Brignoles

Brignoles (in Occitan Of Provence: , writing Brinhòla according to the traditional standard or Brignolo according to the Norme mistralienne) is a common French, located in the department of the Var and the area Provence-Alp-Coast of Azure.

Geography

Capital of the Center VAr after having been the City of the Counts de Provence. Located in an old field of extraction of Bauxite and the flat rich person of the Caramy. Very famous plum production site to the Middle Ages.

History

Antiquity and the Middle Ages

The dolmen of the Adrets located on the peaks between Brignoles and the Valley dating from the Neolithic time are the first marks of human presence. The plain of Brignoles was not whereas a vast marsh in edge of the Caramy, whose bed not tightened often changed place.
The territory of Brignoles was occupied by Suelteri which established many oppidums at the top of the hills. The Romans cleansed the grounds and built many villæ in edge of the Via Aurelia. Restored under Néron (58 a. J-C), the latter was then marked milliary columns.
A retaining wall of a Roman villa was in particular discovered on the road of Flassans. The museum of the Brignolais Country preserves many elements of Antiquity and Early middle ages like the furnace bridge of Sumian (Life-VIIe century a. J-C) or a sarcophagus of style hellenistic of the end of IIe a. J-C.

Brignoles is quoted for the first time in 558 in the charter of the king Childebert concerning That. The " castrum brinoniae" , close to the district Saint-Pierre is used as refuge to the inhabitants during the raids sarrazins.
In 1056, the lords of Brignoles give to Saint-Victor of Marseilles, the Midsummer's Day church of the Vines built by a rich person tenant, Baronus.
Several lords share in XIe century the city and its territory. Two big families those of Gualdrade (Geoffroy de Rians, its son-in-law, Sciocia its daughter, Guillaume and Pons its small sons) and that of Ingilran, bishop of Cavaillon, give many grounds, located on the territory of Brignoles at the Marseilles monks. Pons de Garde yields in its turn the grounds of Louvière and Chautarde located close to Grayole. Pons Coixard, in 1056, rebuilt the parish church Sainte-Marie, devoted by Guillaume, bishop of Toulon.

Brignoles and Sovereigns of Provence

In 1116, Raimond Béranger Ier, count of Barcelona and Provence, comes in Brignoles to consider a disagreement occurred between the monks of Saint-Victor and some lords in connection with Nans and of Solliès. The lawsuit proceeds in the court comtale " in curia comitis, apud castrum briniolam".
Brignoles is in XIIe century a consular city, until the transfer of the consulate by the noble ones of the city in 1222 with Raimond Béranger V. The countess dowager Béatrice of Savoy remains until her main death of the city in consequence of an agreement with her son-in-law.
The Counts de Provence, lords of Brignoles, have there many grounds and a residence. It is there that come to be confined the countesses, from where the name given to Brignoles of " nurse and remains children of the couronne".
The Catalan counts reside in the house known as " feue Lombarde" , seat of the coupled court comtale to the church Saint-Saver close which the knights build their residence (current street of the Lancers).
About the middle of XIIIe century, Charles II of Naples and his wife Marie of Hungary establishes their residence in the old strong castle (of XIe century) which they arrange comfortavlement. It is in this castle that is born in 1274 their oldest son Saint-Louis de Brignoles and from Anjou, bishop of Toulouse. He dies at the 23 years age, on August 19th 1297, in the presence of all the court and of his former tutor, Jacques Duèze, future pope of the name of Jean XXII. Saint-Louis becomes patron saint of the city, celebrated on August 19th.
February 5th 1321, the king Robert Wise the grants to the inhabitants the right to choose each year twelve advisers to deal with the businesses of the community.
In 1357, the queen Jeanne and king Louis yield Brignoles to the count d' Armagnac, but a few months later again declare it transferable like pertaining to the comtal.
field In 1382, Brignoles adheres to " union of Aix" who supports the party of Charles of Lasted.
March 2nd 1386, the queen Marie, regent and tutor of the young person Louis II of Anjou, grants letters of grace and grants the town of many privileges.
In 1403, Louis II of Anjou and the queen Yolande d' Aragon exempt the inhabitants of the rights of gabelle, toll, passage, leydes in all the Provence and confirm the old privileges of the city which receives them in its walls avbec more the great honors: " the day of the arrival, any work will cease in the city and with-outside. The queen will be received under platform, with the royal coat and in procession; those which have saddle horses will go ahead of of the king and the queen; all the men will be arranged in hedge and as for a procession, and all the famed ones will be on the place in front of the convent of the minor brothers; the children, with branches with the hands, will walk under the orders of Master François Fabry, notary, and of Gabrielle Calverie, indicated for the conduire" .
In 1449, an annual fair is granted to Brignoles, the day of the Saint Antoine, on January 17th.
In 1453, the King Rene alienates his rights and royalties on the city in noble Benoît de Auria, in spite of the dispute of the Syndics. However, the Jeanne queen of Laval concerve until her death in 1499, the usufruct of Brignoles.

Under the kingdom of France

November 28th 1502, the first assembly of the Parlement of Provence is held in the palate of the counts in Brignoles, Aix having refused to receive it. February 22nd 1506, the members of the Parlement inhabitant of Aix come to be established in Brignoles because of the plague.
May 31st, 1523, the Bayard knight, on the way for the Italy, passes to Brignoles which is besieged one year later by the troops of the constable of Bourbon.
In 1533, the city sends to François Ier, of passage to Marseilles, twenty boxes of its famous plums, weighing seventy books, twelve capons and twelve partridges.
July 15th 1536, Charles Quint, with his fifty thousand man, passes the Var and delivers Brignoles to plundering. It changes its name into Nicopolis, the city of the Victoire, and yields the duchy to the count of Horne. However in 1537, François Ier alienates in favor of Jean de Pontevès, lord of Carcès and Cotignac, the royal and immediate jurisdiction that the king had from time immemorial downtown. François Ier was triumphantly received besides in Brignoles in May 1538.
August 28th, 1563, the huguenots invaded the city as the inscription indicates it on a stone to the n° 5 rue Poissonière.
January 1st 1589, Hubert de Vins, delivers Brignoles to plundering before selling all its goods to him which it has in his soil (which was destroyed in 1579 because it did not pay his taxes) for the sum of 50.000 ecus. They were the bloody years under the name of " New Year's gifts of Brignoles".

Brignoles always remained faithful to king de France until the Revolution.

Under the republic

From May 17th to 19th 1790, three hundred cities and villages of Provence send to Brignoles their representatives in order to conclude a federative pact from mutual assistance, by the weapons so necessary. Bonaparte is received there during the wars of Italy and at the time of the seat of Toulon.
Provisional prefecture of the department under the French revolution then sub-prefecture until in 1929, Brignoles twice accommodates in its walls the pope Pie VII.
December 2nd, 1851, Brignoles is opposed to blow-in State of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte and takes part in the revolt of the communes of the Var, repressed on December 8th with Aups.
Since 1921, the exhibition of the Vins of Provence is held each year the second week of April and regularly accommodates five hundred exhibitors and nearly fifty thousand visitors.
Again sub-prefecture since 1975, Brignoles is today in full expansion in spite of the closing of the centers of exploitation and of forwarding of the bauxite whose mines were exhausted and were not profitable any more.

Blazon

Quartered: with 1st of azure to the flower of gold lily surmounted by a lambel of three hanging of Mouths; with 2nd and 3rd with the capital letter gold B; with 4th of gold with four stakes of mouths. ( Large encyclopedic Larousse )

Quartered: the first of azure, with a flower of gold lily, with the lambel of three hanging of mouths as a chief; the second and the third of mouths, with the letter B of money; the gold fourth, with four stakes of mouths. (Malta-Brown, in illustrated France , volume V, 1884)

The blazon of Brignoles is generally surmounted by a crown comtale, the Count of Provence having built a palate in this city.

to note : One still finds downtown of the blazons of Brignoles with C instead of B. Beginning again can be the initial one of an big family of the commune or because of name of this one " City of the Counts de Provence".

Economy

Economy primarily turned towards the tertiary sector and the vine growing. These sectors are largely represented at the time of the Exhibition which takes place each year in April (to be noted a small scandal at the time of the fair 2006 whose publicities consisted of photographs of the town of Saint-Tropez and not of Brignoles).

Administration

Demography

Famous characters

Saint Louis of Anjou, bishop of Toulouse.

François d' Arbaud de Porchères, poet born in Brignoles in 1590 and died in Senevoy in 1640. Authors of many poetries, it was, in 1634, the first Immortel of the French Academy to occupy the armchair 19.

François-Juste-Marie Raynouard, writer born in Brignoles in 1761. After brilliant studies with the small seminar of Aix-en-Provence, it enters to the bar of Brignoles. It is especially famous for its tragedies - Caton d' Utique (1794), Templiers (1805) - but also for its work on the Romance languages which announce the rebirth occitane. Enthusiastic defender of the revolutionary ideas, it is elected appointed at the legislative assembly in 1791. For the period of the Terror, it is stopped in imprisoned Brignoles then with Paris. Released, it will make a short return to the bar of Brignoles before being fixed at Passy where it dies in 1836. It entered to the French Academy in 1807 and became the perpetual Secretary about it. A bust with its effigy throne on the place St Pierre and the College of Brignoles bears its name.

Jean-Jacques Marcel, footballer born on June 13rd, 1931 in Brignoles. 44 selections equips France with it has of 1953 to 1961, it took part in the world cup of 1958. After having played as an amateur with the team of Brignoles, it was recruited by the FC Sochaux, then it was transferred to Olympic from Marseilles (record of transfer of the time), with which it gained the Cut Charles Drago during season 1956-1957 before joining Sporting Toulon Var and the RC Paris.

Jean-Baptiste Maunier, born the December 22nd 1990 in Brignoles. It is a Chanteur and Acteur French.

Tourist monuments and places

The museum of the Country brignolais established in the Palate of the Counts of Provence.

The circuit of Jean-Vial Karting, internationally known to have accommodated the 24 hours of Brignoles a long time.

The golf of Barbaroux, classified among the forty best European courses.

The open-air theater of Bridge of Olive, who was a high place of the jazz in Provence.

The Hotel of Keyboards, which accommodates many exposures of Article.

Twinnings

Brignoles is twinned with the towns of

Bibliographical references

Nathalie Maurel, Brignoles, Editions Alan Sutton, Collection Memory in Images, Play-the-Turns, 2000, ISBN: 2-84253-418-2.

External bonds

Official site of the town of Brignoles
Tourist office of Brignoles

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