Agen

For the Agen meteorite of 1814, see Meteorite falls.

Agen
The Cathedral of Saint-Caprais in Agen
Agen
Administration
Country	France
Region	Aquitaine
Department	Lot-et-Garonne
Arrondissement	Agen
Intercommunality	Agen
Mayor	Jean Dionis du Séjour (NC) (2008–2014)
Statistics
Elevation	37–162 m (121–531 ft) (avg. 48 m or 157 ft)
Land area1	11.49 km2 (4.44 sq mi)
Population2	33,863  (2007)
- Density	2,947 /km2 (7,630 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	47001/ 47000
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Agen (French pronunciation: [aʒɛ̃]) is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in Aquitaine in south-western France. It lies on the river Garonne 135 kilometres (84 mi) southeast of Bordeaux. 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.

Main sights

The old centre of town contains a number of medieval buildings.

The twelfth century Agen Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Caprasius, is one of the few large churches in France with a double nave; the curious and impractical plan may be a regional trait, since one of the others is the Church of the Jacobins in relatively nearby Toulouse.

The Saint Hilaire church, dedicated to the theme of the Holy Trinity 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 Peter on the left.

The Fine Arts museum, Musée des Beaux Arts contains artefacts furniture and sculptures from prehistoric times onwards. The art gallery contains 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.

Agen in 1877 by Louis Ducos du Hauron

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 Ducourneau" 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 festivals every year.

Sport

Rugby is extremely popular in the town, and the local team, SU Agen, is enthusiastically supported. The town also serves as the base for the Team Lot-et-Garonne cycling team.

Press

For many decades Le Petit Bleu has been the daily newspaper, with stories of local or national interest.

Transportation

Gare d'Agen connects Agen with Toulouse and Bordeaux as well as services to Périgueux. It is around an hour from Toulouse, and around an hour from Bordeaux. Fast trains to Paris take four hours and ten minutes. Agen is connected by the A62 motorway to both Toulouse and Bordeaux. The Agen Airport is serviced by Airlinair service to Paris Orly 6 days a week, it is also used for business and leisure flying.

Diocese

Main article: Diocese of Agen

Agen is the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese that comprises the Département of Lot and Garonne. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Bordeaux.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Agen is twinned with:

• Tuapse, Russia
• Dinslaken, Germany
• Llanelli, Wales, United Kingdom
• Toledo, Spain
• Corpus Christi, United States

Notable people

As place of birth

• Bernard Palissy (c. 1510–1590), potter – according to some accounts, he may have been born in Saintes
• Joseph Justus Scaliger (1540–1609), scholar
• Pierre Dupuy (1582–1651), scholar
• Joseph Barsalou (1600–1660), physician
• Godefroi, Comte d'Estrades (1607–1686), diplomatist and marshal
• Bernard Germain Étienne comte de La Ville-sur-Illon La Cépède (1756–1825), naturalist
• Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent (1780–1846), naturalist
• Jacques Jasmin (1798–1864), Provençal poet
• Joseph Chaumié (1849–1919), politician
• William Grover-Williams (1903–1945) racer and SOE agent
• Michel Serres (born 1930), philosopher and author
• Jacques Sadoul (born 1934), author
• Jean Cruguet (born 1939), jockey who won the U.S. Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing.
• Alain Aspect (born 1947), physicist
• Francis Cabrel (born 1953), singer-songwriter and guitarist
• Bernard Campan (born 1958), actor and film director
• Stéphane Rideau (born 1976), actor

As residence

• Nostradamus lived in Agen from 1531 until at least 1534. He was married to a local woman with whom he had two children.

Miscellaneous

Agen is the "capital of the prune", a local produce sold as a sweet (stuffed with prune purée) or as an after-dinner delight (prunes soaked in Armagnac – a type of brandy). Every September, the Prune festival organizes rock concerts, circuses and prune tasting.

See also

• SU Agen Lot-et-Garonne, a French rugby union club based in Agen
• Agenais, or Agenois, a former province of France

References

Notes

External links

• site de la ville
• office de tourisme
• Diocese of Agen – Catholic Encyclopædia article