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Beauvais ( , ; ) is a town and commune in northern
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, and prefecture of the
Oise Oise ( ; ; ) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 in 2019.< ...
département, in the
Hauts-de-France Hauts-de-France (; ; ), also referred to in English as Upper France, is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. ...
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
, north of Paris. The commune of Beauvais had a population of 56,020 , making it the most populous town in the Oise department, and third most populous in Picardy. Together with its suburbs and satellite towns, the metropolitan area of Beauvais has a population of 128,020. The region around Beauvais is called the Beauvaisis.


History

Beauvais was known to the Romans by the Gallo-Roman name of ''Caesaromagus'' (''magos'' is Common Celtic for "field"). The post-Renaissance
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
rendering is ''Bellovacum'' from the Belgic tribe the Bellovaci, whose capital it was. In the ninth century, it became a county (comté), which about 1013 passed to the bishops of Beauvais, who became peers of France from the twelfth century. This cites V. Lhuillier, ''Choses du vieux Beauvais et du Beauvaisis'' (1896). At the coronations of kings, the Bishop of Beauvais wore the royal mantle and went, with the Bishop of Langres, to raise the king from his throne to present him to the people. '' De Bello Gallico'' II 13 reports that as
Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...
was approaching a fortified town called Bratuspantium in the land of the Bellovaci, its inhabitants surrendered to him when he was about 5 Roman miles away. Its name is
Gaulish Gaulish is an extinct Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, ...
for "place where judgements are made", from *''bratu-spantion''. Some say that Bratuspantium is Beauvais. Others theorise that it is Vendeuil-Caply or Bailleul sur Thérain. From 1004 to 1037, the Count of Beauvais was Odo II, Count of Blois. In a charter dated 1056/1060, Eudo of Brittany granted land "in pago Belvacensi" (Beauvais, Picardy) to the Abbey of
Angers Angers (, , ;) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Duchy of Anjou, Anjou until the French Revolution. The i ...
Saint-Aubin (see Albinus of Angers). In 1346, the town had to defend itself against the English, who again besieged it in 1433. The
siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
that it endured in 1472 at the hands of the
Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy () was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by the Crown lands of France, French crown in 1477, and later by members of the House of Habsburg, including Holy Roman E ...
was rendered famous by the heroism of the town's women, under the leadership of Jeanne Hachette, whose memory is still celebrated by a procession on 27 June (the feast of Sainte Angadrême), during which women take precedence over men. A significant hoard of coins from the
High Middle Ages The High Middle Ages, or High Medieval Period, was the periodization, period of European history between and ; it was preceded by the Early Middle Ages and followed by the Late Middle Ages, which ended according to historiographical convention ...
became known as the ''Beauvais Hoard'' because some of the English and European coins found with the lot were from the French abbey located in Beauvais. The hoard, which contained a variety of rare and extremely rare Anglo-Norman pennies, English and foreign coins, was reputed to have been found in or near Paris. Beauvais was extensively damaged during World War I, and again in World War II during the German advance on Paris in June 1940. Much of the older part of the city was all but destroyed, and the cathedral was badly damaged before being liberated by British forces on 30 August 1944. Beauvais experienced significant rioting during the Nahel Merzouk protests in 2023.


Geography

Beauvais lies at the foot of wooded hills on the left bank of the Thérain at its confluence with the Avelon. Its ancient ramparts have been destroyed, and it is now surrounded by boulevards, outside of which run branches of the Thérain. In addition, there are spacious promenades in the north-east of the town.


Climate

Beauvais experiences an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
(
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''Cfb''). The average annual temperature is 9.9 °C (1961–1990), and the
sunlight Sunlight is the portion of the electromagnetic radiation which is emitted by the Sun (i.e. solar radiation) and received by the Earth, in particular the visible spectrum, visible light perceptible to the human eye as well as invisible infrare ...
annual average of 1669 hours (1991–2010). Hills Bray is provided for the precipitation of Beauvais. The precipitation is 669 mm on average per year (1981–2010), while it is 800 mm on average per year in Bray. However, the frequency of rainfall is high. The average number of days per year above the precipitation of 1 mm is 116 days or every third day. The fog is often present, it is estimated at 55 days a year. The department is affected by 41 days of average wind year, usually, it comes from the west to the south.


Climate


Population

The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Beauvais proper in its geography at the given years. The commune of Beauvais absorbed the former communes of Marissel, Saint-Just-des-Marais and Voisinlieu and part of Notre-Dame-du-Thil in 1943.


Sights


Cathedral

The city's cathedral, dedicated to
Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...
(''Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Beauvais''), in some respects, the most daring achievement of
Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...
, consists only of a
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
and quire with
apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
and seven apse-chapels. The vaulting in the interior exceeds 46 m or 150 feet in height. The cathedral underwent a major repair and restoration process in 2008. The small Romanesque church of the 10th century known as the '' Basse Oeuvre'' occupies the site destined for the nave; much of its east end was demolished to make room for the new cathedral. Begun in 1247, under Bishop William of Grès (Guillaume de Grès, Guillaume de Grez), an extra were added to the height, to make it the tallest cathedral in Europe: the work was interrupted in 1284 by the collapse of the vaulting of the choir, a disaster that produced a temporary failure of nerve among the masons working in Gothic style. The transept was built from 1500 to 1548. In 1573 the fall of a too-ambitious central tower stopped work again, after which little addition was made. Its façades, especially that on the south, exhibit all the richness of the late Gothic style. The carved wooden doors of both the north and the south portals are masterpieces respectively of Gothic and
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
workmanship. The church possesses an elaborate astronomical clock (1866) and tapestries of the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries; but its chief artistic treasures are
stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
windows of the thirteenth, fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, the most beautiful of them from the hand of the Renaissance artist, Engrand Le Prince, a native of Beauvais. To him also due to some of the stained glass in St. Etienne, the second church of the town, and an interesting example of the transition stage between the Romanesque and Gothic styles. During the Middle Ages, on 14 January, the Feast of Asses was celebrated in the Beauvais Cathedral, in commemoration of the Flight into Egypt.


Other notable sites

In the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville and the old streets near the cathedral, several houses are dating from the 12th to the 16th centuries. The Hôtel de Ville, close to which stands the statue of Jeanne Hachette, was built in 1753. The episcopal palace, now housing the Musée départemental de l'Oise, was built in the 16th century, partly upon the
Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...
fortifications. The church of ''Saint-Étienne'' is a Romanesque-Gothic building (early 12th-late 16th centuries), including, in one of its transept's portals, a sculpture of the "Wheel of fortune".


Transport


Rail transport

The railway station, Gare de Beauvais, opened in 1857 is currently served by several TER lines: * Beauvais – PersanBeaumontParis Gare du Nord * Beauvais –
Creil Creil () is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department, northern France. The Creil station is an important railway junction. History Archaeological remains in the area include a Neolithic site as well as a late ...
* Beauvais – AbancourtLe Tréport


Air transport

Beauvais–Tillé Airport, dating from the 1930s, lies in the north of the city, in Tillé. It is used as a gateway to Paris by several low-cost carriers. Traffic growth is significant: in 1997, 200,000 passengers used it annually, but by 2006, it was more than 1.8 million. Airport usage increased by 40% a year on average between 2001 and 2005. The airport is mainly used for passenger traffic (only 2 to 3 flights involve
freight In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in ...
each month) and serves 48 destinations. On 5 October 1930, the British airship R101 crashed just outside Beauvais on its maiden overseas voyage, killing 48 of the 54 people on board.


Public transport

Public transport in Beauvais is provided by (formerly ''The Urban Transport network of Beauvaisis'' or ). The
transit bus A transit bus (also big bus, commuter bus, city bus, town bus, urban bus, stage bus, public bus, public transit bus, or simply bus) is a type of bus used in public transport bus services. Several configurations are used, including low-floo ...
(commuter bus) network consists of 25 regular lines which serve Beauvais and its suburbs, including: * 12 day lines ** 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 13 14 * 3 Sunday lines ** 11A 11B 11C * 3 summer lines ** 10 (divided into 3 sub lines) * 7
Demand responsive transport Demand-responsive transport (DRT), also known as demand-responsive transit, demand-responsive service,
US National Trans ...
lines ** T1 T2 T3 T5 T6 T7 T8 * 3 shuttles ** ''Navette Aéroport'' (Airport Shuttle) ''Navette Parking'' (Parking Shuttle) ''Navette LaSalle'' (Polytechnic Institute of LaSalle Shuttle)


Environmentally friendly transportation

To promote cleaner urban transportation and protect the environment, the city began to develop a "Green Plan" (''Plan vert''). Ultimately, the goal is to have a network of bicycle paths.


Administration

The mayor of Beauvais is Franck Pia, elected in September 2022. He succeeded Caroline Cayeux, who stepped down to become a deputy minister in the
Borne government The Borne government ( French: ''gouvernement Borne'') was the forty-third government of the French Fifth Republic, formed on 16 May 2022 and headed by Élisabeth Borne as Prime Minister under President Emmanuel Macron. It served as a caretake ...
.


Notable people

* Dominique Ansel, pastry chef and creator of the Cronut (b. 1978) * George Auriol, born Jean-Georges Huyot, graphic designer (26 April 1863 – February 1938) * Guillaume Brenner, footballer (b. 10 February 1986) * Pierre Cauchon, bishop of Beauvais and judge of Joan of Arc (1371 – 18 December 1442) * Arnaud Démare, professional cyclist (b. 26 August 1991) * Fanny Dénoix, poet (1798–1879) * Pierre de Schryder, French resistance fighter * Hubert de Givenchy, fashion designer (20 February 1927 – 10 March 2018) * Charles Janet, engineer and biologist (1849 – 1932) *
Henri Lebesgue Henri Léon Lebesgue (; ; June 28, 1875 – July 26, 1941) was a French mathematician known for his Lebesgue integration, theory of integration, which was a generalization of the 17th-century concept of integration—summing the area between an ...
, mathematician (28 June 1875 – 26 July 1941) * Jérôme Lempereur, footballer (b. 1973) * Clément Lenglet, footballer (b. 17 June 1995) * Pierre Louvet, historian, archivist and historiographer (1617 – 1684) * Anthony Mfa Mezui, footballer (b. 7 March 1991) * Milo of Nanteuil, bishop of Beauvais, builder of the Beauvais Cathedral (d. 1234) * Alberic of Ostia, bishop of Ostia and diplomat (1080 – 20 November 1148) * Mustapha Yatabare, footballer (b. 26 January 1986) * Sambou Yatabare, footballer (b. 2 March 1989)


Economy

The industry of Beauvais comprises, besides the state manufacture of tapestry, which dates from 1664, the manufacture of various kinds of cotton and woollen goods, brushes, toys, boots and shoes, and bricks and tiles. Market-gardening flourishes in the vicinity and an extensive trade is carried on in grain and wine. The town is the seat of a bishop, a prefect and a ''Court of Assizes''; it has ''Tribunals of First Instance'' and commerce, together with a
Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...
, a branch of the Bank of France, a higher ecclesiastical seminary, a ''lycée'' and training colleges. Amongst the major companies operating in the town are Nestle and Agco (Massey Ferguson). Also present since 1986 is RS Components, founded by Jerry Vaughan, and now operating from a purpose-built distribution centre to the east of the town Beauvais also has a small airport, Beauvais Tillé, which is used by several low-cost carriers and charter airlines such as
Ryanair Ryanair is an Irish Low-cost carrier#Ultra low-cost carrier, ultra low-cost airline group headquartered in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. The parent company, Ryanair Holdings plc, includes subsidiaries Ryanair , Malta Air, Buzz (Ryanair), Buzz ...
as a terminal for nearby Paris, to which frequent shuttle buses run.


Education

Beauvais has the following schools: Public schools: *20 preschools: Four in Argentine, five in Centre-Ville, one in Marissel, one in Notre Dame du Thil, five in Saint-Jean, one in Saint Just des Marais, two in Saint Lucien, and one in Voisinlieu *24 public elementary schools: Five in Argentine, six in Centre-Ville, two in Marissel, two in Notre Dame du Thil, five in Saint-Jean, one in Saint Just des Marais, two in Saint-Lucien, and one in Voisinlieu *Five junior high schools: Collège Henri Baumont, Collège Charles Fauqueux, Collège Jules Michelet, Collège Jean Baptiste Pellerin, and Collège George Sand *Four general high schools: Lycée Félix Faure, Lycée Jeanne Hachette, Lycée Paul Langevin, and Lycée François TruffautLycées d'enseignement général
" Beauvais. 17 October 2015. Retrieved on 5 September 2016.
*Four vocational high schools: Lycée Professionnel Paul Langevin, Lycée Professionnel Jean-Baptiste Corot, Lycée Professionnel Les Jacobins, and Lycée Agricole de l'Oise Private schools: *Institution du Saint-Espirit (elementary, junior high, high school, and technological high school) *Institution Notre-Dame (elementary and junior high school) *Elementary schools: École Saint-Paul and École Sainte-Bernadette *Lycée Saint-Vincent de Paul


Sport

Beauvais is home to AS Beauvais Oise, a football club playing in the
Championnat National The Championnat National (), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, is the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, the Championnat National operates on a system of ...
(), which is supported by a fine percussion band.


International relations

Beauvais is twinned with: *
Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...
, United Kingdom, since 1961 * Witten, Germany, since 1975 *
Setúbal Setúbal ( , , ; ), officially the City of Setúbal (), is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the entire municipality in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies withi ...
, Portugal, since 1982 * Dej, Romania, since 2003 *
Tczew Tczew (, formerly ) is a city on the Vistula River in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, in northern Poland, with 59,111 inhabitants (December 2021). It is the capital of Tczew County and the largest city of the ethnocultural region of Kociewie within th ...
, Poland, since 2003


See also

* Roman Catholic Diocese of Beauvais *
Communes of the Oise department The following is a list of the 680 Communes of France, communes of the Oise Departments of France, department of France. The communes cooperate in the following Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunalities (as of 2025):
* Jeanne Hachette


Notes


References


Bibliography

* Charles Delettre, ''Histoire du diocèse de Beauvais, depuis son établissement'', Volume 2, Harvard Library


External links


Official website
{{Oise communes Cities in France Communes of Oise Prefectures in France Bellovaci