
  • the Cathédrale Saint-Etienne of Bourges belongs to the world heritage of UNESCO since 1992.
  • Palais Jacques Cœur (see Jacques Cœur)
  • Musée Maurice-Estève, in the old hotel of the aldermen
  • the marshes of Yèvre and of Voiselle, gardens family and market gardenings were classified in 2003 on the List of the natural monuments and the sites.
  • vestiges of the Gallo-Roman ramparts.
  • the remainders of the palate of the duke Jean de Berry (today prefecture)
  • the Gordaine place and its houses with wood sides (14th century)
  • the barn of said (12th century) - street Molière, close to the cathedral
  • the palate archiépiscopal (17th century) - old town hall - and its garden with the Frenchwoman (garden of the archbishop's palace) allotted to Ours.
  • the Channel of Berry and banks of the Auron

Culture

Each year since 1977, is held in the city a musical and cultural festival, which lasts approximately a week and generally proceeds in April, the Printemps of Bourges.

The city also accommodated one of the first Maisons of the Culture created by André Malraux. This one was inaugurated in 1964 per André Malraux and the de Gaulle general.

Sports

At present, the principal club of sport of Bourges is the CJM Bourges Basket, which already gained 5 Championnat of France and 3 euroligues including 2 consecutive.

Personalities related to the commune

  • kings of France Charles VII (1403-1461) and Louis XI (1423-1483).

  • Jacques Heart (1395-1456), celebrates commercial, was born there and made there build a sumptuous palate.
  • Geoffroy Tory (1480-1533), pioneer of printing works
  • the poet Barthélemy Aneau was born there at the beginning of the 16th century.
  • the jurisconsult Jacques Cujas taught there until its death in 1590.
  • Etienne François Sallé of Cabbage, (1754 - 1832), lawyer of the King, appointed of the Berry to the constituent Assembly of 1789, First President of the Court of Appeal of Bourges.
  • the general of the Revolution and the Empire Jean-Baptiste Augier (Bourges 1769-1820), also appointed Expensive.
  • the poet Emile Deschamps was born there in 1791.
  • the abbot Moreux, celebrates Astronome which founded the observatory of Bourges.
  • Paul-Adrien Bourdaloue (1798-1868), civil engineer which left its name to the first network of general Nivellement of France.
  • the painter Berthe Morisot was born there in 1841.
  • the writer Marguerite Audoux (1863 - 1937) there passed its childhood in the religious orphanage of Bourges.
  • the writer Frederic Boutet (1874-1941), author of novels and fantastic news, was born there.
  • Marcel Bascoulard (1913-1978) is one of the artists of Bourges among atypical and more attaching.
  • It is also the town of birth of the philosopher Vladimir Jankélévitch, (born in 1903, with 16 boulevard Gambetta) who lived there during his childhood and adolescence.
  • the philosopher Simone Weil taught there one year in 1935.
  • the future captain Dreyfus spent a few months in garrison there.
  • Alfred Stanke " Franciscain of Bourges " (1904-1975): born in Dantzig, the brother Alfred Stanke is sent in 1939 by the German army to the prison of Bordiot of Bourges, where it will employ all his energy to relieve the wounds of the prisoners tortured by Gestapo and to help the resistant ones in captivity, all that with the risk of its life. Of this man, there remain long-lived memories through a film, of a book and a stamp engraved in 2000.
  • Jean-Christophe Rufin, one of the founders of doctor of the world, price Goncourt 2001, with " Brésil" red; , in 1952
  • Xavier Bazot, writer was born there, was born there on December 15th, 1955, author inter alia a strawberry plant for Sunday - 1996 - the plumed serpent, which takes as a starting point its wire experiment of pastrycook.
  • Alain Calmat, vice-champion Olympic of figure skating in Insbruck, world champion in 1965 in Colorado Spring, former minister for the youth and the sports of the government Fabius (84-86) was appointed the Expensive one of 1986 to 1988 and of 1988 to 1993.
  • Jean-François Deniau, former minister of Valery Giscard d'Estaing, writer, member of the French Academy, was also general adviser of Expensive, elected of a canton of Bourges.

---- Anecdote in connection with the regiment of Bourges

Bourges was the seat of the 95e regiment of infantry; April 8th, 1915, in Eparges, in the sector of Saint-Mihiel, during the counter-offensive of the Wood-Flaring, in order to galvanize its exhausted men, the Péricard adjudant, ordering a section of this regiment, launched this apostrophe remained famous: “Upright deaths! ”.

Twin towns

See too

Related articles

External bonds

  • Official site of the city

  • Tourist office

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