Auxerre

French commune
nomcommune=Auxerre
La Marine
région=Bourgogne
department=Yonne
arrondissement=Auxerre
canton=
insee=89024
cp= 89000
maire=Guy Ferez
mandat=2008-2014
intercomm=Auxerrois
latitude=47.7986
longitude=3.5672
alt moy=102 m
alt mini=93
alt maxi=217 m
km²=49.95
sans=40 000
date-sans=1999
dens=757
date-dens=1999

Auxerre (pronounced IPA| [o.'sɛʁ] ) is a commune in the Bourgogne region of north-central France, between Paris and Dijon. It is the capital of the Yonne department.

It is a commercial and industrial centre, with industries including food production, woodworking and batteries. It is also famous for the wine produced in the neighbourhood, including the renowned Chablis.

History

Auxerre was a flourishing Gallo-British centre, Antissiodorum through which passed one of the main roads of the area, the Via Agrippa (1st century AD) which crossed the Yonne River (Gallo-Roman Icauna) here. In the third century it became the seat of a bishop [Councils were held here in 578 and 1147.] and a provincial capital of the Roman Empire. In the 5th century it received a Cathedral. In the late 11th-early 12th century the existing communities were included inside a new line of walls built by the feudal Counts of Auxerre.

Bourgeois activities accompanied the traditional land and wine cultivations starting from the 12th century, and Auxerre developed into a commune with a Town Hall of its own. The Burgundian city, which became part of France under King Louis XI, suffered during the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of Religion. In 1567 it was captured by the Huguenots, and many of the Catholic edifices were damaged. The medieval ramparts were demolished in the 18th century.

In the 19th century numerous heavy infrastructures were built, including a railway station, a psychiatric hospital and the courts, and new quarters were developed on the right bank of the Yonne.

In 1995 it was named "Town of Art and History".

Main sights

*Cathedral of St. Étienne (11th-16th centuries). In Gothic style, it is renowned for its three doorways with remarkable bas-reliefs. The stained glass windows in the choir and the apsidal chapel are among the finest in France. The 11th century crypt houses the remains of the former Romanesque cathedral.
*Abbey of Saint-Germain, existing from the 9th century. The crypt has some of the most ancient mural paintings in France, and houses the tomb of the bishops of Auxerre. Also interesting are the chapter room (12th century), the cellar (14th century) and the cloister (17th century).
*The Clock tower, located in the Old Town
*The church of St. Pierre en Vallée (17th-18th centuries), established over a 6th century abbey. In the style of late Gothic architecture, it has a tower similar to that of the cathedral. Portions of the decorations and inner chapels were financed by local winegrowers.
*Church of St. Eusèbe, founded in the 7th century. The nave was rebuilt in the 13th century, while the tower is in Romanesque style.
*Museum of Natural History.

Miscellaneous

*Auxerre is known for its football club Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise.
*Local wines include Chablis, Saint-Bris-le-Vineux and Irancy.
*Auxerre is so typical and average among towns in France, that it was chosen by a polling institute as 'the average French town', and polls among the population here are often extrapolated to the whole of France. [cite web
url = http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/world/europe/28france.html?ei=5088&en=a0d20e315eb83223&ex=1332734400&partner=rssnyt&pagewanted=all
title = Typical French Town Is Split Over Election
accessdate = 2007-03-28
date = 2007-03-28
author = Elaine Sciolino
publisher = The New York Times]

Notable residents

*Théodore Frédéric Gaillardet, (1808-1882), born in Auxerre, journalist, publisher of French-language newspaper "Courrier des États-Unis" in New York City, mayor of Plessis-Bouchard, France.cite book | title = Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896 | publisher = Marquis Who's Who | location = Chicago | date = 1963]
*Jean Baptiste Joseph Fourier, (1769-1830), born in Auxerre, mathematician, experimental physicist, and politician.cite book | title = An Introduction to the History of Mathematics | edition = sixth | publisher = Saunders College Publishing | author = Howard Eves | date = 1990]
*Carol Ficatier (1958-), Playmate of the month of December 1985.
*Saint Patrick (5th Century AD), Apostle to the Irish, visited Bishop Germanus of Auxerre here. Possibly he studied in Auxerre.
*Saint Helladius (d. 387), bishop of Auxerre

ister cities and twin cities

* Greve in Chianti, Italy
* Płock, Poland
* Redditch, United Kingdom
* Roscoff, France
* Saint-Amarin, France
* Varaždin, Croatia
* Worms, Germany

References

ee also

* County of Auxerre
* Bishopric of Auxerre
* Cathédrale Saint-Étienne d'Auxerre
* Lady of Auxerre
* Saint Germanus of Auxerre
* Remigius of Auxerre
* William of Auxerre

External links

* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13716a.htm diocese (under Sens)]
* [http://www.auxerre.com/ Auxerre Town Hall] fr icon