Country France Area 50,777 | Region Upper Normandy Mayor Guy Lefrand | |
Evreux is a commune in the Eure department, of which it is the capital, in Haute Normandie in northern France.
Contents
Map of Evreux
Dj dub emeutes evreux la madeleine 27
Geography
The city is on the Iton river.
History
In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named Mediolanum Aulercorum, "the central town of the Aulerci", the Gallic tribe then inhabiting the area. Mediolanum was a small regional centre of the Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis. Julius Caesar wintered eight legions in this area after his third campaigning season in the battle for Gaul (56-55 BC): Legiones VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII, XIII and XIV.
The present-day name of Evreux originates from the Gallic tribe of Eburovices, literally Those who overcome by the yew?, from the Gaulish root eburo.
Sights
Evreux is situated in the pleasant valley of the Iton, arms of which traverse the town; on the south, the ground slopes up toward the public gardens and the railway station. It is the seat of a bishop, and its cathedral is one of the largest and finest in France.
The first cathedral was built in 1076, but destroyed in 1119 when the town was burned at the orders of Henry I of France to put down the Norman insurrection. He rebuilt the cathedral as an act of atonement to the Pope. Between 1194 and 1198, the conflict between Philippe Auguste and Richard the Lion-hearted damaged the new cathedral. The architecture of the present edifice shows this history, with its blend of Romanesque and Gothic styles. As did many towns in the regions of Nord and Normandy, Evreux and its cathedral suffered greatly from Second World War.
At Le Vieil-Evreux (lit. old Evreux), the Roman Gisacum, 3½ miles (5.6 km) southeast of the town, the remains of a Roman theatre, a palace, baths and an aqueduct have been discovered, as well as various relics, notably the bronze of Jupiter Stator, which are now deposited in the museum of Evreux.