Saint-Pol-de-Léon

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saint-Pol-de-Léon
Coat of arms of Saint-Pol-de-Léon
Saint-Pol-de-Léon (France)
Saint-Pol-de-Léon
region Brittany
Department Finistère
Arrondissement Morlaix
Canton Saint-Pol-de-Léon
Community association Haut-Léon Community
Coordinates 48 ° 41 ′  N , 3 ° 59 ′  W Coordinates: 48 ° 41 ′  N , 3 ° 59 ′  W
height 0-57 m
surface 23.43 km 2
Residents 6,596 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 282 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 29250
INSEE code 29259
Website www.saintpoldeleon.fr

Saint-Paul Aurélien Cathedral

Saint-Pol-de-Léon ( Breton Kastell-Paol , "Paulsburg") is a French commune in the Finistère department in Brittany . Its 6596 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) call themselves Saintpolitains . Saint-Pol-de-Léon is the capital of the canton of the same name, Saint-Pol-de-Léon .

Facing the sea, Saint-Pol-de-Léon has significant examples of sacred architecture . As a bishopric until the French Revolution , it has a cathedral from the 13th century and a church, the almost 80 m high tower of which is the highest in Brittany . As the “Capital of Vegetable Growing”, it exports thousands of tons of different types of vegetables to all of Europe every year.

history

Surname

The name of the parish refers to one of the seven legendary church founders in Brittany, Saint Paulinus Aurelianus . The name part Léon is probably derived from the Latin word Legio . During the Gallo-Roman period , a Roman legion was stationed in the area. The name was eventually carried over to the entire area. The historical province " Diocese of Léon " was one of the provinces of Brittany until the 18th century. To this day, the name lives on in the name of the coastline of the Arrondissement Morlaix as Côte du Léon .

Gallo-Roman fortress

The area of ​​today's Saint-Pol was settled in prehistory . Finds testify to a military presence of the Romans in the 3rd century. As is evident from the oldest writings, the place was surrounded by an "earth wall of impressive height".

Bishopric

In the 6th century the seat of the monastery rose to become a diocese , the new name was Kastell Paol. The place now expanded over the old, narrow Gallo-Roman wall. In the 15th century the city established itself as the spiritual and cultural center of the region. At that time it had 2,000 inhabitants. The port of Pempoul had reached its prime. Fortified gates were supposed to protect the city until the 18th century.

In the 18th century, the architecture of the city was shaped by the work of the Bishops of Léon. The new bishop's palace was completed in 1706 and enlarged in 1750. The former major seminar dates from 1708, the college goes back to 1788.

French Revolution

With the French Revolution , the bishopric was dissolved. The situation of the city, which lost a diocese, a rich chapter , a college, three religious communities, a retreat house and 15  beneficiary houses , was described as catastrophic. Decades of cultural and economic decline began. "Today Saint-Pol is a dead city," wrote Flaubert on his way through in 1847.

19th and 20th centuries

The construction of the railroad in 1883 contributed significantly to the boom in vegetable growing. In 1890, Saint-Pol was France's main trading post for the export of vegetables ( artichokes , cauliflowers and others). Towards the end of the 20th century, Saint-Pol was the undisputed capital of the vegetable producing “Ceinture Dorée”.

Population development

year 1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2008 2017
Residents 8347 8044 8044 7462 7261 7121 7038 6596
Sources: Cassini and INSEE

Culture and sights

Churches, port "Pempoul"

Buildings

  • Saint-Paul-Aurélien Cathedral

  • Tower of
    Notre-Dame du Kreisker

See also: List of Monuments historiques in Saint-Pol-de-Léon

  • The Romanesque-Gothic cathedral Saint-Paul-Aurélien (12th to 16th centuries) is dedicated to Paul Aurélien, the first bishop of "Léon" in the 6th century, the organ from the 17th century was built by Robert Dallam. The cathedral Saint-Paul Aurélien shows on the one hand some remains of Romanesque architecture and on the other hand is evidence of the formative influence of Norman art on the architecture of Brittany towards the end of the 13th century. On the site of a Romanesque church, some traces of which are still there, this structure was gradually built. The west facade with its two towers and the nave made of limestone ("Calcaire de Caen ") illustrate the relationship between building material and style with Normandy . The transept and the choir are from the 2nd half of the 15th century. The ambulatory and the chapel were completed in the 16th century.
  • The Notre-Dame du Kreisker chapel was built in the 14th and 15th centuries. Its 78 meter high tower is the highest in Brittany and was the model for many other church towers in Brittany. Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban , the well-known French general and fortress builder, described this tower as the most daring building he had ever seen. The influence of the Norman (Saint-Pierre de Caen) and English forms can be seen very clearly. After Napoleon had ordered its destruction by decree in 1807, the most important of the church towers in Brittany (14th / 15th century) could still be saved. Its role in maritime shipping was cited as a justification.
  • Houses from the 16th and 17th centuries
  • Kernevez Castle and Park
  • The town hall is the "New Bishop's Palace" built in 1706 under the Bourdonnaye episcopate. The building is an example of how the cityscape was shaped in the 18th century by the bishops of "Léon". It was enlarged in 1750 and contains a beautiful monumental staircase with some paintings from the Louvre .
  • The “Prebendale” house ( benefice house ) is a magnificent residence from the 16th century, built by a wealthy ecclesiastical dignitary, whose title also included the collection of benefices. The architectural style is known as the Breton Renaissance. On the outside, an ingenious and successful mix of roof elements is striking: on the edges, the decorations with a lion and a dragon symbolize the owner's dual affiliation with the city and the church - the lion is the emblem of Léon, the dragon a homage to Saint-Paul Aurélien .
  • Boutouiller megaliths
  • Pigeon Tower (Kerigou) (Monument historique)

Coast and beaches

On a 13 km long stretch of coast, some beaches and small bays of Saint-Pol-de-Léon have poetic names such as "Tahiti", "Petit Nice" (Little Nice), "Sainte-Anne". You can discover them from the viewpoint of the city park "Champ de la Rive", which is overlooked by a large granite cross from 1901. From here you can see

  • the small island "Sainte-Anne", a natural monument, where the Carmelites lived like hermits until the 18th century and the huge rock was armed with powerful cannons
  • the castle of the bull ("Château du Taureau"), built by Francis I and fortified by Vauban
  • the rock formation of the Pointe de Primel
  • the coast around Lannion
  • the "Sept-Îles" (7 islands)

From the “Champ de la Rive” you can see the ferries to Great Britain and Ireland, the outlines of the Notre-Dame de Callot chapel, built in the 6th century, and the Trégondern peninsula with its chapel and its octagonal dovecote. The large passenger ferries of Brittany Ferries meet the small, responsive cutters from Carantec with their sails.

Town twinning

There is a town partnership with the German city of Vechta in Lower Saxony . Since 2010, the Spanish municipality of Benicarló in the Valencia region has also had a partnership with Saint-Pol-de-Léon.

Personalities

literature

  • Le Patrimoine des Communes du Finistère. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 1998, ISBN 2-84234-039-6 , pp. 1404-1417.

Web links

Commons : Saint-Pol-de-Léon  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

proof

  1. ^ Website Saint-Pol - Jumelage avec Benicarlo , accessed on March 10, 2017