Tours is a town in the west of France, on the banks of the Loire
and Cher rivers, in the department of Indre-et-Loire, of which it is
the capital. The town is the capital of the Tours Loire Valley
metropolis and, with its inter-municipal authority, one of the 22
official French metropolises.
The municipality, with 135,787
inhabitants in 2017, is at the center of an urban unit of 353,836
inhabitants (in 2016), itself the hub of an urban area of 495,379
inhabitants2. It is the largest municipality, the largest urban unit
and the largest urban area in the Center-Val de Loire region, as
well as the 18th largest urban area in France3. Its
inter-municipality is, for its part, populated by 299,177
inhabitants in 2019, which also makes it the first in the Center-Val
de Loire region in terms of its population.
Ancient
Caesarodunum city of Turones, founded by Augustus, capital of the
III Lyonnaise with one of the largest amphitheatres of the Roman
Empire. National sanctuary with Saint Martin, Gregory of Tours and
Alcuin under the Merovingians and the Carolingians, with the
adoption by the Capetians of the local currency the pound
tournaments which will become the currency of the kingdom. Capital
of the County of Tours which will become Touraine, the garden of
France. First city of the silk industry, wanted by Louis XI, royal
capital under the Valois with its castles of the Loire and city of
art with the School of Tours. Capital of loyalty for Henri III and
Henri IV during the Wars of Religion and city of withdrawal in June
1940 which earned it to be partly destroyed.
Despite
everything, the White and Blue city retains a historic center
registered with UNESCO and a city of art and history with its
Vieux-Tours Remarkable heritage site. The garden city concentrates a
green heritage and an urban landscape strongly influenced by its
natural space. The historic city that we nickname Le Petit Paris and
its region for its history and its culture, have always been a land
of birth or reception of many personalities, international sporting
events, university city with more than 30,000 students in 2019.
Culinary city with its specialties rillettes, rillons, Touraine
vineyards, AOC Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine cheeses and nougats.
Urban area of the West, the city is part of the metropolitan area
Val de Loire-Maine. It hosts the region's leading employer, the CHRU
and many large-scale management establishments. Surrounded by its
ring road, in the center of a five-pointed motorway star with the
A10, A28 and A85. The agglomeration of Tours is linked to the
national network by two stations, in Tours and
Saint-Pierre-des-Corps for TER and TGV connections. All regions of
France are accessible by train and Tours-Val de Loire airport is an
important regional airport and with some international destinations.
The regional newspaper La Nouvelle République, which has its
headquarters in Tours and is distributed throughout the Center-Val
de Loire and New-Aquitaine regions, strengthens its central
position.
The Colbert / Cathedral district
Another old nucleus of the
city, from the east of rue Nationale to avenue Mirabeau. This sector
corresponds to the ancient Gallo-Roman city.
Saint-Gatien
Cathedral of Tours
5 Cathedral Square
The Saint-Gatien
Cathedral of Tours is a Roman Catholic cathedral, located in Tours
in the Vieux-Tours, in Indre-et-Loire. Dedicated to Saint Gatien,
the first bishop of Tours, it is the seat of the archdiocese of
Tours and the metropolitan cathedral of the ecclesiastical province
of Tours. It was classified as a historical monument by the list of
1862.
Museum of Fine Arts
18 place François Sicard,
Logo indicating a telephone number +33 2 47 05 68 82, email:
culturembaaccueil@ville-tours.fr
The Museum of Fine Arts
in Tours is housed in the old episcopal palace of the city, near the
cathedral in the Vieux-Tours.
A formal garden stretches out
in front of the 18th century episcopal palace, which has retained
some of its original decor. A Lebanese cedar, classified as a
Remarkable Tree of France, adorns the courtyard of the museum and we
can see in this same courtyard, in a building opposite the palace,
Fritz, a stuffed Asian elephant, shot because it became
uncontrollable during a parade of the Barnum & Bailey circus in the
streets of Tours on June 10, 1902. Access to the elephant and the
large cedar are free since inside the park.
The Museum of
Fine Arts in Tours is housed in a historic building of exceptional
quality. The site is of capital importance to the history of ancient
Caesarodunum; the museum shelters in its undergrounds the most
beautiful lapidary inscription to the glory of the Turons. The first
bishops had chosen to settle near the cathedral, in a palace built
on the 4th century rampart, of which beautiful traces still exist
today, notably the corner tower.
Another vestige of this
period, a chapel leaning against the palace of the archbishops
dating from the 4th century and rebuilt in 591 by order of Grégoire
de Tours. This building was transformed in the 12th century and
partly destroyed in the 17th century during the renovations of the
new archiepiscopal palace of Bishop Bertrand d´Eschaux. In the 12th
century, the so-called Synod Wing was built. Constantly transformed
over the centuries, this huge hall, where the States General of the
Kingdom of France met twice (1468 and 1484) is one of the most
evocative historical places in the history of Touraine.
Bishop Rosset de Fleury completed the ensemble with the construction
of the pediment and attic palace and the development of the
terraces, the curve of which follows the layout of the Roman
amphitheater. Finally, in 1775, Bishop de Conzié had the imposing
portal and the hemicycle of the main courtyard erected in place of
the old stables. He transformed the old Synod Hall into an
archiepiscopal chapel and had an antique colonnade built for this
purpose.
After 1789, the Palace of the Archbishops became a
theater, central school, library then by departmental decree of
October 6, 1792 and with the passionate energy of the founder of the
city's drawing school, Charles-Antoine Rougeot and his son-in-law,
Jean -Jacques Raverot, became repository for works seized during the
Revolution. A first museum opened to the public on March 4, 1795.
The former archdiocese has been classified as a historical
monument since June 27, 1983
The Old Tours
The Vieux Tours
designates the medieval quarter of the city, located between the rue
Nationale and Les Halles. Restored in the 1970s, it is today known
for its nightlife: a large number of trendy bars and nightclubs have
settled down.
Place Plumereau - A must in Tours for a drink
during the day in front of the half-timbered gabled houses of the
sixteenth and sixteenth centuries and at night for the university
atmosphere.
Hôtel Gouïn 25 rue du commerce - Monument classified
or listed as historical monuments in France 15th century hotel.
Maison de Tristant l'Hermite 16 rue Briçonnet - Monument classified
or listed as historical monuments in France House of the 15th
century.
Saint-Martin Basilica - Monument classified or listed as
historical monuments in France The Saint Martin basilica was rebuilt
by Victor Laloux from 1886 to 1924. It houses the tomb of
Saint-Martin in the crypt. There remain of the Romanesque basilica
the Charlemagne towers and the Clock visible from the rue des
Halles.
The monster place du grand marché - Work of Xavier
Veilhant installed in 2004.