Évreux

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Administration
Commune of Évreux
Location
Longitude	01° 09' 12" East
Latitude	49° 01' 27" North
Country	France
Région	Haute-Normandie
Département	Eure (préfecture)
Arrondissement	Évreux
Canton	Chief town of 4 cantons
Intercommunality	Communauté d'agglomération d'Évreux
Mayor	Jean-Louis Debré (2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude	58 m–146 m (avg. 92 m)
Land area¹	26.45 km²
Population² (1999)	51,198
- Density (1999)	1,936/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	27229/ 27000
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Évreux is a commune of Normandy, France, in the Eure département, of which it is the préfecture (capital).

This city name originates from the gallic tribe of Eburovices (lit. Those which overcome by the yew?) (from Gaulish eburo-) The city is near the Iton river.

Its inhabitants are called the Ébroïcienne(s) (fem.) and Ébroïciens (mas.).

1 History
2 Sites of interest
3 Administration
4 Transport
5 See also
6 External link and references

[edit] History

The first family of the counts of Évreux which is known was descended from an illegitimate son of Richard I, duke of Normandy, and became extinct in the male line with the death of Count William in 1118.

Supposedly, a ghost named "Gobelin" haunted Évreux in the 12th century. This gave way to the formation of the modern word "Goblin". [1]

The countship passed in right of Agnes, William's sister, wife of Simon de Montfort-l'Amaury (d. 1087) to the house of the lords of Montfort-l'Amaury. Amaury III of Montfort ceded it in 1200 to King Philip Augustus. Philip the Fair presented it (1307) to his brother Louis d'Évreux, for whose benefit Philip the Long raised the countship of Évreux into a peerage of France (1317).

Philip d'Évreux, son of Louis, became king of Navarre by his marriage with Jeanne, daughter of Louis the Headstrong, and their son Charles the Bad and their grandson Charles the Noble were also kings of Navarre. The latter ceded his countships of Évreux, Champagne and Brie to King Charles VI of France in 1404.

In 1427 the countship of Évreux was bestowed by King Charles VII on Sir John Stuart of Darnley (c. 1365-1429), the commander of his Scottish bodyguard, who in 1423 had received the seigniory of Aubigny and in February 1427/8 was granted the right to quarter the royal arms of France for his victories over the English.

On Stuart's death (before Orléans during an attack on an English convoy) the countship reverted to the crown. It was again temporarily alienated (1569-1584) as an appanage for François, Duke of Anjou, and in 1651 was finally handed over to Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne, duc de Bouillon, in exchange for the principality of Sedan.

The city was annexed to France on the extinction of the La Tour d'Auvergne family in 1802. It was heavily damaged during the Second World War, and most of its center was rebuilt. The nearby Évreux-Fauville Air Base was used US Air Force until 1967, and then by the French Air Force.

[edit] Sites of interest

Situated in the pleasant valley of the Iton, arms of which traverse it, the town, on the south, 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.

Part of the lower portion of the nave dates from the 11th century; the west facade with its two ungainly towers is, for the most part, the work of the late Renaissance, and various styles of the intervening period are represented in the rest of the church. A thorough restoration was completed in 1896. The elaborate north transept and portal are in the flamboyant Gothic; the choir, the finest part of the interior, is in an earlier Gothic style. Cardinal de la Balue, bishop of Évreux in the latter half of the 15th century, constructed the octagonal central tower, with its elegant spire; to him is also due the Lady chapel, which is remarkable for its finely preserved stained glass. Two rose windows in the transepts and the carved wooden screens of the side chapels are masterpieces of 16th-century workmanship.

The episcopal palace, a building of the 15th century, adjoins the south side of the cathedral. An interesting belfry, facing the handsome modern town hall, also dates from the 15th century. The church of St Taurin, in part Romanesque, has a choir of the 14th century and other portions of later date; it contains the shrine of St Taurin, a work of the 13th century.

At Vieil Évreux, 31/2 miles south-east of the town, the remains of a Roman theatre, a palace, baths and an aqueduct have been discovered, as well as various relics which are now deposited in the museum of Évreux.

Évreux Cathedral
Hôtel de ville [2]
Église Saint Taurin [3]

[edit] Administration

The communauté d'agglomération d'Évreux has 37 communes.

The canton of Évreux-Est includes a part of Évreux and the communes of: Fauville, Fontaine-sous-Jouy, Gauciel, Huest, Jouy-sur-Eure, Miserey, Saint-Vigor, Sassey, La Trinité, Le Val-David and Le Vieil-Évreux (pop: 20,045);

The canton of Évreux-Nord includes a part of Évreux and the communes of: Aviron, Bacquepuis, Bernienville, Le Boulay-Morin, Brosville, La Chapelle-du-Bois-des-Faulx, Dardez, Émalleville, Gauville-la-Campagne, Graveron-Sémerville, Gravigny, Irreville, Le Mesnil-Fuguet, Normanville, Parville, Quittebeuf, Reuilly, Sacquenville, Sainte-Colombe-la-Commanderie, Saint-Germain-des-Angles, Saint-Martin-la-Campagne, Le Tilleul-Lambert, Tournedos-Bois-Hubert and Tourneville (pop: 25,014);

The canton of Évreux-Ouest includes a part of Évreux and the communes of: Arnières-sur-Iton, Aulnay-sur-Iton, Caugé, Claville and Saint-Sébastien-de-Morsent (pop: 18,123);

The canton of Évreux-Sud includes a part of Évreux and the communes of: Angerville-la-Campagne, Les Baux-Sainte-Croix, Guichainville, Le Plessis-Grohan, Saint-Luc and Les Ventes (pop:21,424).

[edit] Transport

Évreux-Embranchement is on the railway line from Gare Saint-Lazare to Cherbourg, it is served by regular Intercity and regional rail services to both Paris and Basse-Normandie. There used to be two stations in Évreux, only one of which remains open to this day. The second station (Évreux-Nord) served the line from Évreux to Rouen.