Everything about Arras totally explained
|région=
Nord-Pas de Calais
|département=
Pas-de-Calais (
préfecture)
|arrondissement=Arras
|canton=Chief town of 3 cantons
|insee=62041
|cp=62000
|maire=
Jean-Marie Vanlerenberghe
|mandat=
2001-
2008
|intercomm=
Communauté urbaine d'Arras
|alt moy= 72 m
|alt mini=52 m
|alt maxi=99 m
|hectares=1,163
|km²=11.63
|sans= 40,590
|date-sans=1999
|dens=3,490
|date-dens=1999}}
Arras is a town and
commune in northern
France,
préfecture (capital) of the
Pas-de-Calais département. The historic centre of the
Artois region, its local speech is nonetheless characterized as a
Picard dialect. Unlike many
French words, the final "s" in the name should be pronounced.
History
Originally settled by the
Celtic tribe of the
Atrebates, it later became a
Roman garrison town known as
Atrebatum.
It is located in the former Dutch and French
province of
Artois. For many centuries, Arras was on the border between France and the
Low Countries and it frequently changed hands before firmly becoming French in the late
17th century, the fortifications upgraded by
Vauban helping keep it in French hands. The town was closely linked to the trade of
Flanders and later became an important centre for
sugar beet farming and processing as well as a prosperous market centre.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, Arras was a thriving textile town. The industry specialised in fine
wool tapestries which were sold to decorate
palaces and
castles all over
Europe. Few of these tapestries survived the
French Revolution as hundreds were burnt to recover the gold thread that was often woven into them. The term is still used to refer to a rich tapestry no matter where it was woven.
The
Union of Atrecht (the Dutch name for Arras) was signed here in January
1579 by the Catholic principalities of the
Low Countries that remained loyal to
king Philip II of
Habsburg; it provoked the declaration of the
Union of Utrecht later the same month.
During the
First World War, Arras was near the front and a long series of battles fought nearby are known as the
Battle of Arras in which a series of medieval tunnels beneath the city, unknown to the Germans, became a decisive factor in the British forces holding the city. The city, however, was heavily damaged and had to be rebuilt after the war. In the
Second World War, during the
invasion of France in March 1940, the town was the focus of a
major British counter attack. The town was occupied by the Germans and 240 suspected
French Resistance members were executed in the Arras citadel.
Ecclesiastical history
Councils of Arras
In 1025 a council was held at Arras against certain
Manichaean (dualistic) heretics who rejected the sacraments of the Church. The Catholic Faith in the Blessed Eucharist was proclaimed with special insistence.
In 1097, two councils, presided over by Lambert of Arras, dealt with questions concerning monasteries and persons consecrated to God.
Sights
The centre of the town is marked by three large squares, the
Grande Place, the
Place des Héros, and the
Petite Place. These are surrounded by buildings largely restored to their pre-war
World War I conditions. Most notable are the
Gothic town hall (rebuilt in a slightly less grandiose style after the war) and
the 19th-century cathedral.
The original cathedral of Arras, constructed between 1030 and 1396, was one of the most beautiful Gothic structures in northern France. It was destroyed in the
French Revolution.
Many of Arras's most notable structures, including the museum and several government buildings, occupy the site of the old
Abbaye de Saint-Vaast. The abbey's church was demolished and rebuilt in fashionable classical style in 1833, and now serves as the town's cathedral. The design was chosen by the one-time Abbot of St Vaast, the
Cardinal de Rohan, and is stark in its simplicity, employing a vast number of perpendicular angles. There is a fine collection of statuary within the church and it houses a number of religious relics.
Vimy Memorial is a memorial just north of the town honouring a major World War I battle, the Battle of Vimy Ridge, which marked the first time
Canada fielded an entire army of its own. Four Canadian divisions fought there on Easter weekend 1917. The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the broader Allied offensive in April known as the Battle of Arras. Vimy was the only victory the Allies would enjoy during their 1917 spring offensive. The Basilica of
Notre Dame de Lorette, overlooking the nearby village of
Ablain-Saint-Nazaire, likewise stands before one of France's largest World War I necropolises.
Transport
Arras is served by the
LGV Nord high speed railway.
Miscellaneous
In literature
Arras is a setting in several famous works of French literature:
Arras is also mentioned the novel
Generals Die in Bed by
Charles Yale Harrison,
Canadian soldiers are depicted looting the town during
World War 1.
Births
Arras was the birthplace of:
Audefroi le Bâtard, trouvère who flourished at the end of the 12th century
Adam de la Halle (1237?-1288) trouvère, poet and musician, was probably born in Arras
Matthias of Arras (1290?-1352), architect, famed for his work on St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague
Antoine de Févin (c.1470-1511 or 1512), composer of the Renaissance.
Charles de l'Écluse (1526-1609), doctor and pioneering botanist
Sebastien Claude Mattheiu Montauze ([[1964-), apprentice Englishman
Philippe Rogier (c. 1561-1596), composer
Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794), French revolutionary leader
Joseph le Bon (1765-1795), was a politician
Eugène François Vidocq (1775-1857), one of the first modern private investigators
Gabriel Hanot (1889-1968), journalist (the editor of L'Équipe)
Violette Leduc (1907–1972), author
Jean-Christophe Novelli (born 1961), chef and restaurateur
Benoît Assou-Ekotto (born 1984), footballer playing for Tottenham Hotspur F.C.Further Information
Get more info on 'Arras'.
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