|
|
| FRANCE | FRANCE |
| région: Nouvelle-Aquitaine | |
| département: 24, Dordogne |
map →
Périgueux is situated at an elevation of 91 m on the river Isle in the centre of the ancient cultural landscape of the Périgord. Périgueux is the chef-lieu of the département Dordogne, and is located about 110 km northeast of Bordeaux, the capital of the région Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The municipality has a population of about 29,900 (2022).
The name Périgueux comes from Petrocorii, a Latinization of Celtic words meaning "the four tribes", the Gallic people that
held the area before the Roman conquest. Périgueux was their capital city. In 200 BC, the Petrocorii came from the north and settled
at Périgueux and established an encampment at La Boissière. After the Roman invasion, they left this post and established
themselves on the plain of L'Isle, and the town of Vesunna was created. This Roman city was eventually embellished with amenities such as temples,
baths, amphitheatres, and a forum. At the end of the third century AD, the Roman city was surrounded by ramparts, and the town took the name
of Civitas Petrocoriorum. In the 10th century, Le Puy-Saint-Front was constructed around an abbey next to the old Gallo-Roman
city. It was organised into a municipality around 1182. However, hostilities between the Counts of Périgord and the new town lasted until 1250.
The counts claimed sovereign power, claiming to be the sole owners of the town of Puy-Saint-Front from the 17th century, then seeking royal
favor in the 14th century. During the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), Périgueux remained loyal to the Kingdom of France, even
when it was occupied by the English between 1360 and 1363. By transfer or marriage to the Orleans family, the Périgord passed into the
hands of the House of Châtillon in 1437, then into the House of Albret in 1481. In May 1472, King Louis XI confirmed the town's
privileges in his letters patent. In 1636, during the Croquant rebellions, Périgueux was the scene of peasant revolts, but was not one of
the towns or castles that were taken by peasants during this period. Under the First Empire, the town, seat of the préfecture, was
enlarged in 1813 by merging with the former commune of Saint-Martin. At that time, the town was also boosted by advances in river and road
transport. However, Périgueux's population decreased between 1866 and 1911, as the people of the region were drawn to metropolis such as
Bordeaux and Paris.
The 
cathedral of Saint-Front [left, no. 4875] goes back to a chapel that had been built on
this site in the 4th or 5th century. The abbey of Saint-Front on this site was started in 976 and was consecrated in 1047. Its vaulted choir
housed the tomb of Saint Front, which was sculpted in 1077. This tomb was decorated with numerous precious stones and sculptures, notably an
angel with a halo made of pieces of glass and is now kept in the Périgord Museum. The abbey was destroyed by a large fire in 1120. Only
part of the church and part of the Romanesque cloister on the south side remain. The Saint Front Cathedral was rebuilt by architect Paul Abadie
from 1852 to 1895. Only the bell tower and the crypts, both from the 12th century, were left from the previous structures. The cathedral
is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France since 1998.
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9rigueux, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9rigueux;
http://fallingrain.com/world/FR/97/Perigueux.html;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_P%C3%A9rigueux;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9rigueux_Cathedral]
![[scale]](lineal.jpg)