Fougères

Fougères (; br, Felger; Gallo: ''Foujerr'') is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine department in the region of Brittany in northwestern France.

As of 2017, Fougères had 20,418 inhabitants. The Fougères area comprises approximately 88,000 inhabitants and is currently growing, unlike the town centre.

History

Toponymy

Fougères is a town on the edge of Brittany, Maine and Normandy and is named after a fern (see also '' fougère''), or from ''fous'' which means ''fossé'' ("gap").

The town of Fougères is mentioned in the chorus of the song La Blanche Hermine by Gilles Servat. The author uses it as a symbol of the Breton resistance where it is adjacent to the town of Clisson in the Loire-Atlantique.

Fougères is historically, since the arrival of Latin in Armorica, a region where Gallo is spoken. In Gallo, Fougères translates to ''Foujerr'' while its Breton name is ''Felger''. Entry signs to the agglomeration have carried the Breton name for several years. One of the two bagad of the city takes this name: and the Diwan school, opened in 2013, is also called ''Skol Diwan bro Felger''.

Prehistory

The presence of many megalithic monuments, particularly in the , suggests that the area was already inhabited in the Neolithic era (5000 to 2000 years BC).

Middle Ages

The creation of Fougères dates back to the Middle Ages. The Château de Fougères was first mentioned around the end of the 10th century. At the time, it was a simple wooden fortification located on a rocky ridge, whose position favourably dominated the Valley and the surrounding marshes. Fougères was at the crossing of two Roman roads, one from Chartres to Carhaix and the other from Avranches to Nantes. From the 12th century, the population moved away from the shore of the Nançon and the city grew in size, divided into two parishes: Saint-Sulpice for the lower town and Saint-Léonard for the upper town. Since the Middle Ages, crafts developed around tannery, weavers and drapers in the lower town.

Built in the 11th century by the lords of Fougères, the first fortification, defended by Raoul II (1130–1194), was taken by Henry II of England in 1166 and destroyed. Raoul II stubbornly rebuilt a more imposing structure and it became a stronghold defending the borders of Brittany from Mont Saint-Michel to Nantes. However, the geographical position and the interests of the lords of Fougères often tipped in favour of the Kingdom of France. When Raoul III offered its possession to Louis IX of France, the Breton prince Pierre Mauclerc captured the city in 1231, which was re-captured by the king. The daughter of Raoul III, Jeanne de Fougères, who married Hugh XII of Lusignan, undertook new fortification work and beautified the city. The end of the 13th century was a period of peace and prosperity for Fougères.

In 1307, Philip IV of France bought the domain but the Kingdom of France was not interested and did not maintain it. After various fights and reversals of alliances, Bertrand du Guesclin entered in 1373, but the situation did not improve. Abandoned and ravaged by pillaging, the population of Fougères requested assistance from the Duchy of Brittany and the town joined the duchy in 1428, sold by John II of Alençon. However, in 1449, a man named François de Surienne, an Aragonese mercenary at the service of the English, captured and sacked the town in an attempt to force Brittany to ally with England. There were many massacres, which caused a reaction from Francis I, Duke of Brittany, determined to get rid of the English. The Duke of Brittany allied with Charles VII of France and attacked the south of Normandy, laying siege to Fougères. Surienne and his men were, however, able to resist and surrendered on the condition of being able to walk free. This episode announced the Battle of Formigny. Finally, the French general La Trémoille seized Fougères in 1488, during the Mad War.

Early modern

In the 16th century, the town lost its defensive role. Crafts continued to develop, including the craft of tin (''in Rue de la Pinterie''). During the Wars of Religion, the town remained Catholic while Vitré was affected by clashes with the Huguenots.

Until 1775, Fougères was barely mentioned. The Marquis de La Rouërie, a young man of high standing, then moved to the United States to fight with American insurgents. Back in France, after having been imprisoned for a month for leading the , he was greeted as a hero in his homeland.

French Revolution

During the French Revolution, the province of Brittany disappeared along with its privileges. The first changes were originally welcomed by the population. However, over time the Civil Constitution of the Clergy of the priests and the Levée en masse triggered a rebellion, the Chouannerie. In 1793, during the Virée de Galerne, the Vendéens and Chouans seized the town which was taken a few weeks later by the Republicans. For eight years, the town and its region passed from hand to hand, with many massacres and looting occurring. The leader of the Chouans of the Fougères area was the young general Aimé du Boisguy.

The Organization of the reflected a favourable feeling from the population to the new regime:

* The victories of the Republican armies were celebrated, including the Siege of Toulon against the Anglo-royalists
* The feast of 26 messidor (14 July), established in 1794, was celebrated in Fougères
* The anniversary of the execution of Louis XVI, accompanied by an and anarchy, was celebrated (from 1795)
*Other Republican festivals followed, such as the anniversary of the Republic up to the year VIII (22 September, 1 Vendémiaire), the celebration of youth (10 Germinal, on 30 March), and the Festival of Recognition (the 10 prairial)Dubreuil, Fêtes…, p. 406 or the Festival of Agriculture (the 10 messidor).

20th century

Early 20th century industry

Little by little, industry replaced crafts and Fougères saw the establishment of shoe manufacturers. In the winter of 1906–07, workers went on strike in the shoe factories and in response, managers organised a lockout. Solidarity was very strong in the city ("Communist" soups to feed the strikers without family income) but also beyond: Children were welcomed by Rennes and Parisian families during conflicts. Jean Jaurès came to Fougères to support the movement.

Glassware production had also existed in the Fougères area since the arrival of Italian glass masters in the 16th and 17th centuries. The installation of this industry is explained by the presence of a sandy soil (since sand is the main component of glass), a forest (since sand needs to be melted) and ferns (soda-rich plants). A glass factory existed on the outskirts of the town (Laignelet), which flourished in the 19th century. However, following social demands in 1921, religious unionism was mobilised and a new Fougères glass factory: ''La Cristallerie Fougeraise'', was founded by , as well as a working town later in 1922, designed by the architect , to accommodate staff.

The 20th century was marked by the terrible British and American bombing on 8 June 1944, during Operation Overlord, which killed 300 people, injured twice as many, and destroyed most of the public and industrial facilities. Since then, the town has largely been open to tourism, thanks to its medieval castle and its historic districts. From the 1970s, industry has been diverse: food processing, furniture, mechanical, glass, electronics, computing, and robotics.

Fougères also organises an important cattle market.

World War I

640 names are engraved in a monument to commemorate the death of soldiers from Fougères that fought for France during World War I. Fougères also welcomed many war wounded soldiers in its hospital and the monument mention 148 additional names of soldiers that died in Fougères but were not originating from the city.

Recent sports events

On 11 July 2013, Fougères hosted the Tour de France as a departure town. When the Tour de France returned on 10 July 2015, Fougères was the finish town for stage 7 (Livarot-Fougères). It was a stage victory for the British cyclist Mark Cavendish. Cyclism came back to the town on 4 July 2016, where Fougères was a race-through town in the stage Granville-Angers.

Fougères is also one of the control points for the Paris–Brest–Paris (PBP) bicycle event. PBP is an ultra-marathon event where cyclists are expected to complete the course in under 90 hours, and occurs the year before a Summer Olympic year. Fougères is a control point both out bound to Brest as well as back to Paris.

Now, Joueur du grenier is living here.

Emblems

Heraldry

Visual identity (logo)

Pays de Fougères

Located northeast of Ille-et-Vilaine, the has 83,000 inhabitants. This population continues to grow and represents 11.77% of the population of the Department covering 977,449 inhabitants and seven Pays. The Pays is composed of 58 communes, divided into five communities:

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Heritage

Fougères is classified as a town of art and history since 1985. It houses 24 historical monuments and 87 buildings surveyed.

Fougères has the label '' tourisme et handicap'', since July 2011.

Castle

Fougères' most visited attraction is the Château de Fougères, a medieval stronghold built atop a granite ledge, which was part of the Duchy of Brittany's ultimately unsuccessful defence against French aggression, and part of a tripartite with Vitré.

The castle is one of the most impressive French castles, occupying an area of , or even for some "the largest medieval fortress of Europe." It consists of three enclosures whose walls have been preserved. Although the seigniorial is ruined, the thirteen towers still rise with majesty. Some of these towers can be visited (the Hallay Tower and Tower of the Hague (12th century), Raoul Tower (15th century) and the Mélusine Tower, erected in 1242 by Hugues of Lusignan). At the entrance, is a triple watermill. Access to the west curtain wall allows observation of the upper town ().

The castle and its surroundings has been classified as a historic monument by list of 1862, by order of 4 July 1928 and by order of 26 February 1953.

A representing the castle was issued on 18 January 1960.

The belfry

This was the first to be built in Brittany, in 1397, and also one of only three belfries in Brittany. The location serves as the centre of the weekend market. It symbolised the dynamism of a small-scale civil society seeking independence. Funded by local merchants, it allowed ordinary people access to timekeeping, previously the preserve of the church and nobility. Its architecture was inspired by the Flemish models which the drapers of Fougères discovered during their travels in Flanders. Engraved on the Bell is the inscription: ''In 1397 the market town of Fougères made me and my name is Roland Chapelle''.

The belfry was classified as a historical monument by Decree of 1 September 1922.

The Notre-Dame Gate

A sizable section of the town wall survives, stretching from the château in the lower town, up the hill to surround the upper town. Medieval citizens in the lower town were outside the fortifications and had to retreat into the fortress in times of trouble. The gate of the 15th century with a double drawbridge presents many defenses including moats, embrasures, machicolations, etc., and a protective Virgin turned outwards. It is the only fortified town gate which is left.

The was listed a historical monument by Decree of 9 December 1946, with the south and west of the city walls.

The Saint-Sulpice Church

The dates in part from the 15th century. It was classified as a historical monument by Decree of 26 September 1910. There are two remarkable medieval altarpieces of monumental granite with carved decoration: The altarpiece of the Tanners and the altarpiece of Notre-Dame-des-Marais.

The Church of Saint-Léonard

The Church of Saint-Léonard also dates from the 15th century. It was listed a historical monument by Decree of 15 March 1949. Located at the top of the upper town, it offers a panoramic view of the city.

File:Eglise Saint Léonard à Fougères (35).jpg, The Church of Saint-Léonard at Fougères
File:Fougères (35) Église Saint-Léonard Flanc nord.jpg, The Church of Saint-Léonard, north side
File:Bretagne Ille Fougeres10 tango7174.jpg, Stained-glass windows of the Church of Saint-Léonard

Religious and civil heritage

File:Fougères - Hôtel de ville façade.jpg, Façade of the town hall
File:Fougères - Musée de la Villéon02.jpg, The museum of Emmanuel-de-la-Villéon
File:Couvent des Clarisses Urbanistes de Fougères 07.jpg, The convent of the Clarisses Urbanists
File:Hôtel La Belinaye.jpg, Belinaye Hotel
File:Fougères_-_théâtre_façade.jpg, Façade of the municipal theatre

* One part of the medieval fortifications, when the town was one of the strongest places on the Normandy frontier, is a 15th century gateway known as the Porte St Sulpice.
* The town hall was built in the 15th century. It was listed by order of 14 October 1926.
* The ; house porch built in the 16th century near the Saint-Léonard Church. It has been listed by order of 13 May 1929.
* The former , built in 1680 and partly destroyed by fire in 1794, now houses a cultural centre after being used as a prison and then as barracks. Scored by order of 15 July 1965.
* The , built in 1740, is the birthplace of the marquis Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie. It now houses the city court. Its front garden was listed by order of 3 February 1928.
* The , one of the last Italian theatres, built in 1888 by , listed by order of 1 June 1988; its façade was ranked by order of 1 March 1990.
The , place where the plot of the novel '' Les Chouans'' by de Balzac unravels.

* Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Rillé. Originally a collegiate church of Augustinian regular canons. It was founded in 1143 and in the seventeenth century became the Abbey of Sainte-Geneviève. It was rebuilt once between 1724 and 1750, and again in the 19th century. Of the former building, visible in its entirety on the 1756 plan, it remains the only stair tower topped by an imperial roof.
* Crystal glass factory built in 1922 by architect , restored, now houses administrative buildings.
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* Hotel Marigny

Geography

Geology

Fougères is situated in the Cadomian chain. The oldest buildings use readily available stone: ''la cornéenne''. A metamorphic rock, difficult to cut and of very different appearance, it is very solid. Later came the use of Louvigné granite, which is more homogeneous. Most of the buildings of the town are built with these local materials. It took the arrival of the railway to import other stones (late 19th century). In military strategy, note that the castle is not on high, but on a deposit of ''la cornéenne'', which prevents the risk of attacks by mining and from underground.

Neighbouring communes

Location

Fougères is situated:
* from Paris
* from Rennes
* from Mont-Saint-Michel
* from Saint-Malo
* from Brest
* from Nantes
* from Caen