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Lisieux

 
 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Lisieux
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Lisieux (lēzyö'), town (1990 pop. 24,056), Calvados dept., N France. It is one of the oldest towns in Normandy. Its modern importance dates from the canonization (1925) of St. Theresa, whose shrine there attracts many pilgrims. Lisieux has some small industries. Two thirds of the town was destroyed in World War II, but several beautiful old churches remain.

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Coordinates: 49°08′47″N 0°13′36″E / 49.1463888889°N 0.226666666667°E / 49.1463888889; 0.226666666667

Commune of Lisieux Town hall
Location
Lisieux is located in France
Lisieux
Administration
Country France
Region Basse-Normandie
Department Calvados
Arrondissement Lisieux
Canton Seat of 3 cantons
Intercommunality Lisieux Pays d'Auge
Mayor Bernard Aubril
Statistics
Land area1 13.07 km2 (5.05 sq mi)
Population2 23,166  (1999)
 - Density 1,772 /km2 (4,590 /sq mi)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 14366/ 14100
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.
Lisieux Cathedral.

Lisieux is a commune in the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region of France.

Lisieux has a population of 24,080 inhabitants (1999). The population without double-counts is 23,166 (1999). The metropolitan area has a population of 45,065.

Contents

Geography

Lisieux lies in the bottom of the valley of the river Touques and on the road from Paris to Caen (RN13).

History

The area now known as Lisieux was inhabited by the Gallic tribe known as the Lexovii during Gallo-Roman times. This explains why inhabitants are known as Lexoviens today. The commune was known as Noviomagus (Celtic novio, "new", and magos, "market") or Noviomagus Lexoviorum by the Romans.

Lisieux was an important center of power in medieval times. The bishopric of Lisieux controlled most of the Pays d'Auge by the 12th century. King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine are thought to have married at Lisieux in 1152, and the town remained powerful for several centuries afterwards until in the fourteenth century the triple scourges of the Plague, war and resulting famine devastated Lisieux and reduced its influence. The main judge of Joan of Arc, Pierre Cauchon, became a bishop of Lisieux after her death and is buried in the lady's chapel of the former cathedral that he had built.

The bishopric of Lisieux was suppressed during the French revolution at the end of the 18th century. The city of Lisieux depends on the bishopric of Bayeux nowadays.

In 1907 the first helicopter liftoff, by Paul Cornu, occurred in Lisieux. On 6 June 1944, during World War II, Liseux was bombed by Allied planes. More than 800 inhabitants were killed, and the city was partially destroyed. It was liberated by the Allies on 23 August 1944.

Heraldry

Blason Lisieux.svg

The arms of the commune of Lisieux are blazoned :
Argent, two keys in saltire between four mullets sable, on a chief azure three fleurs de lys Or.

The two keys recall the keys of St. Peter, patron of the cathedral. The canons of the cathedral chapter also have them as their arms.


Religion

Catholic devotion to Saint Thérèse de Lisieux, who lived in the Carmel de Lisieux, makes it the most significant pilgrimage site in France after Lourdes.


Main sights

  • Lisieux Cathedral, One of the rare monuments in Lisieux to have escaped the bombings in 1944, the Saint Pierre of Lisieux cathredral is gothic in style. Although it is believed that a cathedral has stood on this site since the 6th century, the church which stands there today was definitely built between 1160 and 1230, under the initiative of bishop Arnoul.

The architecture consists of quadripartite ribbed archways and flying buttresses, making the cathedral one of the first gothic buildings in Normandy. The austere body of the church is inspired by the gothic style of the Ile-de-France, whilst the latest additions, dating from the 13th century (the chevet, the campanile and the east-face) reflect the Norman style. It is falsely claimed that Henri, Earl of Anjou and Duke of Normandy, who became King of England, married Eleanor of Aquitaine in the cathedral in 1152. Pierre Cauchon is buried there, having been appointed Bishop of Lisieux in 1432 after the trial of Joan of Arc.

  • Basilique Sainte-Thérèse, designed by Louis M. Cordonnier and consecrated on 11 July 1954. Construction of the 45-metre Campanile finished in 1975.
  • Carmel
  • Jardin de l'Evêché (or Jardin Public), built in the second quarter of the 19th century and bordered by Cour Matignon, rue Condorcet and Boulevard Carnot.

Transport

The town of Lisieux is served by a bus network called Lexobus, with 6 lines. The town is also linked to surrounding towns and villages by a network of buses; Bus Verts de Calvedos. There is also a train station in Lisieux, which is the connecting station between the Paris-Cherbourg and Paris-Trouville/Deauville mainlines, served by Corail Intercités Normandie trains. The station is also accessible by the TER (regional express) trains on the routes Basse-Normandie and Haute-Normandie. The train station appeared in the film Un singe en hiver by Henri Verneuil.

To reach the town by car, the D613 (formerly route nationale 13) from Paris to Cherbourg crosses the town from east to west. The second main road of Lisieux is the D579, leading to Deaville to the north and the department of Orne to the south. Lisieux benfits from a bypass running to the south of the town, easing traffic in the town-centre, particularly on boulevard Sainte-Anne.

"Street in Lisieux" by Henry Edridge

Basilique de Sainte-Thérèse

See also

References

External links

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Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
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