Agen

Commune of Agen
Duhauron1877.jpg
Agen in 1877 by Louis Ducos du Hauron
Location
Agen (France)
Agen
Agen
Administration
Country France
Region Aquitaine
Department Lot-et-Garonne
Arrondissement Agen
Intercommunality Agen
Mayor Alain Veyret
(2001-2008)
Statistics
Elevation 37–162 m
(avg. 48 m)
Land area¹ 11.49 km²
Population²
(1999)		 30,170
 - Density 2626/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code 47001/ 47000
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.
France

Agen (IPA: [aʒɛ̃]) is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France. It lies on the river Garonne 84 miles southeast of Bordeaux. It is the capital of the department.

Contents

Economy

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

Sights

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

The 12th century Agen Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Caprasius, is one of the barest handful of large churches in France with a double nave; the curious and impractical plan may be a regional trait, since one of the others is the Church of the Jacobins in relatively 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 painting galleries contain several hundred works including several by Goya, and others by Bonnard, 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.

Entertainment

The municipal theatre "Théâtre du Courneau" 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, Becket, 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 SUA, the local team, is enthusiastically supported. The town also serves as the base for the Team Lot-et-Garonne cycling team.

Press

For many decade "Le petit bleu" has been the daily newspaper, with stories of local or national interest.

Transportation

Agen is connected by the A62 motorway to both Toulouse and Bordeaux. By train it is around an hour from Toulouse, and around an hour from Bordeaux. Fast trains to Paris take four hours and ten minutes. It has a very small airport mostly used for business flights and leisure flying.

Diocese

Main article: Diocese of Agen

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.

Miscellaneous

Agen is the "capital of the prune", a local produce sold as a sweet (stuffed with prune purée) or as an after-dinner delight (prunes soaked in Armagnac - a type of brandy). Every September, the Prune festival organizes rock concerts, circuses and prune tasting.

Personalities

Agen was the birthplace of:

Twin towns

Agen is twinned with:

See also

Sources and external links