Saint-Brieuc

History

Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk, Brioc, who Christianised the region in the 5th century and established an oratory there. Bro Sant-Brieg/Pays de Saint-Brieuc, one of the nine traditional bishoprics of Brittany, which were used as administrative areas before the French Revolution, was named after Saint-Brieuc. It also dates from the Middle Ages, when the Pays de Saint Brieuc, or Penteur, was established by Duke Arthur II of Brittany as one of his eight "battles" or administrative regions.

The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1873.

Geography

The town is located by the English Channel, on the Bay of Saint-Brieuc. Two rivers flow through Saint-Brieuc: the Goued/Gouët and the Gouedig/Gouédic.

Other towns of notable size in the département of Côtes d'Armor are Gwengamp/Guingamp, Dinan, and Lannuon/Lannion all sous-préfectures.

In 2009, large amounts of sea lettuce, a type of alga, washed up on many beaches of Brittany, and when it rotted it emitted dangerous levels of hydrogen sulphide. A horse and some dogs died and a council worker driving a truckload of it fell unconscious at the wheel and died.

Neighbouring communes

Langueux, La Méaugon, Plérin, Ploufragan, Trégueux and Trémuson.

Climate

Saint-Brieuc experiences an oceanic climate.

Culture

Saint-Brieuc is one of the towns in Europe that host the IU Honors Program.

The Cemetery of Saint Michel contains graves of several notable Bretons, and sculptures by Paul le Goff and Jean Boucher. Outside the wall is Armel Beaufils's statue of Anatole Le Braz. Le Goff, who was killed with his two brothers in World War I, is also commemorated in a street and with his major sculptural work La forme se dégageant de la matière in the central gardens, which also includes a memorial to him by Jules-Charles Le Bozec and work by Francis Renaud.

The town of St. Brieux in Saskatchewan, Canada is named after Saint-Brieuc of Brittany. It was founded by immigrants from this region in Brittany. It was settled in the early 1900s.

Demographics

Inhabitants of Saint-Brieuc are called Briochins in French.

Breton language

In 2008, 3.98% of primary school children attended bilingual schools.

Transport

The Saint-Brieuc railway station, situated on the Paris–Brest railway, is connected by TGV Atlantique to Paris Montparnasse station, with a journey time of about 3 hours.

There are no scheduled air services from Saint-Brieuc – Armor Airport.

Notable people

Saint-Brieuc has been the place of residence for many notable people.

Yann Fouéré (1910–2011), Breton nationalist, journalist and author

Patrice Carteron (born 1970), footballer

Octave-Louis Aubert (1870–1950), editor

Maryvonne Dupureur (1937–2008), athlete, Olympic 800m silver medallist

Émile Durand (1830–1903), music theorist and teacher

Léonard Charner (1797–1869), senator and Admiral of France

Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (1838–1889), symbolist writer

Célestin Bouglé (1870–1940), philosopher

Louis Guilloux (1899–1980), writer

Patrick Dewaere (1947–1982), actor

Kévin Théophile-Catherine (born 1989), footballer

Louis Rossel (1844–1871), Army officer and Communard

Florent Du Bois de Villerabel (1877–1951), archbishop forced to resign after the Liberation of France in World War II

Mamadou Wagué (born 1990), footballer

Raymond Hains (1926–2005), artist

Anaclet Wamba (born 1960), boxer

Twin towns

Saint-Brieuc préfecture of the Côtes-d'Armor is twinned with:

Aberystwyth, Wales

Agia Paraskevi, Greece

Alsdorf, Germany

Goražde, Bosnia and Herzegovina