Agen (äzhäN'), town (1990 pop. 32,223), capital of Lot-et-Garonne dept., SW France, on the Garonne River, in Guienne. It is an agricultural marketplace in the center of a fruit-growing region and an industrial center where food products, clothing, agricultural machinery, bicycles, tiles, drugs, furniture, and musical instruments are manufactured. Originally a Gallic settlement, Agen was a crossroads in Roman times. It became the capital of the county of Agenois under the Carolingians. An episcopal see from the 10th cent., it passed (1154) to England with the rest of Aquitaine. It was reconquered in the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) and incorporated into the province of Guienne. Among the historic structures are chapels from the 13th and 14th cent.; the Church of St. Jacobius (13th cent.), with its Gothic frescoes; the St. Hilaire Church (15th cent.); and the Romanesque and Gothic St. Caprais Cathedral.
Agen
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For the Agen meteorite of 1814, see Meteorite falls.
Coordinates: 44°12′18″N 0°37′16″E / 44.204931°N 0.621153°E
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Commune of Agen |
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| The Cathedral of Saint-Caprais in Agen | |
| Location | |
  Agen
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Aquitaine |
| Department | Lot-et-Garonne |
| Arrondissement | Agen |
| Intercommunality | Agen |
| Mayor | Jean Dionis (2008–2014) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 37–162 m (120–530 ft) (avg. 48 m/160 ft) |
| Land area1 | 11.49 km2 (4.44 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 30,170 (1999) |
| - Density | 2,626 /km2 (6,800 /sq mi) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 47001/ 47000 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Agen (French pronunciation: [aʒɛ̃]) is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in Aquitaine in south-western France. It lies on the river Garonne 84 miles (135 km) southeast of Bordeaux. It is the capital of the department.
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Economy
The town has a higher level of unemployment than the national average. Major employers include UPSA, the pharmaceutical factory.
Sights
The old centre of town contains a number of medieval buildings.
The twelfth century Agen Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Caprasius, is one of the barest handful of large churches in France with a double nave; the curious and impractical plan may be a regional trait, since one of the others is the Church of the Jacobins in relatively nearby Toulouse.
The Saint Hilaire church, dedicated to the theme of the Holy Trinity which the Saint in question did a lot to defend, is notable for its unusual statues in front of the Church - Moses on the right, and St Peter on the left.
The Fine Arts museum, Musée des Beaux Arts contains artefacts furniture and sculptures from prehistoric times onwards. The painting galleries contain several hundred works including several by Goya, and others by Bonnard, Seurat. The collection also contains a large number of works by artists who lived locally. The museum is made up of twenty or so rooms.[1]
The Canal des Deux Mers, which joins the Mediterranean with the Atlantic, crosses the river Garonne at Agen via the town's famous canal bridge.
Entertainment
The municipal theatre "Théâtre du Courneau" presents theatre, and occasionally classical concerts. The smaller "Théâtre du jour" has a resident theatre company presenting a variety of recent or older plays (Shakespeare, Becket, as well as lesser known playwrights).
There are two cinemas, one a commercial multiscreened affair, the other an arts cinema run by a voluntary organization. The latter organizes film festivals every year.
Sport
Rugby is extremely popular in the town, and the local team, SU Agen, is enthusiastically supported. The town also serves as the base for the Team Lot-et-Garonne cycling team.
Press
For many decade "Le petit bleu" has been the daily newspaper, with stories of local or national interest.
Transportation
Agen is connected by the A62 motorway to both Toulouse and Bordeaux. By train it is around an hour from Toulouse, and around an hour from Bordeaux. Fast trains to Paris take four hours and ten minutes. It has a very small airport mostly used for business flights and leisure flying.
Diocese
Main article: Diocese of Agen
Agen is the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese that comprises the Département of Lot and Garonne. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Bordeaux.
International relations
Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in France
Twin towns — Sister cities
Agen is twinned with:
Tuapse in Russia
Dinslaken in Germany[2]
Llanelli in Wales
Toledo in Spain[3]
Corpus Christi, Texas in United States
Notable people
Agen was the birthplace of:
- Alain Aspect (born 1947), physicist
- Bernard Palissy (c. 1510-1590), potter - according to some accounts, he may have been born in Saintes
- Joseph Justus Scaliger (1540-1609), scholar
- Pierre Dupuy (1582-1651), scholar
- Joseph Barsalou (1600-1660), physician
- Godefroi, Comte d'Estrades (1607-1686), diplomatist and marshal
- Bernard Germain Étienne comte de La Ville-sur-Illon La Cépède (1756-1825), naturalist
- Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent (1780-1846), naturalist
- Jacques Jasmin (1798-1864), Provençal poet
- Joseph Chaumié (1849-1919), politician
- Michel Serres (born 1930), philosopher and author
- Jacques Sadoul (born 1934), author
- Jean Cruguet (born 1939), jockey who won the U.S. Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.
- Francis Cabrel (born 1953), singer-songwriter and guitarist
- Bernard Campan (born 1958), actor and film director
- Stéphane Rideau (born 1976), actor
Miscellaneous
Agen is the "capital of the prune", a local produce sold as a sweet (stuffed with prune purée) or as an after-dinner delight (prunes soaked in Armagnac - a type of brandy). Every September, the Prune festival organizes rock concerts, circuses and prune tasting.
See also
- St Faith
- SU Agen Lot-et-Garonne, a French rugby union club based in Agen
- Agenais, or Agenois, a former province of France
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Agen |
References
- ^ "Agen - Tourist Office - The History of Agen - Origins". www.ot-agen.org. http://www.ot-agen.org/_eng/visite/histoire1.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
- ^ "List of Twin Towns in the Ruhr Destrict". © 2009 Twins2010.com. http://www.twins2010.com/fileadmin/user_upload/pic/Dokumente/List_of_Twin_Towns_01.pdf?PHPSESSID=2edd34819db21e450d3bb625549ce4fd. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- ^ "Sister Cities". Toledo Turismo. Patronato Municipal de Turismo. http://www.toledo-turismo.com/turismo/contenido/mas-toledo/toledo-historia/ciudades-hermanadas.aspx. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
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