Agen is a
communeThe commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. The French word commune appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin communia, meaning a small gathering of people sharing a common life; from Latin communis, things held in common.French communes are roughly...
in the
Lot-et-GaronneLot-et-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot and Garonne rivers.-History:Lot-et-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the provinces of Guyenne and Gascogne...
department in
AquitaineAquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 26 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. In the Middle Ages it was a kingdom and later a duchy, with boundaries considerably larger...
in south-western
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. It lies on the river
GaronneThe Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of 575 km .-Origin of the name:...
southeast of
Bordeauxis a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department...
. It is the capital of the department.
The town has a higher level of unemployment than the national average. Major employers include UPSA, the pharmaceutical factory.
The old centre of town contains a number of medieval buildings.
The twelfth century Agen Cathedral, dedicated to
Saint CaprasiusSaint Caprasius of Agen is venerated as a Christian martyr and saint of the fourth century. Relics associated with him were discovered at Agen in the fifth century...
, is one of the barest handful of large churches in France with a double
naveIn Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
; the curious and impractical plan may be a regional trait, since one of the others is the Church of the Jacobins in relatively nearby
ToulouseToulouse is a city in southwest France on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. With 1,102,882 inhabitants as of Jan...
.
The
Saint Hilaire-People:* Augustin Saint-Hilaire , a French botanist and traveler* Caroline St-Hilaire , a Canadian politician* Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , a French zoologist...
church, dedicated to the theme of
the Holy TrinityThe Christian doctrine of the Trinity teaches the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. The doctrine states that God is the Triune God, existing as three persons, or in the Greek hypostases, but one being. Each of the persons is understood as having the one...
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 PeterSimon Peter , Pétros “Rock”, Kephas in Hellenized Aramaic) was a leader of the early Christian Church, who features prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Peter was the son of John, and was from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee...
on the left.
The
Fine ArtsFine art describes any art form developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than utility. This type of art is often expressed in the production of art objects using visual and performing art forms, including painting, sculpture, music, dance, theatre, architecture, photography and...
museum, Musée des Beaux Arts contains artefacts furniture and sculptures from
prehistoric timesPrehistory is a term used to describe the period before recorded history. Paul Tournal originally coined the term Pré-historique in describing the finds he had made in the caves of southern France...
onwards.
Agen is a
communeThe commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. The French word commune appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin communia, meaning a small gathering of people sharing a common life; from Latin communis, things held in common.French communes are roughly...
in the
Lot-et-GaronneLot-et-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot and Garonne rivers.-History:Lot-et-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the provinces of Guyenne and Gascogne...
department in
AquitaineAquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 26 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. In the Middle Ages it was a kingdom and later a duchy, with boundaries considerably larger...
in south-western
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
. It lies on the river
GaronneThe Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of 575 km .-Origin of the name:...
southeast of
Bordeauxis a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department...
. It is the capital of the department.
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 CaprasiusSaint Caprasius of Agen is venerated as a Christian martyr and saint of the fourth century. Relics associated with him were discovered at Agen in the fifth century...
, is one of the barest handful of large churches in France with a double
naveIn Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
; the curious and impractical plan may be a regional trait, since one of the others is the Church of the Jacobins in relatively nearby
ToulouseToulouse is a city in southwest France on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. With 1,102,882 inhabitants as of Jan...
.
The
Saint Hilaire-People:* Augustin Saint-Hilaire , a French botanist and traveler* Caroline St-Hilaire , a Canadian politician* Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire , a French zoologist...
church, dedicated to the theme of
the Holy TrinityThe Christian doctrine of the Trinity teaches the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. The doctrine states that God is the Triune God, existing as three persons, or in the Greek hypostases, but one being. Each of the persons is understood as having the one...
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 PeterSimon Peter , Pétros “Rock”, Kephas in Hellenized Aramaic) was a leader of the early Christian Church, who features prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Peter was the son of John, and was from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee...
on the left.
The
Fine ArtsFine art describes any art form developed primarily for aesthetics and/or concept rather than utility. This type of art is often expressed in the production of art objects using visual and performing art forms, including painting, sculpture, music, dance, theatre, architecture, photography and...
museum, Musée des Beaux Arts contains artefacts furniture and sculptures from
prehistoric timesPrehistory is a term used to describe the period before recorded history. Paul Tournal originally coined the term Pré-historique in describing the finds he had made in the caves of southern France...
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.
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 festivalA film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. The films may be of recent date and, depending upon the focus of the individual festival, can include international releases as well as films produced by...
s every year.
Sport
RugbyRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
is extremely popular in the town, and the local team,
SU AgenSporting Union Agen Lot et Garonne is a French rugby union club currently competing in the second level of the French league system, the Pro D2. They are based in Agen in Lot-et-Garonne. Following the 2006-2007 season of the Top 14, Agen was relegated to Pro D2.They were founded in 1908. Their home...
, is enthusiastically supported. The town also serves as the base for the Team Lot-et-Garonne
cycling teamA cycling team is a group of cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle races of any kind - whether they are recreational or professional - and the supporting personnel...
.
Press
For many decade "Le petit bleu" has been the
daily newspaperA newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns that express the...
, with stories of local or national interest.
Transportation
Agen is connected by the A62
motorwayThe OECD has defined a motorway as:Motorways are identical to freeways as a road type, and comparable to the United States's Interstate Highways as a classification....
to both
ToulouseToulouse is a city in southwest France on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. With 1,102,882 inhabitants as of Jan...
and
Bordeauxis a port city on the Garonne River in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture of the Gironde department...
.
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
Agen is the seat of a
Roman CatholicThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
diocese that comprises the
Département of Lot and GaronneLot-et-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Lot and Garonne rivers.-History:Lot-et-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the provinces of Guyenne and Gascogne...
. It is a
suffraganA suffragan bishop is a bishop subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop.- Catholic Church :In the Catholic Church, the word "suffragan" is generally used only to refer to a diocese in relation to the metropolitan archdiocese of its ecclesiastical province, e.g., the Diocese of...
of the archdiocese of Bordeaux.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Agen is twinned with:
TuapseTuapse is a town in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated on the northeast shore of the Black Sea, south of Gelendzhik and north of Sochi. It is the administrative center of Tuapsinsky District...
in
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
DinslakenDinslaken is a city in the district of Wesel, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is known for its harness horse race track and its wealthy neighborhoods Hiesfeld and Obrighoven.- Geography :...
in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
LlanelliLlanelli , the largest town in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby tradition and is a centre of tinplate production...
in
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
ToledoToledo is a municipality located in central Spain, 70 km south of Madrid. It is the capital of the province of Toledo and of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha...
in
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
Corpus Christi, TexasCorpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties.MSA population in 2008 is 416, 376. The population was 277,454 at the 2000 census; in 2006 the US Census...
in
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Notable people
Agen was the birthplace of:
- Alain Aspect
Alain Aspect is a French physicist and alumnus of the École Normale Supérieure de Cachan in France. In the early 1980s, with collaborators in France, he performed the crucial "Bell test experiments" that showed that Albert Einstein, Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen's reductio ad absurdum of...
(born 1947), physicist
- Bernard Palissy
Bernard Palissy was a French potter and craftsman, famous for having struggled for 16 years to imitate Chinese porcelain.- Biography :...
(c. 1510-1590), potterPottery is the ceramic ware made by potters. Major types of pottery include earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain. The places where such wares are made are called potteries. Pottery is one of the oldest human technologies and art-forms, and remains a major industry today...
- according to some accounts, he may have been born in Saintes
- Joseph Justus Scaliger
Joseph Justus Scaliger was a French religious leader and scholar, known for expanding the notion of classical history from Greek and Ancient Roman history to include Persian, Babylonian, Jewish and Ancient Egyptian history.-Early life:He was born at Agen, the tenth child and third son of Italian...
(1540-1609), scholar
- Pierre Dupuy
Pierre Dupuy, otherwise known as Puteanus was a French scholar, the son of the humanist and bibliophile Claude Dupuy.-Biography:He was born at Agen ....
(1582-1651), scholar
- Joseph Barsalou
Joseph Barsalou was a businessman and politician from Montreal.Barsalou had an early beginning in business with an apprenticeship in auctioneering at the age of 15. He quickly advanced in business and by 1853 was a partner in Benning and Barsalou, an enterprise mainly in auctioneering with some...
(1600-1660), physician
- Godefroi, Comte d'Estrades
Godefroi, Comte d'Estrades was a French diplomatist and marshal.He was born in Agen, the son of Francois d'Estrades , a partisan of Henry IV, and brother of Jean d'Estrades, bishop of Condom...
(1607-1686), diplomatist and marshalThe Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
- Bernard Germain Étienne comte de La Ville-sur-Illon La Cépède (1756-1825), naturalist
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards the observational than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research that is published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, Natural history is the systematic...
- Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent
Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent was a French naturalist. He was born at Agen...
(1780-1846), naturalist
- Jacques Jasmin
Jansemin was an Occitan poet.He was born at Agen, his family name being Boé...
(1798-1864), Provençal poetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
- Joseph Chaumié
Joseph Chaumié was a French politician, Senator for Lot-et-Garonne from 1897 until his death.Joseph Chaumié was born in Agen into a family of modest means...
(1849-1919), politician
- Michel Serres
Michel Serres is a French philosopher and author, celebrated for his unusual career.Born the son of a barge man, Serres entered the Ecole Navale in 1949 and the École Normale Supérieure in 1952. He aggregated in 1955, having studied philosophy...
(born 1930), philosopherPhilosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing these questions by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on reasoned...
and author
- Jacques Sadoul
Jacques Sadoul is a French author.He has produced a number of anthologies on the history of science fiction.His Histoire de la science fiction moderne was a major encouragement for the serious, academic study of SF, particularly among the East European peoples of that time, because the book was...
(born 1934), author
- Jean Cruguet
Jean Cruguet is an French-American thoroughbred horse racing jockey who won the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing....
(born 1939), jockeyIn sport, a jockey is one who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing; however, camel jockey profession is slowly being replaced by robotics.-Horse racing:...
who won the U.S. Triple Crown of Thoroughbred RacingThe Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing consists of three races for three-year-old Thoroughbred horses. Winning all three of these Thoroughbred horse races is considered the greatest accomplishment of a Thoroughbred racehorse...
.
- Francis Cabrel
Francis Cabrel is a French singer-songwriter and guitarist. Inspired heavily by Bob Dylan, he has released a number of albums falling mostly within the realm of folk, with occasional forays into blues or country. Several of his songs, such as "L'encre de tes yeux" and "Petite Marie" have become...
(born 1953), singer-songwriterA singer–songwriter is a musician who writes, composes and sings their own material including lyrics and melodies. They often provide the sole accompaniment to an entire composition or song, typically using a guitar or piano...
and guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :...
- Bernard Campan
Bernard Campan is a French actor, film director and writer. He is a member of Les Inconnus trio of humorists. He won a César Award for Best Debut for Les Trois Frères, and was nominated for best actor for his role in Se souvenir des belles choses....
(born 1958), actor and film directorA film director, or filmmaker is a person who directs the making or production of a film. Some also consider a film producer to be a filmmaker....
- Stéphane Rideau
Stéphane Rideau is a French actor born near Agen. Although intending to pursue a career in sports, he was discovered in 1992 at a rugby game and then auditioned for a role in the film Wild Reeds by André Téchiné. He was, at the time, sixteen years old.He would later on play the role of a gay...
(born 1976), actor
Miscellaneous
Agen is the "capital of the
pruneA prune is any of various plum species, mostly Prunus domesticus or European Plum . They are usually sold as dried fruit. Fresh plums that are marketed as "prunes" have an oval shape and a more easily removed pit...
", a local produce sold as a sweet (stuffed with prune purée) or as an after-dinner delight (prunes soaked in
ArmagnacArmagnac is a distinctive kind of brandy or eau de vie produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Ugni Blanc, Colombard, and Baco 22A, using column stills rather than the pot stills used in the production of...
- 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
Sporting Union Agen Lot et Garonne is a French rugby union club currently competing in the second level of the French league system, the Pro D2. They are based in Agen in Lot-et-Garonne. Following the 2006-2007 season of the Top 14, Agen was relegated to Pro D2.They were founded in 1908. Their home...
, a FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
rugby unionRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
club based in Agen
- Agenais
Agenais, or Agenois, was a former province of France located in southwest France south of Périgord.In ancient Gaul the region was the country of the Nitiobroges with Aginnum for their capital, which in the fourth century was the Civitas Agennensium, which was a part of Aquitania Secunda and which...
, or Agenois, a former provinceThe Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces...
of France
External links