Troyes () is a
commune, the
préfecture (capital) of the north-eastern
Aube département in France and is located on the
Seine river. It is around south-east of
Paris. The inhabitants of the commune are called
Troyens,
TroyennesHistory
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; other Roman routes from Troyes led to
Poitiers,
Autun and
Orléans. It was the
civitas of the
Tricasses, 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 ("three").
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 — 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 watermark of
Plantagenet hegemony in France was reversed when the Dauphin, afterwards
Charles VII, and
Joan of Arc recovered the town of Troyes in 1429.
thumb|left|Cathédrale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul de Troyes (1549).thumb|left|Town Hall of Troyes.The great fire of 1524 destroyed much of the medieval city, in spite of the city's numerous canals.
Economy
Troyes is home to the
Lacoste company production headquarters, one of the most popular brands of fashion in the Western World.
Sights
- 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
- * Historical museum of Troyes and Champagne-Ardenne
- Hôtel-Dieu-Lecomte apothecary
- Saint-Loup Museum (Museum of fine arts)
- Di Marco Museum (Open from 1 April to 1 October, each year)
Churches
right|thumb|200px|Cathedral western front.Not having suffered from the last wars, Troyes has a high density of old religious buildings grouped close to the downtown area. They include:
- 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. Glittery jube sculpted by Jean Gailde, with a statue of Saint Martha. Saint Jean district. Classified Monument historique in 1840.
- the Gothic Saint-Nicolas Church, dating to te 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, 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.
Demography
right|thumb|200px|houses in the old town.right|thumb|170px|houses in the old town.Miscellaneous
Troyes is the home of
association football club
Troyes AC, or ESTAC. ESTAC operated in the highest division of French football, the
Ligue 1 during the 2006-2007 season but were relegated to
Ligue 2.
The city center of Troyes is arranged in the shape of a
champagne cork.
Troyes is also the home of the world-champion chocolate maker, Pascal Caffet. His creations have won a series of awards, which can be found on his website, http://www.pascal-caffet.com/. This website is currently only in French.
Births
Troyes was the birthplace of:
- Rashi (1040-1105), biblical and Talmudic commentator
- Émile Coué (1857–1926) pharmacist, hypnotist, and creator of La méthode Coué ("Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better').
Twin towns - sister cities
Troyes is
twinned with:
See also
