Agen

The commune of Agen (French: [aʒɛ̃], Occitan: [aˈdʒen]) is the prefecture of the Lot-et-Garonne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne 135 kilometres (84 miles) southeast of Bordeaux.

Agen
Prefecture and commune
View of Agen from heights
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Agen
Agen Agen
Coordinates: 44°12′18″N 0°37′16″E
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Lot-et-Garonne
Arrondissement	Agen
Canton	Agen-1, Agen-2, Agen-3, Agen-4
Intercommunality	Agglomération d'Agen
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Jean Dionis du Séjour[1]
Area ^1	11.49 km^2 (4.44 sq mi)
Population  (Jan. 2017)[2]	33,576
• Density	2,900/km^2 (7,600/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	47001 /47000
Elevation	37–162 m (121–531 ft) (avg. 48 m or 157 ft)
Website	www.agen.fr
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

The city of Agen lies in the southwestern department of Lot-et-Garonne in the Aquitaine region. The city centre lies on the east bank of the Garonne river close to the Canal de Garonne, approximately halfway between Bordeaux (132 km, 82 mi) and Toulouse (107 km, 66 mi).

Climate

Agen features an oceanic climate (Cfb), in the Köppen climate classification. Winters are mild and feature cool to cold temperatures while summers are mild and warm. Rainfall is spread equally throughout the year； however, most sunshine hours are from March–September.

Climate data for Agen, France (altitude 59 m, 1981–2010 averages, extremes 1941–present)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	20.1 (68.2)	22.3 (72.1)	26.3 (79.3)	30.2 (86.4)	34.0 (93.2)	38.8 (101.8)	40.6 (105.1)	41.0 (105.8)	36.7 (98.1)	32.0 (89.6)	25.4 (77.7)	21.6 (70.9)	41.0 (105.8)
Average high °C (°F)	9.2 (48.6)	11.3 (52.3)	15.0 (59.0)	17.5 (63.5)	21.5 (70.7)	25.0 (77.0)	27.6 (81.7)	27.6 (81.7)	24.5 (76.1)	19.6 (67.3)	13.2 (55.8)	9.5 (49.1)	18.5 (65.3)
Daily mean °C (°F)	5.6 (42.1)	6.8 (44.2)	9.7 (49.5)	12.0 (53.6)	15.9 (60.6)	19.3 (66.7)	21.5 (70.7)	21.5 (70.7)	18.4 (65.1)	14.7 (58.5)	9.3 (48.7)	6.1 (43.0)	13.4 (56.1)
Average low °C (°F)	2.1 (35.8)	2.4 (36.3)	4.4 (39.9)	6.6 (43.9)	10.3 (50.5)	13.6 (56.5)	15.4 (59.7)	15.3 (59.5)	12.3 (54.1)	9.7 (49.5)	5.4 (41.7)	2.8 (37.0)	8.4 (47.1)
Record low °C (°F)	−17.4 (0.7)	−21.9 (−7.4)	−10.5 (13.1)	−3.9 (25.0)	−1.6 (29.1)	2.5 (36.5)	5.9 (42.6)	4.7 (40.5)	1.0 (33.8)	−5.0 (23.0)	−8.8 (16.2)	−12.1 (10.2)	−21.9 (−7.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	55.1 (2.17)	52.1 (2.05)	49.8 (1.96)	67.6 (2.66)	76.1 (3.00)	58.4 (2.30)	51.3 (2.02)	55.0 (2.17)	59.3 (2.33)	64.3 (2.53)	63.4 (2.50)	59.8 (2.35)	712.2 (28.04)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	9.9	8.3	9.0	10.8	10.6	8.1	6.3	7.1	7.9	9.5	10.0	9.8	107.1
Average snowy days	1.3	1.2	0.5	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	1.1	4.8
Average relative humidity (%)	89	85	79	77	77	75	73	76	79	86	90	91	81.4
Mean monthly sunshine hours	77.5	110.1	172.6	182.3	213.6	232.1	255.4	242.3	204.9	138.2	84.0	69.4	1,982.4
Source 1: Météo France[3][4][5]
Source 2: Infoclimat.fr (humidity and snowy days, 1961–1990)[6]

Toponymy

From Occitan Agen (1197), itself from Latin Aginnum (3rd century Itinéraire d'Antonin), from a Celtic root agin- meaning "rock or height".[7]

Population

Alphonse, Count of Poitiers and Count of Toulouse, recognized the autonomy of the commune of Agen. In this illustration he takes an oath before the consuls with his right hand on the town ordinances, while sitting on a pedestal. The consul administering the oath is forced to go on his knees, symbolizing Alphonse's lordship and the town's loyalty.

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
2006	33,728	—
2007	33,863	+0.4%
2008	33,245	−1.8%
2009	33,920	+2.0%
2010	33,981	+0.2%
2011	33,620	−1.1%
2012	33,730	+0.3%
2013	34,344	+1.8%
2014	34,126	−0.6%
2015	33,988	−0.4%
2016	33,569	−1.2%

Economy

The town has a higher level of unemployment than the national average. Major employers include the pharmaceutical factory UPSA.

Sights

The old centre of town contains a number of medieval buildings.

The twelfth century Agen Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Caprasius, is one of the few large churches in France with a double nave, a regional trait also found in the Church of the Jacobins in nearby Toulouse.

The Saint Hilaire church, dedicated to the theme of the Holy Trinity which the Saint in question did a lot to defend, is notable for its unusual statues in front of the Church – Moses on the right, and St Peter on the left.

The Fine Arts museum, Musée des Beaux Arts contains artefacts, furniture and sculptures from prehistoric times onwards. The art gallery contains several hundred works, including several by Goya, and others by Bonnard and Seurat. The collection also contains a large number of works by artists who lived locally. The museum is made up of twenty or so rooms.[8]

The Canal des Deux Mers, which joins the Mediterranean with the Atlantic, crosses the river Garonne at Agen via the town's famous canal bridge.

Entertainment

The municipal theatre "Théâtre Ducourneau" presents theatre, and occasionally classical concerts. The smaller "Théâtre du jour" has a resident theatre company presenting a variety of recent or older plays (Shakespeare, Beckett, as well as lesser known playwrights).

There are two cinemas, one a commercial multiscreened affair, the other an arts cinema run by a voluntary organization. The latter organizes film festivals every year.

Sport

Rugby is extremely popular in the town, and the local team, SU Agen, is enthusiastically supported. The town also serves as the base for the Team Lot-et-Garonne cycling team.

Transport

The Gare d'Agen connects Agen with Toulouse and Bordeaux as well as Périgueux. It is around an hour from Toulouse and around an hour from Bordeaux. The TGV train to Paris takes three hours and thirteen minutes with a stop in Bordeaux.

Agen is connected, by the A62 autoroute, to both Toulouse and Bordeaux.

The Agen Airport is serviced by Airlinair service to Paris Orly 6 days a week. It is also used for business and leisure flying.

Agen stands on the voie verte cycle path between the Mediterranean and close to Bordeaux.

Diocese

Agen is the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese that comprises the Département of Lot and Garonne. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Bordeaux.

Twin towns – sister cities

Agen is twinned with:[9]

• Tuapse, Russia
• Dinslaken, Germany
• Llanelli, Wales, United Kingdom
• Toledo, Spain
• Corpus Christi, Texas, United States

Personalities

As place of birth

• Bernard Palissy (c. 1510–1590), potter – according to some accounts, he may have been born in Saintes
• Joseph Justus Scaliger (1540–1609), scholar
• Pierre Dupuy (1582–1651), scholar
• Joseph Barsalou (1600–1660), physician
• Godefroi, comte d'Estrades (1607–1686), diplomatist and marshal
• Bernard Germain Étienne comte de La Ville-sur-Illon La Cépède (1756–1825), naturalist
• Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent (1780–1846), naturalist
• Jacques Jasmin (1798–1864), Provençal poet
• Victor Rabu (1834–1907), architect who built many important churches in Montevideo, Uruguay
• Joseph Chaumié (1849–1919), politician
• William Grover-Williams (1903–1945) racer and SOE agent
• Michel Serres (born 1930), philosopher and author
• Jacques Sadoul (born 1934), author
• Jean Cruguet (born 1939), jockey who won the U.S. Triple Crown of thoroughbred racing.
• Alain Aspect (born 1947), physicist
• Francis Cabrel (born 1953), singer-songwriter and guitarist
• Bernard Campan (born 1958), actor and film director
• Emmanuel Flipo (born 1958), artist
• Stéphane Rideau (born 1976), actor
• Aymeric Laporte (born 1994), footballer

As residence

• Julius Caesar Scaliger In 1525 he became physician to Antonio della Rovera, bishop of Agen, and remained until his death in 1558.[10]
• Nostradamus lived in Agen from 1531 until at least 1534. He was married to a local woman with whom he had two children.

Miscellaneous

Agen is the "capital of the prune", a local product consumed as a sweet, either stuffed with prune purée or in pastries, or as a dessert, e.g., prunes soaked in Armagnac, a type of brandy. On the last weekend of August, a prune festival comprises rock concerts, circus performances and prune tastings.

Jewish presence

The first Jews settled in the town in the twelfth century AD. They were expelled from the town in 1306. A number of Jews returned to the town in 1315, and a "Rue des Juifs" is documented ever since this period. In 1968, about 600 Jews lived in the town, though most of them had emigrated from North Africa.[11] A Jewish synagogue still exists in the town.[12]

See also

• SU Agen Lot-et-Garonne, a French rugby union club based in Agen
• Agenais, or Agenois, a former province of France

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
2. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
3. "Données climatiques de la station de Agen" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
4. "Climat Aquitaine" (in French). Meteo France. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
5. "Agen (47)" (PDF). Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records (in French). Meteo France. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
6. "Normes et records 1961-1990: Agen - La Garenne (47) - altitude 59m" (in French). Infoclimat. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
7. Bénédicte Boyrie-Fénié, avec la collaboration d’André Bianchi, Pèire Boissière, Patrice Gentié et Maurice Romieu, Dictionnaire toponymique des communes du Lot-et-Garonne, Pau, Éditions Cairn, décembre 2012, 320 p. (ISBN 978-2-35068-231-0), p. 41.
8. "Agen – Tourist Office – The History of Agen – Origins". ot-agen.org. Archived from the original on 5 May 2003. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
9. "Jumelages et coopérations". agen.fr (in French). Agen. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
10. Christie, Richard; Sandys, John (1911). "Scaliger" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 284–286.
11. "Gale Virtual Reference Library". Gale, A Cengage Company.
12. "Synagogues in Agen, France:". Kosher Delight.

External links

• Site de la ville
• Office de tourisme
• Diocese of Agen – Catholic Encyclopædia article