Tréguier

Tréguier Landreger
Entrance of the Old Town.
Tréguier
Location within Brittany region  Tréguier
Administration
Country	France
Region	Brittany
Department	Côtes-d'Armor
Arrondissement	Lannion
Canton	Tréguier
Intercommunality	Trois Rivières
Mayor	Patrick Toularastel (2001–2008)
Statistics
Elevation	0–66 m (0–217 ft)
Land area1	1.52 km2 (0.59 sq mi)
Population2	2,659  (2008)
- Density	1,749 /km2 (4,530 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	22362/ 22220
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.

Tréguier (Breton: Landreger) is a port town in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is the capital of the province of Trégor.

Geography

On the Jaudy stream

Tréguier is located 36 m. N.W. of Saint-Brieuc by road. The port is situated about 5½ m. from the English Channel at the confluence of two streams that form the Tréguier River.

History

Tréguier (Trecorum), which dates from the sixth century, grew up round a monastery founded by Saint Tudwal (died c. 564). In the 9th century it became the seat of a bishopric, suppressed on July 12, 1790 (decree of November 14, 1789). Pop. (1906), 2605.

Population

Historical population of Tréguier

Year	1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851	1856
Population	3064	2604	2795	3080	3178	3079	3382	3798	3008	3472

Year	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896	1901	1906
Population	3598	3643	3815	3611	3125	3193	2763	3051	3297	3028

Year	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954	1962	1968	1975
Population	2973	3040	3019	3013	3090	2992	3432	2885	3059	3257

Year	1982	1990	1999	2008
Population	3130	2799	2679	2659

Inhabitants of Tréguier are called trécorrois.

Breton language

In 2008, 11.78% of primary school children attended bilingual schools.

Sights

Cathedral St Tugdual

Statue of Ernest Renan in the town square

The cathedral, remarkable in having three towers over the transept, one of which is surmounted by a fine spire, dates from the 14th and 15th centuries. It contains the sumptuous modern mausoleum of Ivo of Kermartin (St Yves; d. 1303), a canon of the cathedral and patron saint of lawyers. The building of the cathedral was largely due to him. The Pardon of Saint Ivo, a religious festival, attracts an international audience drawn from the legal profession. To the south of the church there is a cloister (1468) with graceful arcades.

Near the cathedral there is a statue of Ernest Renan, a native of the town. As he was a prominent skeptic, author of the "pagan" Prayer on the Acropolis, the 1903 unveiling of Renan's statue, which also included a depiction of the goddess Athena, led to widespread protests from the Catholic Church. The town also houses the Renan birthplace museum. A notable war memorial, the Pleureuse de Tréguier, was designed by Francis Renaud. A commemorative memorial to Anatole Le Braz by Armel Beaufils is in the jardin du poète.

The port and harbour are picturesque, containing many pretty waterfront restaurants and crêperies. There are dramatic views of the quayside.

Economy

Saw-milling, boat-building and flaxstripping are carried on, together with trade in cereals, cloth, potatoes, etc. The port carries on fishing and a coasting and small foreign trade.

Religious festivals

Tro Breizh (Breton for "Tour of Brittany") is a Catholic pilgrimage that links the towns of the seven founding saints of Brittany, including Tréguier, Saint Tudwal's town.

The Pardon of Saint Yves is a major event. As Yves is patron saint of the legal profession, it attracts Catholic lawyers and judges from all over the world.

Personalities

Tréguier was the birthplace of:

• Ernest Renan (1823–1892), philosopher and historian of religion
• Ernest Hello (1828–1885), critic
• Hervaeus Natalis (c. 1260–1323) 14th Master General of the Dominicans
• Joseph Savina (1901–1983), designer and sculptor, lived and worked here.

See also

• Ancient Diocese of Tréguier
• Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor department

References

• INSEE

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

• 

  Renan birthplace museum

• 

  Cloister of St Tugdual's cathedral

• 

  The Calvary of Protest by Yves Hernot, created to protest the statue of Renan.

External links

• Tourism office website (French)
• Town council website (French)
• Pictures of Tréguier Cathedral: [1], [2], [3], [4]
• French Ministry of Culture list for Tréguier (French)