Figeac
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(May 2023) |
Figeac | |
|---|---|
 A general view of Figeac | |
 Coat of arms | |
Location of Figeac  | |
  Figeac  Figeac | |
| Coordinates:44°36′31″N2°01′54″E/ 44.6086°N 2.0317°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Occitania |
| Department | Lot |
| Arrondissement | Figeac |
| Canton | Figeac-1and2 |
| Intercommunality | Grand-Figeac |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | André Mellinger[1] |
| Area 1 | 35.16 km2(13.58 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 9,770 |
| • Density | 280/km2(720/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00(CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 46102/46100 |
| Elevation | 170–451 m (558–1,480 ft) (avg. 225 m or 738 ft) |
| 1French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2(0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Figeac(French pronunciation:[fiʒak];Occitan:Fijac) is acommunein the southwestern FrenchdepartmentofLot.Figeac is asub-prefectureof the department.
Geography
[edit]Figeac is on thevia Podiensis,a major medieval pilgrimage trail that is part of theCamino de Santiagonetwork. Today, as a part of France's system of long-distance footpaths, it is known as theGR 65.Figeac stationis a railway junction with connections to Brive-la-Gaillarde, Toulouse, Aurillac and Rodez.[citation needed]
Population
[edit]| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 9,593 | — |
| 1975 | 10,077 | +0.71% |
| 1982 | 9,667 | −0.59% |
| 1990 | 9,549 | −0.15% |
| 1999 | 9,606 | +0.07% |
| 2007 | 9,994 | +0.50% |
| 2012 | 9,783 | −0.43% |
| 2017 | 9,792 | +0.02% |
| Source: INSEE[3] | ||
Local culture and heritage
[edit]Places and monuments
[edit]Figeac is classified as acity of art and historyand has been recognized by the Midi-Pyrénées Regional Council as one of the eighteen Great Sites of Occitania. The old town has kept its layout and winding streets of the Middle Ages with many old sandstone houses.[citation needed]
Religious heritage
[edit]- Chapel Notre-Dame-de-Pitié de Figeac - a 13th-century building, integrated into the Église Saint-Sauveur, was classified as a historical monument in 1840.[4]
- Chapelle de l'hôpital de Figeac.
- Église Saint-Dau de Ceint-d'Eau.
L’église Saint-Sauveur
[edit]
The building was classified as a historical monument in 1840.[5]Several religious objects are referenced in theBase Palissydatabase. This church, the only remains of aClunyabbey, was consecrated in 1092.Saint Hughwas its abbot. Although modified over the centuries, either because of embellishments or because of the damage caused by theHundred Years' Waror theFrench Wars of Religion,it nevertheless has survived.[citation needed]
It was apilgrimagechurch, similar in size toSaint-Sernin de ToulouseorAbbey Church of Sainte-Foy,with a triple nave, a vast transept, an ambulatory and an apse with radiating chapels. The old chapter house is decorated withpolychrome woodof the 17th century.[citation needed]
Acapitalfrom this church, the top part of a column, was re-cut into a font and is exhibited in New York atThe Cloisters(Metropolitan Museum of Art)).[6]
L'église des Carmes
[edit]The building was listed as a historical monument in 1993.[7]Twelve paintings of the apostles are referenced in the Base Palissy database. Formerly Church of Saint-Thomas-Becket, it is the most modest church in size in the city. Located near the hospital, at the entrance of Figeac, it is the last witness of the formerCarmelitesconvent that was once established there.
L’église Notre-Dame-du-Puy
[edit]The building was classified as a historical monument in 1916.[8]Several religious objects are referenced in the Base Palissy database. The aptly named, since it dominates all Figeac, on the Place du Foirail. This church ofRomanesqueorigin was remodelled several times, especially in the 14th and 17th centuries, when the three central bays were united into one; The choir contains beautiful carved Romanesque capitals and a large carved walnut altarpiece, dated 1696. Yet it is the oldest parish of Figeac, born, according to tradition, from a miracle: The Virgin would have made ahawthornbloom there in winter. It was the seat of abrotherhood of St. James.
-
Saint-Thomas' Church. -
Notre-Dame-du-Puy.
Museums
[edit]Musée Champollion
[edit]The city is home to theChampollion Museumles écritures du monde(the writings of the world).[9]There are more than 40,000 visitors a year.[citation needed][when?]Visitors can discover through the collections how writing has appeared in the world for 5,000 years.[10]
The Champollion Museum is a major museum of the city, but there are other museums in Figeac: the Musée Paulin-Ratier, the musée de la Résistance and finally the Musée d'histoire de Figeac. The latter was redesigned in 2012 in the spirit of cabinets of curiosities, in rooms belonging to the former seminary, behind the Notre-Dame-du-Puy church.[11]
La place des Écritures
[edit]Embedded in a medieval architectural ensemble, its floor is covered with a monumental reproduction of theRosetta Stone(14 × 7 m), carved in black granite fromZimbabweby the American conceptual artistJoseph Kosuth.Inaugurated in April 1991, this important contemporary work can also be contemplated from the museum's hanging garden overlooking the square. In an adjoining courtyard, the French translation of the inscriptions is engraved on a glass plate.[12]
L'obélisque de Champollion
[edit]On 11 March 1832, the municipal council decided to erect an obelisk in memory of Champollion. A subscription raised 4,000 francs and two years later a granite needle 7.8 meters high was extracted from the rock ofGolinhac.It includes inscriptions in hieroglyphics meaningA Toujours!and two bronze plaques on the pedestal hosting Egyptian bas-reliefs.[13]
Place Carnot
[edit]Formerly thePlace de la Halle,it is surrounded by imposing houses, some made of cob, with wrought iron balconies, and under the roofs, open covered galleries, thesoleilhos,which were once used to dry clothes or skins, or as a refuge to get some fresh air during a hot summer evening.[14]
Les Aiguilles
[edit]The two "needles" around Figeac are large octagonal stone obelisks each resting on a pedestal of four steps. They are made of cementeddimension stone.The Aiguille du Cingle, standing south of the city, measures 14.50 meters.[15]The L'aiguille de Lissac or Nayrac, standing to the west, measures 10.50 meters.[16]
-
Champollion Museum -
Place des ecritures -
Obelisque Figeac -
L'aiguille de Lissac -
L'aiguille du Cingle
Notable people
[edit]Jean-François Champollion,the first translator ofEgyptian hieroglyphics,was born in Figeac, where there is a Champollion Museum. His father had married a woman from Figeac and opened a bookshop in the village.[17]On thePlace des écritures(writings square) is a giant copy of theRosetta Stone,byJoseph Kosuth.French explorer and archeologistThéodore Berwas born in Figeac, although he spent most of his adult life inPeru.[18]German film historianLotte H. Eisnerhid from the Nazis in Figeac during World War II.
The actorCharles Boyerand the football playerVincent Beduerwere born in Figeac.[19]
Economy
[edit]This city hosts the headquarters ofFigeac Aero.[20]
Media
[edit]Louis Malle's 1974 film,Lacombe Lucien,was filmed in Figeac.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"Répertoire national des élus: les maires".data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises(in French). 2 December 2020.
- ^"Populations légales 2021"(in French).The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies.28 December 2023.
- ^Population en historique depuis 1968,INSEE
- ^"Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Pitié".pop.culture.gouv.fr.Retrieved7 May2023.
- ^"Eglise Saint-Sauveur".pop.culture.gouv.fr.Retrieved7 May2023.
- ^"Font | French".The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Retrieved17 May2023.
- ^"Eglise des Carmes ou église Saint-Thomas-Becket".pop.culture.gouv.fr.Retrieved7 May2023.
- ^"Eglise Notre-Dame-du-Puy".pop.culture.gouv.fr.Retrieved7 May2023.
- ^"Figeac, musée Champollion, « Et c'est parti… Le 3 octobre 2005".La Semaine du Lot(478): 11. 6–12 October 2005.
- ^"Musée Champollion - Les Écritures du monde".pop.culture.gouv.fr(in French).Retrieved17 May2023.
- ^"Musée d'Histoire de Figeac".Musées Occitanie(in French).Retrieved17 May2023.
- ^"Plaque commémorative (installation): Ex-libris, J.-F. Champollion".pop.culture.gouv.fr.Retrieved17 May2023.
- ^Aimé, Nöel (May 1984).Figeac d'hier et d'aujourd'hui de l'an 750 à 1980(in French). Aurillac. pp. 155–157.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^"Places du centre-ville".Lonely Planet(in French). 5 June 2020.Retrieved17 May2023.
- ^"Monument dit Aiguille du Cingle, ou Aiguille du Pressoir".pop.culture.gouv.fr.Retrieved17 May2023.
- ^"Monument dit Aiguille de Lissac, ou Aiguille des Pellissiers".pop.culture.gouv.fr.Retrieved17 May2023.
- ^Champollion, cultiver son génie: France Culturehttps:// radiofrance.fr/franceculture/podcasts/grandes-traversees-champollion/1-champollion-cultiver-son-genie-4785021
- ^Riviale, Pascal (2018)."Un Communard parmi les américanistes: biographie de Théodore Ber".Bérose-Encyclopédie internationale des histoires de l'anthropologie.Bérose.Retrieved18 January2020.
- ^"Vincent BEDUER".footballdatabase.eu.Retrieved17 May2023.
- ^Mingzi."Figeac Aéro: l'histoire d'une réussite tricolore"(in French).Retrieved17 May2023.
External links
[edit]
Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)..Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
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