Gray () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department,

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (; , sometimes abbreviated BFC; Arpitan: ''Borgogne-Franche-Comtât'') is a region in Eastern France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions, from a merger of Burgundy and Franche-Comté. The new region ...

, eastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It has a population of 5,553 inhabitants (2019).Téléchargement du fichier d'ensemble des populations légales en 2019
INSEE

Geography

Gray is situated on the banks of the river

Saône The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île. The name d ...

. It is the last major town in Haute-Saône before the Saône flows into Côte-d'Or.

History

In the Middle Ages it was an important river port and trading center in

Franche-Comté Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; frp, Franche-Comtât; also german: Freigrafschaft; es, Franco Condado; all ) is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, ...

. Gray is believed to have acquired its name from an old landed estate in its vicinity owned by a family with Gallo-Roman origins bearing the name "Gradus", a cognate of the Celtic "Grady" meaning "illustrious" or "noble".

Population

Sights

The town includes many old buildings. An 18th century stone bridge spans the Saône river, connecting the main town with the settlement of Arc-lès-Gray. Gray is a popular place for fishing and various water activities. Gray's Basilica (Basilique Notre Dame) was built from 1478 to 1559, with a bell tower typical of Franche-Comté. An art museum, the Musée Château Baron Martin, is housed in the Château of the Count of Provence, brother of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

, which in the 18th century replaced the fortress belonging to the Dukes of Burgundy. The 12th century "Paravis Tower" is the last remnant of the fortress and offers a panoramic view of the Saône Valley. The museum displays some 1200 pieces of art from the 15th to the 20th century throughout 24 rooms. The Carmelite chapel (Chapelle des Carmelites) was built in 1667. Since 1978, it has held eight centuries of sacred art in Haute-Saône, including paintings, sculptures, and religious objects. Gray is the site of France's National Esperanto Museum. File:Grande bibliotheque-Gray01.jpg, The Great Library File:Merry-Joseph Blondel, The Death of Hyacinthus.jpg, ''The death of Hyacinthus'' by Merry-Joseph Blondel, Musée Baron Martin

Transport

There is a bus station.

References

Communes of Haute-Saône {{HauteSaône-geo-stub