Holy

Geography and districts

Holy is located in the department of the Charente-Maritime, on a loop of the Charente, between La Rochelle and Bordeaux (Autoroute A10). According to INSEE, the city had a total population of 25.595 inhabitants in 1999 and 51.542 inhabitants in his urban surface.

Left bank

the Saint-Pierre district extends between the calcareous plate where the home of the governor and the Saint-Louis hospital are, and the Charente. It is the historical heart the Holy ones: the Romans had established a forum on the heights, then a castrum strengthened with the late Antiquité, around from which the city extended. Today one finds there the town hall, the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, the Law courts and the Gallia theater. The adjacent street Alsace-Lorraine and several streets are pedestrians and gather, with the National Course, which delimits the district in north, the majority of the trade of left bank.
the district Saint Eutrope is located at the west of that of Saint-Pierre. He is dominated by the church Saint Eutrope. Its main street is the Course Flashing boards, which separates the Small valley from the Arenas, its houses with hillside and the ancient amphitheater in the west, of another small valley directed towards Charente in the east. Between the two is the Berthonnière suburb.
the Saint-Vivien district is located at the north of the National Course, on the banks of Charente. This old suburb developed around the basilicas paléochrétiennes.
the district of Bellevue rises on a plate in the south of the center. It gathers several buildings and dates especially from the 20th century.
the district of Recouvrance includes/understands the seminar, the castle of Recouvrance and the stage Yvon Chevalier.

Right Bank

the district Saint-Palate is especially known for its Abbaye with the Ladies and the Arc of Germanicus. The public garden is also located there. It presents beautiful collections of trees, flowers, some animals and entertainments for the children. The main axis is the Gambetta Avenue, located in the prolongation of the National Course and the Palissy Bridge. More in the east the national stud farm and the station are.

History

Antiquity

Before the Roman conquest, the area of Charente is occupied by the Gallic people of Santons which gave his name to the Saintonge and with the town of Holy. One is unaware of if it existed already at the time, but it is known that they were the Roman which developed it under the name of Mediolanum Santonum as of the reign of Auguste. Located on the Via , an important road Clutched coming from Lugdunum (Lyon), the city very early plays a big role since it becomes as of first century BC the capital of the civitas santonum (the city of Santons, Roman administrative subdivision) and of the province of Gaulle Aquitaine. It loses this role with the profit, either of Poitiers at the 2nd century, or of Bordeaux at the 3rd century, but its decline starts in first half of IIe century.

Like capital of the largest province of Gaulle, Saintes is equipped with many monuments: a Amphitheater (see Amphithéâtre of Holy), a arc (see Arc of Germanicus) votive placed on the bridge which then made it possible to cross Charente, the Thermes of Saint-Saloine and an aqueduct. It is estimated that the city counted more than 15.000 inhabitants at that time and that its limits coincided with the current limits.

According to the legend, the city would have been christianized very early by Saint Eutrope, a bishop and martyr, but research shows that the arrival of the Christianisme date rather of the 4th century or the 5th century. Following one period of decline, the city is surrounded by a rampart as of the 3rd century and is confined in a loop of the Charente. To build this wall, the inhabitants use materials coming from old the Roman Forum and other buildings ancient.

the Middle Ages

The successive wars and invasions block the development of Holy whose history during the Early middle ages is little known. They are bishops like saint Vivien, holy Trojan and holy Pallais which direct the city then.

In 494-96, Clovis carries out a forwarding until Saintes, then in the field of the Visigoths. The city is franque after Vouillé (507), but is in general attached to a kingdom of the South, the kingdom of Aquitaine . In 844 the city is attacked by the Vikings. It is taken and devastated the following year, then in 848 by the chief Viking Hasting. . There is no more bishop after 864, the count is killed into 866 and is not replaced. The invaders install a base with Taillebourg which allows them of razzier all the surrounding country.

The city is cut into two starting from 1271: the left bank is reserved for the king of England, and the suburb Saint-Palate with the French. The hard partition until in 1360 when the English take hand put on all the city. In 1372 Of Guesclin takes again however the city which becomes again completely French in 1404. The 15th century is one period of relative calm.

16th century at our days

However the Wars of religion strike Saintes during all the century following because of presence of many Protestants in the area. Bernard Palissy, one of them, lived during this difficult time. After the signature of the Édit of Nantes a new period of peace is established.

With the construction of the hotel of the Marquis de Monconseil in 1730, built with the site of a destroyed wall occupying before the quays, fresh impulse is given to the city. Thus, towards the end of the 18th century, Saintes obtains a modern town planning thanks to Guéau de Reverseaux. This one establishes a new plan of roadway system and makes bore main roads making it possible to circumvent the city, of which that which was named on its behalf. The French revolution however stops this work which takes again only in 1815 with the opening of the National Course. In 1810 La Rochelle becomes chief town of the department in the place the Holy ones, but the city has the right to preserve the Court of Assizes, which involves the construction of new Law courts in 1863, opposite the theater.

In 1843 Prosper Mérimée succeeds in saving the Arc of Germanicus while the old bridge is destroyed then replaced by the current bridge. The National stud farm the Holy ones, created in 1846, involves an urban expansion towards the east, the Right Bank being then limited to the only small suburb surrounding the Abbaye with the Ladies.

Second half of the 19th century sees the arrival of the railroad. The construction of the workshops contributes to give its rise to Right Bank of Holy: the Gambetta avenue is bored to allow an rapid access at the new station, built in 1867. The development continues during the 20th century, but it is blocked by the Second world war, during which the district of the station is destroyed by the Bombardement S. second half of the century is marked by the urban expansion and creation of the district of Bellevue with the south.

Currently, the principal project of the city is the completion of the new hospital located on the site of the Arenas, which will replace the current Saint-Louis hospital around 2007. The debate concerning the future use of the Saint-Louis site is still in hand. Future work should make it possible to carry out excavations in certain still unexplored parts of the basement of the site.

Heraldic

Blasonnement of the traditional weapons of the town of Holy:

“Of mouths, with a bridge of three arches, surmounted of three covered and girouettées towers, driving 1st, having with 2nd gate, accompanied by two notched towers, glazes and girouettées, the money whole, on an of the same wave; with the bent chief of azure, responsible for three flowers of gold lily. ” Surmounted of a crown of count and having for supports an armed knight and a vintager, and for currency: AULTRE VEULX.
as brought back by Malta-Brown, in illustrated France (1883).

Administration

Holy belongs to the Communauté of Communes of the Country Santon which gathers 19 communes and is located in the Pays of Saintonge Romance.

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The city is divided into ten administrative zones: The Window, Recouvrance, Turners, Boiffiers, Saint-Vivien, Saint-Pierre, Station-Abbey, Bellevue, the Recluse and S. De Bouard.

Demography

Twinnings

Holy is twinned with seven cities of the world:

West University Places, Texas, the United States

Economy

The economy saintaise is mainly centered on the Agriculture being given the rural character of the area saintongeaise. There are 10.864 credits (5 473 men and 5.391 women) on the town of Holy, the market radius of this one is of 110.200 (according to the CDC Pays Santon). The city proposes 809 trade including 366 in the downtown area. The zone of activities of the Atlantic Park represents 3.000 employment, 200 companies, 9 hotels and 12 restaurants. Like that of Charriers (600 employment), it is in extension.

The first three employers are: Atlantic Coop (460 paid), Holy SAINTRONIC (336 paid) and the store CROSSROADS (204 paid). The table located opposite presents the turnover of the principal companies.

The city has an antenna of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Rochefort and Saintonge.

Culture

Holy is classified town of art and history for its inheritance. The cultural activities initiated by the town hall or associations are numerous, for example the Plays let us santons, or the Holy Festival , devoted to the music and organized annually by the Abbaye with the Ladies. Lastly, the Gallia theater proposes varied spectacles of theater, music and dance, as well as films and the documentary ones of the whole world.

Inheritance and museums

Antiquity

The two principal ancient monuments of the city are the Arc of Germanicus, built in 18 or 19 after J. - C. by notable saintais and the Holy Amphithéâtre, built under the reign of Claude Ier, towards 40 after JC, measuring 126 out of 102 meters and which could accommodate 15 000 people. The amphitheater is recognizable with its particular structure, the cavea or together of steps, pressed on the sides of the small valley and a fill. One can also visit the vestiges of the Roman Thermes of Saint-Saloine, dating second half of the 1st century like those from the rampart of the 3rd century, located Place of Récollets and appearing in the shape of some fragments. The Gallo-Roman aqueduct of the city is the subject always of excavations launched by the Company of archeology and history of the Charente-Maritime since 2003. One can admire with the archaeological museum a roman chariot of the 1st century and concise series (sculptures, inscriptions, architecture…).

The Middle Ages

Principal still visible constructions dating from the Middle Ages are three of the monuments the emblématiques of Saintonge: the Abbey with the Ladies, dating from the 12th century (17th century for the conventual buildings), the church Saint-Eutrope of the 11th century and the Cathedral Saint-Pierre begun at the 12th century and completed at the 17th century.

Modern time

On the level of the museums, one can quote: the Museum of Présidial (Art schools), which presents a ceramics saintongeaises collection and tables of the 15th century to the 18th century and whose building is a private mansion whose frontage is of style Maniériste, the Museum of Échevinage, which contains collections of S2evres chinas, tables of the 19th century and 20th century, and present of the temporary exhibitions. This building officiated formerly as a belfry of the old town hall of Holy. The Dupuy-Mestreau Museum, as for him, shelters collections of regional art. Its traditional frontage of the 18th century which faces Charente, is regarded as one of most beautiful of the city.

At the religious level, two buildings go back to this time. The Saint-Vivien Church was built between 1840 and 1845 with the site of a former priory of the Middle Ages, itself built on the funerary sanctuary of the Vivien bishop of the 5th century. It presents a frontage of which the style is characteristic of the area at the 18th century while the remainder of the building is of style neo-classic. The stained glasses and the interior of the church were carried out in the Années 1880 and form with furniture a remarkable homogeneity. The protesting Temple was designed by the Parisian architect Charles-Augustin Rey at the 20th century. It presents an architecture of style Art nouveau reinforced concrete and was inaugurated in 1906.

The city presents several private mansions of the 17th century and the 18th century of which the Hotel of Brémon-in Ars and the home of the Governor as well as residences of the 19th century like the Musso Villa and the Martineau house, where resided of the bankers and the richest tradesmen.

Among the architects of the city, one can quote Marc-Alexandre-Eustase Rullier, who realized, inter alia, the Lemercier school and the building of the Savings bank to Holy, and took part in the restoration of the inheritance of the city.

Education

The public colleges are: the college Rene Caillié, the college Clutched of Aubigné, the college Edgar Quinet. The private school complex Jeanne d' Arc - Notre-Dame includes/understands a school (maternal and primary), a college, and a general high school and technological who proposes a section SMS. The Bellevue College and the College Bernard-Palissy propose general, technical and professional dies. The college Georges Desclaude is an agricultural college.

Training center of apprentices of the Chamber of commerce and industry of Rochefort and Saintonge.

Environment

Holy received 4 stars with the national competition of the cities and flowered villages. The city has of a public garden and various public gardens, but also the Plaine of Palu , vast space of more than 120 hectares which will be arranged soon. A footpath, the path of Germanicus, allows walks foot or bicycle in the city and on banks of the Charente.

Famous characters

Jacques Garnier says Garnier de Saintes, mayor the Holy ones during the French revolution.
Bernard Palissy
Joseph Guillotin, doctor, creator of the Guillotine with an aim of founding more human and less painful executions for condemned.
Fernand Chapsal, Fernand Chapsal is a French politician born on March 10th, 1862 and deceased on February 10th, 1939 Ancien senator of the Charente-Maritime • French Minister for the Trade • French Minister for Agriculture, Senator of the Third French Republic.
Madeleine Chapsal, écrivaine contemporary.
Commercial Philippe, Minister of Interior Department under François MITTERRAND.
Roger Faraud, Large resistant, Responsible departmental for the Civil and Military Organization (OMC), Appointed Socialist of Maritime Charente after the release. Dcd the 4/8/1987 with HOLY
Denis Alamercery, contemporary writer born in 1968. He lives and works in Saintes since a few years. Like its hero Ari Ferguson, he discovered the city and his mysteries gradually, for his novel " Very Saintes is with the courant".

Transport

Public transport is ensured by the Company of Transport of Holy (CTS), a subsidiary company of Keolis which exploits the network DRUNK. The network includes/understands three lines:

line 1 leaves the Slopes to join the Palissy College, while passing by Boiffiers, Bellevue and the Theater.
line 2 leaves the Young elm of Foot, passes by St-Eutrope, the Theater, Station SCNF to arrive at the terminus of the Recluse.
line 3 démare with the ZAC of Recouvrance and serves the North-West of the city (Window, Magézy, Bellivet). It makes it possible to join the district of the future hospital.

The highway A10 passes to Saintes (on the level of the exit : Holy | Royan | Angouleme | Island of Oléron). The highway A837 makes it possible to join quickly Rochefort and, further, La Rochelle. Holy is also a passage of the Road Centers Atlantic Europe. The city is surrounded by a Rocade composed by the Trunk road 137 (western By-pass) and the Trunk road 141 (southern By-pass).

Holy is connected by the network of the SNCF to the remainder of France.

See too

Common of the Charente-Maritime
Path of great excursion GR. 4

External bonds

Workshop of the Inheritance of Saintonge
Internet site of the city
Tourist bureau
Abbey-with-Ladies
Romanes.com: Outside, interior and Capitals
Romanes.com: Crypt of St Eutrope
Festival Holy
Internet site of the hospital Holy
Network of Holy buses
Company of archeology and history of the Charente-Maritime
Richesheures.net, article and photographs on the ancient vestiges
Aviron with the club of oar saintais
French federation of the bell ringers of gaitas and of the Galician cultures and celtibères, OS Galaicos
Site on the events of Celtic music in Charente-Maritime and Charente
Site on the bagpipes by one saintais
1582 Register of grievances of the Third-state of the town of Holy (during the wars of religion)
1789 Register of grievances of the city of Holy (all confused corporations)

Sources

References

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