Lisieux(French:[lizjø]ⓘ) is acommunein theCalvadosdepartmentin theNormandyregionin northwesternFrance.It is the capital of thePays d'Augearea, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland.
Lisieux | |
|---|---|
 Town hall | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Lisieux  | |
  Lisieux  Lisieux | |
| Coordinates:49°09′N0°14′E/ 49.15°N 0.23°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Normandy |
| Department | Calvados |
| Arrondissement | Lisieux |
| Canton | Lisieux |
| Intercommunality | CA Lisieux Normandie |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Sébastien Leclerc[1] |
Area 1 | 13.07 km2(5.05 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 19,540 |
| • Density | 1,500/km2(3,900/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Lexoviens |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00(CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 14366/14100 |
| Elevation | 32–152 m (105–499 ft) |
| 1French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2(0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Name
editThe name of the town derives from theLatin:Noviomagus Lexoviorum( "Noviomagus of theLexovii"). The town was originally known inCelticasNovio Magos( "New Field", "New Market" ), which wasLatinizedasNoviomagus.Owing to the large number of similarly named cities, however, it was necessary to specify where this one was located. The local French demonymLexoviensderives from the Latin as well.
History
editAntiquity
editLisieux was the capital of the Lexovii. In his work,Commentaries on the Gallic War,Caesar mentions a Gallicoppidum,a term which refers to Celtic towns located on the tops of hills. The oppidum has been pinpointed to a place referred to asleCastellier,[3]located 3 kilometers (1.9 mi) to the southwest of the town. However the Gallo-Roman city was in fact located where Lisieux is to be found today.
Middle Ages
editLisieux 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 14th century, the triple scourges ofthe 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 Joan's death, and is buried in the Lady Chapel of the cathedral.
Events
edit
- 4th century: Presence of the Germaniclaeti,auxiliaries of the Roman Army, who settled in Lisieux with their families. Their graves have been discovered in the “Michelet” necropolis, some of which contain artefacts typical of northern Germania.
- 1432: Pierre Cauchon, the supreme judge during the trial of Joan of Arc at Rouen became the bishop of Lisieux. He commissioned the building of the side chapel of the cathedral, in which he is now buried.
- 1590: During the Eighth War of Religion, Henri IV had to fight to win back his kingdom. When he arrived at Lisieux he took the town without force, after the garrison had fled the town.
- 1897: Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face, died in the Carmelite monastery at Lisieux. In 1925, she would be canonized as "St.Thérèse of Lisieux".
- 1907: The first helicopter flight, piloted byPaul Cornu.
- 1937: Monseigneur Eugenio Pacelli, papal legate and future Pope Pius XII, visited Lisieux.
- 6/7 June 1944: An Allied bombardment killed 800 people and destroyed two thirds of the town.
- 23 August 1944: Liberation by the Allied troops.
- 1960: Lisieux merged with theSaint-Jacquescommune.
- 2 June 1980: Pope John-Paul II visited Lisieux.
Geography
editLisieux is situated on the confluence of the riverTouquesand many of its tributaries: the rivers Orbiquet, Cirieux and Graindain.
The town is in the heart of thePays d'Auge,of which it is the capital. Lisieux is therefore surrounded by Normandy's typical hedged farmland, where there is a mix of livestock farming (mostly milk cows) and cider apple cultivation (from which cider andcalvadosare made, not forgettingpommeau).
Climate
editLisieux has a temperate oceanic humid climate.
| Climate data for Lisieux (1994–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.5 (47.3) |
9.7 (49.5) |
12.6 (54.7) |
15.9 (60.6) |
18.9 (66.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
24.3 (75.7) |
24.2 (75.6) |
21.4 (70.5) |
17.1 (62.8) |
12.2 (54.0) |
9.0 (48.2) |
16.3 (61.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.5 (41.9) |
6.0 (42.8) |
8.1 (46.6) |
10.4 (50.7) |
13.6 (56.5) |
16.7 (62.1) |
18.6 (65.5) |
18.5 (65.3) |
15.8 (60.4) |
12.7 (54.9) |
8.6 (47.5) |
6.0 (42.8) |
11.7 (53.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.4 (36.3) |
2.3 (36.1) |
3.5 (38.3) |
4.9 (40.8) |
8.3 (46.9) |
11.2 (52.2) |
13.0 (55.4) |
12.8 (55.0) |
10.2 (50.4) |
8.2 (46.8) |
5.1 (41.2) |
2.9 (37.2) |
7.1 (44.8) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 82.2 (3.24) |
69.3 (2.73) |
64.2 (2.53) |
62.1 (2.44) |
65.5 (2.58) |
67.9 (2.67) |
56.4 (2.22) |
66.4 (2.61) |
68.5 (2.70) |
85.6 (3.37) |
87.2 (3.43) |
106.1 (4.18) |
881.4 (34.70) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 13.6 | 12.0 | 11.0 | 10.3 | 10.0 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.4 | 9.7 | 12.5 | 13.7 | 14.8 | 135.6 |
| Source: Meteociel[4] | |||||||||||||
Transport
editThe town of Lisieux is served by a bus network called Lexobus, with 6 routes. The town is also linked to surrounding towns and villages by a network of buses;Bus Verts du Calvados. The main railway station,Lisieux station,which is the connecting station between the Paris-Cherbourg and Paris-Trouville/Deauville main lines, is served byTransport express régional(regional express) trains on the TER Normandie routes. The station appeared in the filmUn singe en hiverbyHenri Verneuil.There is another station on the line to Deauville:Le Grand-Jardin station.
To reach the town by car, the D613 (formerly route nationale 13) fromParistoCherbourgcrosses the town from east to west. The second main road serving Lisieux is the D579, leading toDeauvilleto the north and the department ofOrneto the south. Lisieux benefits from a bypass, built in the 1990s, running to the south of the town, easing traffic in the town-centre, particularly on boulevard Sainte-Anne.
Religion
edit
Since theMiddle AgesLisieux has been the seat of one of the sevenRoman Catholicdioceses of Normandyunder the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical province ofRouen.The bishopric was abolished in 1801 before being recreated and merged with that ofBayeuxin 1855, under the new name of "Bayeux and Lisieux".
The best-known of theBishops of LisieuxisPierre Cauchon,who had a decisive influence during thetrial of Joan of Arc.He is buried inLisieux Cathedral.
Devotion toSainte-Thérèsealso known as St. Teresa of the Child Jesus who lived in the nearbyCarmeliteconvent has made Lisieux France's second-most important site of pilgrimage, after thePyreneantown ofLourdes.Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux died in 1897, she was canonized in 1925 and named a doctor of the church by Pope John Paul II in 1997.
Administration
editMayors of Lisieux
editList of everyone who has held the position of Mayor of Lisieux:[5]
| Term | Name | Party | Profession | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | incumbent | Sébastien Leclerc | ||
| March 2001 | 2020 | Bernard Aubril | UMP | Teacher |
| 1989 | 2001 | Yvette Roudy | PS | |
| 1977 | 1989 | André-Eugène Baugé | ||
| 1953 | 1977 | Robert Bisson | ||
| 1945 | 1953 | André Carles | ||
| 1945 | Casimir Hue | |||
| 1936 | 1945 | Albert Degrenne | ||
| 1932 | 1936 | Henry Chéron | Lawyer | |
| 1909 | 1932 | Arthur Lesigne | ||
| 1908 | 1909 | Joseph Guillonneau | ||
| 1894 | 1908 | Henry Chéron | Lawyer | |
| 1881 | 1894 | Théodule Peulevey | Industrialist | |
| 1878 | 1881 | Louis Michel | ||
| 1875 | 1878 | Léopold Frauque | ||
| 1871 | 1875 | Jules Prat | ||
| 1853 | 1871 | François Fauque | ||
| 1848 | 1853 | Victor Godefroy | ||
| 1847 | 1848 | Jean-Lambert Fournet | Industrialist | |
| 1842 | 1847 | Adrien-Benjamin Formeville | ||
| 1832 | 1842 | François-Pierre Leroy-Beaulieu | ||
| 1816 | 1832 | Joseph-François de Bellemare | ||
| 1813 | 1816 | Jean-Jacques Nasse | ||
| 1808 | 1813 | Louis-Jacques-Hippolyte Thillaye du Boullay | ||
| 1798 | 1808 | Jean-Jacques Nasse | ||
| 1797 | Guillaume-François Riquier | |||
| 1796 | Pierre Lerebours | |||
| 1795 | Jean-Baptiste Vergé | |||
| 1795 | Michel Bloche | |||
| 1794 | Jean Coessin | |||
| 1793 | Louis-Jean-René Prieur | |||
| 1792 | Michel Bloche | |||
| 1791 | Thomas Gannel | |||
| 1790 | François-Pierre Leroy-Beaulieu | |||
International relations
editLisieux is twinned with:
- Taunton
– since 1951; - Saint-Georges, Quebec
– since 1996 - Saint-Jérôme, Quebec[citation needed]– since 2010
- Mogliano Veneto
[6]
Population
editAs of 2017[update],Lisieux is Calvados' third largest commune in terms of population, after Caen and Hérouville-Saint-Clair.[7]Itsfunctional urban areaof 55,168 inhabitants is the second largest of the department, after Caen. The inhabitants of Lisieux are known asLexoviens.
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| Source: EHESS[8]and INSEE[9] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sights
editAbout 60 percent of the town was destroyed in 1944, so few of the monuments have been preserved.
Basilica of Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux
edit
TheBasilica of Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieuxwas constructed in honour ofSainte-Thérèse de Lisieux,who wasbeatifiedin 1923 andcanonizedin 1925. It was built for pilgrims who came in increasing numbers to venerate the new saint in the town where she had lived and died.
Carmel of Lisieux
editIt is possible to visit the chapel and exterior of the Carmel or monastery where Thérèse lived, but the remainder of the building is closed to visitors.[10]
Château de Saint-Germain-de-Livet
edit
As its name indicates, theChâteau de Saint-Germain-de-Livetis situated in thecommuneofSaint-Germain-de-Livet.It is to be found opposite the village church which dates from the 19th century. Thechâteauhas been owned by the town of Lisieux since 1958 when it was donated by the Riesener family.
From an architectural point of view the château comprises a half-timbered manor dating from the 15th century and a glazed brick and stone building from thePré-d'Augedating from the end of the 16th century.
The chateau combinesmedievalandRenaissanceelements and is surrounded by amoatand a peacock garden.
Lisieux Cathedral
editLisieux Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Pierre) is a rare monument which survived the 1944 allied bombardment. Even though the cathedral has been around since the 6th century, the church of today must have been constructed between 1160 and 1230 by Bishop Arnoul.[citation needed]
From the outset, the architect designed quadripartite rib vaults and flying buttresses, making it one of Normandy's first Gothic buildings. The nave is fairly austere and is inspired by the Gothic style of theÎle de France,whereas the most recent parts of the building were constructed in the 18th century (thechevet,thelantern towerand the western façade) in Norman style.
It is wrongly claimed thatHenry Plantagenet,Count ofAnjou,Duke of Normandy and future king of England, marriedEleanor of Aquitaineat the cathedral in 1152; they married inPoitiers Cathedral.Having been involved in the trial ofJoan of Arc,Pierre Cauchonwas named as Bishop of Lisieux in 1432 and is buried there.[citation needed]
Town Hall
editThe town hall (18th century) was formerly a private residence.
Bishop's Garden
editFrench formal garden of the former Bishop's residence, designed byAndre le Notre,[11]recreated in 1837.[12]
Notable people
edit- Births
- Jean-Baptiste Laumonier(1749–1818), surgeon
- Thomas de Frondeville(1750–1816), politician
- Yves Leopold Germain Gaston(1803–1863), Sugar production pioneer, known as the "Father of the Sugar Industry" in the Philippines
- Paul-Louis Target(1821–1908), politician
- Henry Chéron(1867–1936), mayor of Lisieux (1894–1908; 1932–1936), and several times a minister under theFrench Third Republic
- Raymond Lantier(1886–1980), archaeologist
- Jean Derode(1887–1918), World War Iflying aceand military hero
- Jean Charles Contel(1895–1928), painter
- Michel Magne(1930–1984), composer (film music)
- Hervé Lemonnier(1947–), rally driver
- Matthieu Lagrive(1979–), endurance motorbike rider
- Maxime Laisney(1981–), politician
- Nicolas Batum(1988–), a professional basketball player playing with thePhiladelphia 76ersof the National Basketball Association
- Thomas Heurtaux(1988–), footballer
- Chloé Mortaud(1989–), elected Miss France in 2009, lived in Lisieux until she was ten.
- Marine Johannès(1995-), a professional basketball player for theNew York Libertyof theW NBAand Lyon Asvel Féminin
- Deaths
- Sainte-Thérèse de Lisieux(1873–1897) Carmelite nun, later canonised as a Saint of the Catholic Church
- César Ruminski(1924–2009), international footballer
- Yvonne Ziegler(1902–1988) French resistance fighter, artist
Photo gallery
edit-
"Street in Lisieux" byHenry Edridge -
Basilique de Sainte-Thérèse -
Lisieux Cathedral
See also
edit- Bishopric of Lisieux
- Communes of the Calvados department
- Georges Vérez,sculptor of Lisieux War Memorial
- Gallo-Roman Theater of Lisieux
References
edit- ^"Répertoire national des élus: les maires"(in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^"Populations de référence 2022"(in French).The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.19 December 2024.
- ^François Neveux,Bayeux et Lisieux, villes épiscopales de Normandie à la fin du Moyen Age (Éditions Lys, 1996)
- ^"Normales et records pour Lisieux (14)".Meteociel.Retrieved20 November2024.
- ^Hôtel de ville: Lisieux.Lisieux: Mairie de Lisieux, 2007, d'après A.-J.L. Dingremont,Du corps municipal de Lisieux.Lisieux, J.J. Pigeon, 1849.
- ^"Lisieux: le comité de jumelage célèbre ses dix ans d'existence au parc des expositions".actu.fr(in French). 1 October 2022.Retrieved28 November2024.
- ^Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2017,INSEE
- ^Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui:Commune data sheet Lisieux,EHESS(in French).
- ^Population en historique depuis 1968,INSEE
- ^Sanctuary of Lisieux,Carmel,accessed 23 December 2022
- ^Jardin de l'évêché(Spanish), accessed 28 December 2022
- ^Normandy Tourism,Bishop's Garden,accessed 28 December 2022
External links
edit
- Lisieux website(in French)
- Tourism website(in French, English, and German)