Autun
{{short description|Subprefecture and commune in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France}}
{{For|the house in the United States|Autun (West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania)}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name = Autun
|commune status = Subprefecture and commune
|image = {{Photomontage|position=center
| photo2a = Ecole militaire d'Autun et cimetière.jpg
| photo2b = 112 Autun L'hôtel de ville et le théâtre.jpg
| photo1b = Cathédrale St Lazare Autun 29.jpg
| photo3a = Temple de Janus, Autun - 04.jpg
| photo2c = Bourgogne Autun Theatre Romain 17072009 - panoramio.jpg
| photo1c = Passage Balthus Autun 5.jpg
| size = 270
| spacing = 2
| color = #FFFFFF
| border = 0
| foot_montage = From top down, left to right: Autun Cathedral, Passage de la Terrasse, Lycée militaire, Autun Theatre and City Hall, Roman-era theatre, Temple of Janus}}
|caption =
|arrondissement = Autun
|image coat of arms = Blason autun.svg
|INSEE = 71014
|postal code = 71400
|mayor = Vincent Chauvet{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}
|party = MoDem
|term = 2020–2026
|intercommunality = CC du Grand Autunois Morvan
|coordinates = {{coord|46.9517|4.2994|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m =
|elevation min m = 280
|elevation max m = 642
|area km2 = 61.52
|population = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}
Autun ({{IPA|fr|otœ̃|lang|Fr-Autun.ogg}}) is a subprefecture of the Saône-et-Loire department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of central-eastern France. It was founded during the Principate era of the early Roman Empire by Emperor Augustus as Augustodunum to give a Roman capital to the Gallic people Aedui, who had Bibracte as their political centre. In Roman times the city may have been home to 30,000 to 100,000 people, according to different estimates.{{cite book|author1=Xavier de Planhol|author2=Paul Claval|title=An Historical Geography of France|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C19glZh7zfoC&pg=PA47|date=17 March 1994|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-32208-9|page=47}} Nowadays, the commune has a population of about 15,000.[http://www.grandautunoismorvan.fr/la-communaute-de-communes/le-territoire-149.html].
Pioneer of the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth Century with the early exploitation of oil shale and fluorine, since the twentieth century, Autun has experienced a renewed dynamism that has made it the headquarters of several international companies (Dim, Nexans). It contains one of the six French military high schools (Lycée militaire d'Autun). The city, due to its ancient and medieval past, possesses a rich heritage that makes it one of the most important tourist sites in the heart of Burgundy.
History
=Early history=
Image:Théâtre romain Autun.JPG
Augustodunum was founded during the reign of the first Roman emperor, Augustus, after whom it was named. It was the civitas "tribal capital" of the Aedui, Continental Celts who had been allies and "brothers" ({{lang|la|fratres}}) of Rome since before Julius Caesar's Gallic Wars. Augustodunum was a planned foundation replacing the original oppidum Bibracte, located some {{cvt|25|km}} away. Several elements of Roman architecture such as walls, gates, and a Roman theater are still visible in the town.
In AD 356, a force of Alemanni brought the siege of Autun. The disrepair of the walls left the city in danger of falling. Autun was saved by the arrival of the Emperor Julian in one of his early military successes. In Late Antiquity, Autun became famous for its schools of rhetoric. A world map based on the Geography of Ptolemy was famous for its size and was displayed in the portico of one of the schools. It may have survived until early modern times.John Brian Harley, David Woodward, The History of Cartography Vol I p. 290.
In 532, the Merovingian kings Childebert I and Chlothar I in Battle of Autun defeated the Burgundians led by king Godomar and took over the country of Burgundy.{{Cite book |last=Stefánik |title=Historical Atlas of the World |isbn=9781781866153 |pages=92–93}} In 642 or 643, another battle was fought near Autun between feuding Frankish noblemen.
Leger (born circa 616- died 678), was bishop of Autun. He was tortured in Lucheux (Somme) on the orders of the mayor of the Ebroin Palace, who then murdered him. Around 670 he had presided over the second council of Autun (after that of 599, which was convened by Bishop Syagre).« Les conciles d'Autun », article de Lucien Taupenot paru dans la revue Images de Saône-et-Loire No. 143 de septembre 2005 (p. 14-15).
Autun functioned as the Frankish capital until it was sacked by the Arabs (725/28). In 725, the Umayyad general Anbassa ibn Suhaym al-Kalbi reached Autun with his army. He conquered the city on August 22, 725. Autun was the easternmost point of the Umayyad expansion in Europe.
In 880, Count Richard of Autun was made the first Duke of Burgundy.
In 1506, Barthélemy de Chasseneuz made his reputation as an attorney, defending the rats of Autun against the charge of eating the barley crop.Edward Payson Evans, The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals (1906), p. 18.
= Modern times =
In 1788, Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord became bishop of Autun. He was elected member of the clergy for the Estates-General of 1789.
The High School plays an important role in the history of the city and even France since Napoleon, who gave it its current name and whose brothers Joseph and Lucien studied there. This school continues to operate today. The decorated wrought iron gates were erected in 1772; the subjects taught in the school are indicated by various representations of objects along the top of these grids.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, the leader of the Army of the Vosges, Giuseppe Garibaldi,Howard, Michael. The Franco-Prussian War: The German Invasion of France, 1870-1871. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1962. p.254 chose the city as his headquarters.
In 1837, a commercial mining of oil shale deposit near Autun marked the beginning of the modern oil-shale industry.{{Cite web | last =Laherrère | first =Jean | author-link =Jean Laherrère | title =Review on oil shale data | publisher =Hubbert Peak | year =2005 | url =http://www.hubbertpeak.com/laherrere/OilShaleReview200509.pdf | access-date =2007-06-17 | archive-date =2007-09-28 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070928004607/http://www.hubbertpeak.com/laherrere/OilShaleReview200509.pdf | url-status =dead }}
In 1852, the uranium mineral autunite was first discovered near Autun, and named for the town.{{cn|date=February 2025}}
Geography
The city rests on the southern edge of a depression called the Permian Autun Basin which includes the Autunian stratotype forming the Autunois. It is surrounded to the north by bocage meadows (bocage with wide mesh), to the west by the Morvan massif, and to the south by deciduous forests (domanial forest of Planoise) covering a sandstone plateau.
The Autunois region is composed of sixty-four communes grouped into seven cantons. In the cantons of Autun-Nord and Autun-Sud are the following municipalities: Antully, Auxy, Curgy, Dracy-Saint-Loup, Monthelon, Saint-Forgeot and Tavernay.
=Climate=
The commune lies in the northwest of the department.
{{Weather box
|location = Autun (1991–2020 averages)
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 16.9
|Feb record high C = 20.3
|Mar record high C = 25.3
|Apr record high C = 28.2
|May record high C = 32.2
|Jun record high C = 36.9
|Jul record high C = 39.2
|Aug record high C = 40.0
|Sep record high C = 34.5
|Oct record high C = 28.9
|Nov record high C = 22.2
|Dec record high C = 16.8
|year record high C = 40.0
|Jan high C = 6.1
|Feb high C = 7.8
|Mar high C = 12.3
|Apr high C = 15.8
|May high C = 19.7
|Jun high C = 23.5
|Jul high C = 25.9
|Aug high C = 25.8
|Sep high C = 21.3
|Oct high C = 16.3
|Nov high C = 10.2
|Dec high C = 6.6
|year high C = 15.9
|Jan low C = -0.3
|Feb low C = -0.5
|Mar low C = 1.4
|Apr low C = 3.5
|May low C = 7.5
|Jun low C = 10.9
|Jul low C = 12.6
|Aug low C = 12.2
|Sep low C = 8.6
|Oct low C = 6.3
|Nov low C = 2.7
|Dec low C = 0.3
|year low C = 5.4
|Jan record low C = -14.3
|Feb record low C = -15.9
|Mar record low C = -13.2
|Apr record low C = -6.5
|May record low C = -2.0
|Jun record low C = 0.5
|Jul record low C = 4.5
|Aug record low C = 1.7
|Sep record low C = -1.2
|Oct record low C = -7.9
|Nov record low C = -12.0
|Dec record low C = -18.3
|year record low C = -18.3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 80.7
|Feb precipitation mm = 60.9
|Mar precipitation mm = 60.1
|Apr precipitation mm = 64.3
|May precipitation mm = 74.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 65.8
|Jul precipitation mm = 60.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 61.3
|Sep precipitation mm = 63.1
|Oct precipitation mm = 79.8
|Nov precipitation mm = 91.3
|Dec precipitation mm = 94.7
|year precipitation mm = 857.2
|Jan precipitation days = 10.6
|Feb precipitation days = 9.0
|Mar precipitation days = 9.2
|Apr precipitation days = 10.0
|May precipitation days = 10.6
|Jun precipitation days = 8.5
|Jul precipitation days = 8.3
|Aug precipitation days = 8.0
|Sep precipitation days = 8.0
|Oct precipitation days = 10.5
|Nov precipitation days = 11.7
|Dec precipitation days = 12.6
|year precipitation days = 117.0
|Jan sun = 67.3
|Feb sun = 102.5
|Mar sun = 161.7
|Apr sun = 196.6
|May sun = 209.1
|Jun sun = 245.4
|Jul sun = 261.9
|Aug sun = 228.0
|Sep sun = 191.8
|Oct sun = 124.1
|Nov sun = 71.6
|Dec sun = 58.5
|year sun = 1918.4
|source 1= Météo France{{cite web
| url = http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/troyes/10030001/normales
| title = Données climatiques de la station de Troyes
| publisher = Meteo France
| language = fr
| access-date = 4 January 2016
| archive-date = 2 June 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190602063020/http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/troyes/10030001/normales
| url-status = dead
| url = http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/champagne-ardenne/regi21/normales
| title = Climat Champagne-Ardenne
| publisher = Meteo France
| language = fr
| access-date = 4 January 2016
| archive-date = 25 February 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180225073421/http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/champagne-ardenne/regi21/normales
| url-status = dead
}}
}}
Population
{{Historical populations
|align = none
|cols = 2
|percentages = pagr
|source = EHESS{{Cassini-Ehess|2040|Autun}} and INSEE (1968-2017)[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-71014#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE
|graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |7792
|1800 |9176
|1806 |9400
|1821 |9744
|1831 |9936
|1836 |10435
|1841 |11164
|1846 |11637
|1851 |11997
|1856 |11156
|1861 |11897
|1866 |12389
|1872 |11684
|1876 |12889
|1881 |14049
|1886 |14895
|1891 |15187
|1896 |15543
|1901 |15764
|1906 |15479
|1911 |15498
|1921 |13856
|1926 |14119
|1931 |14045
|1936 |14863
|1946 |14438
|1954 |14399
|1962 |15305
|1968 |18398
|1975 |21556
|1982 |20587
|1990 |17906
|1999 |16419
|2007 |15069
|2012 |14124
|2017 |13290
}}
Sights
The city boasts two ancient Roman gates (Porte Saint-André and Porte d'Arroux) and other ruins dating to the time of Augustus. One of the most impressive remains is that of the ancient theatre, which was one of the largest in the western part of the empire with a 17,000-seat capacity. To the northwest of the city is the so-called Temple of Janus, only two walls (faces) of which remain. To the southeast is the mysterious Pierre de Couhard, a rock pyramid of uncertain function which may date to Roman times.
File:Autun Pyramide de Couhard.jpg
Autun Cathedral, also known as Saint Lazare Cathedral, dates from the early twelfth century and is a major example of Romanesque architecture. It was formerly the chapel of the Dukes of Burgundy; their palace was the actual episcopal residence. The cathedral was originally built as a pilgrimage church for the veneration of the relic Saint Lazarus, mentioned in the Gospels, and considered the first bishop of Marseille, and who, always according to tradition, arrived in Provence with Mary Magdalen.
Image:Autun porte Saint-André.JPG
File:Autun Porte Arroux PA00113093 06 JPM.JPG
Autun's 12th-century bishop, Étienne de Bâgé, probably built the church in response to the construction of Ste. Madeleine at nearby Vézelay, home to the French cult of Mary Magdalene. St. Lazare was only later elevated to the rank of cathedral, replacing the former cathedral dedicated to St. Nazaire.Linda Seidel, Legends in limestone: Lazarus, Gislebertus, and the Cathedral of Autun (University of Chicago Press, 1999), p. 35 [https://books.google.com/books?id=hQdw2Pf6Vy0C&dq=%22No+rationale+for+the+church%27s+construction%22&pg=PA34 online.]
The Autun Cathedral is famous for its architectural sculpture, particularly the tympanum of The Last Judgment above the west portal, surviving fragments from the lost portal of the north transept, and the capitals in the nave and choir. All of these are traditionally considered the work of Gislebertus, whose name is on the west tympanum. It is uncertain whether Gislebertus is the name of the sculptor or of a patron. If Gislebertus is in fact the artist, he is one of very few medieval artists whose name is known.
Other notable connections
- Bishop and Saint Leodegar (c. 615 – 679)
- Nivelon I (d. 768) was known as Count of Autun
- In the late 9th century, Charles Martel's daughter (name listed as Auda, Alane, or Aldana) married Thierry IV (also called Theoderich or Theoderic), Count of Autun.
- In the late 9th century, the countship was vacant after the death of Robert the Strong, but was returned to Bernard Plantapilosa, son of Bernard of Septimania, and then later to Bernard of Gothia after Bernard fell out of favor.
- In 878, King Louis the Younger took the countship away and gave it to his chamberlain, Theodoric.
- Honorius Augustodunensis (died c. 1151)
- Barthélemy de Chasseneuz practiced law in Autun in 1506, became crown attorney of the Autun bailliage in 1508, where he made his reputation as a criminal lawyer by his eloquent defense of a group of rats who were put on trial for destroying the barley crop of the province.
- Nicolas Rolin, Chancellor of Burgundy under Philip the Good, came from Autun, where several examples of his artistic patronage can be seen. The Rolin Madonna, by Jan van Eyck, in the Louvre, shows what was probably at least intended as a view of Autun in the background.
- Autun is the main setting for James Salter's 1967 novel A Sport and a Pastime.
Sport
- The European Triathlon Championships were also held in the town in 2006.{{cn|date=February 2025}}
- The Fifth Stage of the 2007 Tour de France ended in the town, with the entrance to Autun being a twisting and winding route down from a nearby mountain.
Tourism
{{Main|Tourism in Saône-et-Loire}}
File:Kathedrale in Autun01.jpg
File:Bellerophon riding Pegasus and killing the Chimera, Roman mosaic, the Rolin Museum in Autun, France, 2nd to 3rd century AD.jpg riding Pegasus and slaying the Chimera, central medallion of a Roman mosaic from Autun, Musée Rolin, 2nd to 3rd century AD]]
Autun's best-known museum is the Musée Rolin. It houses historical artistic collections.
Near Autun, tourists can also see:
- The Arboretum de Pézanin, one of the richest forest collection in France
- The Rock of Solutré
- Cluny Abbey and its medieval city
- Charolles and the "boeuf charolais"
- Mâcon, Paray-le-Monial
Sister cities
Autun has sister city relationships with the following municipalities.
| class="wikitable" |
| City
! Country ! Year |
|---|
| Stevenage
| United Kingdom | 1975 |
| Ingelheim am Rhein
| Germany | |
| Kawagoe
| Japan |
| Arévalo
| Spain | 2005 |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- Westermann, Großer Atlas zur Weltgeschichte (in German)
External links
{{Commons}}
{{Wikisource1911Enc|Autun}}
- [http://www.autun.com/ Official website] {{in lang|fr}}
- [http://france-for-visitors.com/burgundy/morvan/autun.html Visiting Autun (tourist map and photos)]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070302181023/http://www.paradoxplace.com/Photo%20Pages/France/Burgundy%20Champagne/Autun/Autun.htm Adrian Fletcher's Paradoxplace – Autun Cathedral St-Lazare Photo Pages]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20180307113231/http://tsiaa.org.uk/ The Stevenage-Ingelheim-Autun Association]
{{Saône-et-Loire communes}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Archaeological sites in France
Category:Communes of Saône-et-Loire
Category:Romanesque architecture in Burgundy