Troyes

Troyes
Prefecture and commune

Flag
Coat of arms
Troyes
Location within Grand Est region
Troyes
Coordinates: 48°17′59″N 4°04′45″E / 48.2997°N 4.0792°E / 48.2997; 4.0792Coordinates: 48°17′59″N 4°04′45″E / 48.2997°N 4.0792°E / 48.2997; 4.0792
Country France
Region Grand Est
Department Aube
Arrondissement Troyes
Canton Troyes-1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
Intercommunality CA Troyes Champagne Métropole
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) François Baroin (LR)
Area1 13.2 km2 (5.1 sq mi)
Population (2012)2 60,009
 • Density 4,500/km2 (12,000/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code 10387 /10000
Elevation 100–126 m (328–413 ft)
(avg. 118 m or 387 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.
Troyes altarpiece (detail) Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Troyes (French pronunciation: ​[tʁwa]) is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about 150 km (93 mi) southeast of Paris. This area is known as the Champagne region of Northern France. Many half-timbered houses (mainly of the 16th century) survive in the old town. Troyes has been in existence since the Roman era, as Augustobona Tricassium, which stood at the hub of numerous highways, primarily the Via Agrippa.

History

For the ecclesiastical history, see bishopric of Troyes

Troyes has been in existence since the Roman era, as Augustobona Tricassium, which stood at the hub of numerous highways, primarily the Via Agrippa which led north to Reims and south to Langres and eventually to Milan;[1] other Roman routes from Troyes led to Poitiers, Autun and Orléans.[2] It was the civitas of the Tricasses,[3] who had been separated by Augustus from the Senones. Of the Gallo-Roman city of the early Empire, some scattered remains have been found, but no public monuments, other than traces of an aqueduct. By the Late Empire the settlement was reduced in extent, and referred to as Tricassium or Tricassae, the origin of French Troyes.

The city was the seat of a bishop from the fourth century – the legend of its bishop Lupus (Loup), who saved the city from Attila by offering himself as hostage is hagiographic rather than historical[4] – though it was several centuries before it gained importance as a medieval centre of commerce.

In the early cathedral on the present site, Louis the Stammerer in 878 received at Troyes the imperial crown from the hands of Pope John VIII. At the end of the ninth century, following depredations to the city by Normans, the counts of Champagne chose Troyes as their capital; it remained the capital of the Province of Champagne until the Revolution. The Abbey of Saint-Loup developed a renowned library and scriptorium. During the Middle Ages, it was an important trading town, and gave its name to troy weight. The Champagne cloth fairs and the revival of long-distance trade and new extension of coinage and credit were the real engines that drove the medieval economy of Troyes.

In 1285, when Philip the Fair united Champagne to the royal domain, the town kept a number of its traditional privileges. John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy and ally of the English, aimed in 1417 at making Troyes the capital of France, and he came to an understanding with Isabeau of Bavaria, wife of Charles VI of France, that a court, council, and parlement with comptroller's offices should be established at Troyes. It was at Troyes, then in the hands of the Burgundians, that on 21 May 1420, the Treaty of Troyes was signed by which Henry V of England was betrothed to Catherine, daughter of Charles VI, and by terms of which he was to succeed Charles, to the detriment of the Dauphin. The high-water mark of Plantagenet hegemony in France was reversed when the Dauphin, afterwards Charles VII, and Joan of Arc recovered the town of Troyes in 1429.

In medieval times Troyes was an important international trade centre, centreing on the Troyes Fair. The name troy weight for gold derives from the standard of measurement that evolved there.[5]

Town Hall of Troyes

The great fire of 1524 destroyed much of the medieval city, in spite of the city's numerous canals.

Main sights

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Troyes (1549)

* Many half-timbered houses (mainly of the 16th century) survive in the old town

  • Hôtels Particuliers (palaces) of the old town
  • The Hôtel de Ville, Place Alexandre Israël, is an urbane example of the style Louis XIII. On the central corps de logis which contains the main reception rooms, its cornice is rhythmically broken forward over paired Corinthian columns which are supported below by strong clustered pilasters. Above the entrance door the statue of Louis XIV was pulled out of its niche and smashed in 1793, during the Reign of Terror at the height of the French Revolution; it was replaced in the nineteenth century with the present Helmeted Minerva and the device in its original form, now rare to see "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, ou la Mort"

In the Salle du Conseil (Council Chamber) a marble medallion of Louis XIV (1690) by François Girardon, born at Troyes, survived unscathed.

Museums

  • Museum of Modern Art (Musée d'Art Moderne)
  • Maison de l'outil et de la pensée ouvrière
  • Vauluisant Museum :
    • Historical museum of Troyes and Champagne-Ardenne
    • Museum of hosiery
  • Hôtel-Dieu-Lecomte apothecary
  • Saint-Loup Museum (Museum of fine arts)
  • Di Marco Museum (Open from 1 April to 1 October, each year)

Churches

Cathedral western front

Not having suffered from the last wars, Troyes has a high density of old religious buildings grouped close to the city centre. They include:

  • Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul Cathedral
  • Saint-Nizier Church, in Gothic and Renaissance style, with remarkable sculptures. Classified Monument Historique ( French equivalence) in 1840.
  • the Gothic Saint-Urbain Basilica (thirteenth century), with a roofing covered by polished tiles. Proclaimed basilica in 1964, it was built by Jacques Pantaléon, elected pope in 1261, under the name of Urbain IV, on grounds where the workshop of his father was. Classified Monument Historique in 1840.
  • Sainte-Madeleine Church. Very early Gothic, with east end rebuilt around 1500. Remarkably elaborate stone rood screen of 1508-17 in Flamboyant Gothic style, sculpted by Jean Gailde, with a statue of Saint Martha. Fine Renaissance stained glass. Saint Jean district. Classified Monument historique in 1840.
  • the Saint-Jean Church, with a Renaissance chancel, tabernacle of the high altar by Giraudon. On the portal, coat of arms of Charles IX. Classified Monument Historique in 1840.
  • the Gothic Saint-Nicolas Church, dating to the beginning of the sixteenth century, with a calvary chapel shaped rostrum is reached by a monumental staircase. On the south portal, two sculptures by François Gentil: David and Isaiah.
  • Saint-Pantaléon Church, with numerous statuary from the sixteenth century.
  • Saint Remy Church. It includes a crooked spire, from a height of 60 m (196.85 ft), its external clock with only one hand, a sundial with the Latin lettering sicut umbra dies nostri super terram ("our days on earth pass like the shade").
  • church of Saint-Martin-ès-Vignes. It has stained glass windows of the seventeenth century by the local master-verrier Linard Gontier.

Several Troyes churches have sculpture by The Maitre de Chaource.

Climate

Climate data for Troyes (1981–2010 averages)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.2
(61.2)		 20.4
(68.7)		 23.7
(74.7)		 27.8
(82)		 31.0
(87.8)		 37.9
(100.2)		 38.6
(101.5)		 40.6
(105.1)		 33.7
(92.7)		 30.3
(86.5)		 22.8
(73)		 19.0
(66.2)		 40.6
(105.1)
Average high °C (°F) 6.2
(43.2)		 7.7
(45.9)		 11.9
(53.4)		 15.2
(59.4)		 19.5
(67.1)		 22.7
(72.9)		 25.7
(78.3)		 25.4
(77.7)		 21.2
(70.2)		 16.3
(61.3)		 10.1
(50.2)		 6.7
(44.1)		 15.8
(60.4)
Average low °C (°F) −0.1
(31.8)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 2.0
(35.6)		 3.7
(38.7)		 7.8
(46)		 10.7
(51.3)		 12.8
(55)		 12.6
(54.7)		 9.6
(49.3)		 9.8
(49.6)		 3.0
(37.4)		 0.8
(33.4)		 5.8
(42.4)
Record low °C (°F) −23.0
(−9.4)		 −17.6
(0.3)		 −15.4
(4.3)		 −6.2
(20.8)		 −2.0
(28.4)		 0.4
(32.7)		 3.1
(37.6)		 3.0
(37.4)		 −0.4
(31.3)		 −7.0
(19.4)		 −11.1
(12)		 −18.0
(−0.4)		 −23.0
(−9.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 50.5
(1.988)		 42.1
(1.657)		 47.7
(1.878)		 50.9
(2.004)		 61.7
(2.429)		 56.6
(2.228)		 54.4
(2.142)		 52.2
(2.055)		 53.3
(2.098)		 63.6
(2.504)		 51.2
(2.016)		 60.6
(2.386)		 644.8
(25.386)
Average precipitation days 10.6 9.2 10.5 9.5 10.5 9.3 7.6 7.7 8.2 9.7 10.3 11.3 114.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours 68.6 88.3 143.8 184.8 215.0 229.4 235.5 228.2 179.2 123.6 66.6 53.6 1,816.4
Source: Météo France[6][7]

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
196267,545—    
196874,896+10.9%
197572,165−3.6%
198263,579−11.9%
199059,255−6.8%
199960,903+2.8%
200861,544+1.1%
2012[8] 60009—    

The inhabitants of the commune are called Troyens.

Economy

City centre
Houses in the old town

Troyes is home to the Lacoste company production headquarters, a popular clothing brand. It is also home of prize-winning chocolatier Pascal Caffet.[9]

Transport

The train station Gare de Troyes offers connections to Paris, Dijon, Mulhouse and several regional destinations. Troyes is at the junction of the motorways A5 (Paris – Troyes – Langres) and A26 (Calais – Reims – Troyes). Troyes – Barberey Airport is a small regional airport.

Sport

Troyes is the home of association football club Troyes AC, or ESTAC. ESTAC now plays in Ligue 1.

Notable people

Twin towns

Troyes is twinned with:

See also

References

  1. ↑ Traces of the Roman paving lie 3 m (9.84 ft). below the rue de la Ciré.("Balades dans l'histoire du vieux Troyes")
  2. ↑ Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites
  3. ↑ Ptolemy, Geography 8.13, mentions the Tricasses and their city Augustobona.
  4. ↑ Attwater, Donald. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints, (1945) Reprint: 1981, p. 223.
  5. ↑ Lloyd, John; Mitchison, John (2010). The Second Book of General Ignorance (First ed.). London: Faber and Faber Ltd. p. 71. ISBN 978-0-571-26965-5.
  6. ↑ "Données climatiques de la station de Troyes" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Climat Champagne-Ardenne" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Comparateur de territoire−Commune de Troyes (10387) - Insee". www.insee.fr.
  9. ↑ chocolatier. "Pascal Caffet, Meilleur Ouvrier de France pâtissier, Champion du monde des métiers du dessert". Pascal-caffet.com. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
  10. ↑ "Troyes (2010)". Board Game Geek.
  11. ↑ "Troyes (2010)". Z-Man Games.
  12. ↑ "British towns twinned with French towns [via WaybackMachine.com]". Archant Community Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
  13. ↑ "Chesterfield Twinning Links". Chesterfield Borough Council. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Städtepartnerschaften und Internationales". Büro für Städtepartnerschaften und internationale Beziehungen (in German). Retrieved 2013-07-26.
  15. ↑ "Zielona Góra Miasta partnerskie". Urząd Miasta Zielona Góra. Retrieved 2013-06-24.

Bibliography

See also: Bibliography of the history of Troyes
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Troyes". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.
  • (in French)Troyes city council website
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