Saint-Brieuc (,

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally ** Breton people ** Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Ga ...

: ''Sant-Brieg'' ,

Gallo Gallo may refer to: *Related to Gaul: ** Gallo-Roman culture **Gallo language, a regional language of France **Gallo-Romance, a branch of Romance languages **Gallo-Italic or Gallo-Italian language, a branch spoken in Northern Italy of the Romance ...

: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the

Côtes-d'Armor The Côtes-d'Armor (, ; ; br, Aodoù-an-Arvor, ), formerly known as Côtes-du-Nord ( br, Aodoù-an-Hanternoz, link=no, ), are a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 600,582.

department in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

in northwestern France.

History

Saint-Brieuc is named after a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

monk

Brioc Saint Brioc ( Breton: ''Brieg''; cy, Briog; kw, Breock; french: Brieuc; died c. 502) was a 5th-century Welsh holy man who became the first abbot of Saint-Brieuc in Brittany. He is one of the seven founder saints of Brittany. Life Very lit ...

, who Christianised the region in the 6th century and established an oratory there. Bro Sant-Brieg/Pays de Saint-Brieuc, one of the nine traditional bishoprics of Brittany which were used as administrative areas before the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, was named after Saint-Brieuc. It also dates from the Middle Ages when the "pays de Saint Brieuc," or Penteur, was established by Duke Arthur II of Brittany as one of his eight "battles" or administrative regions.

Geography

Overview

The town is located by the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

, on the Bay of Saint-Brieuc. Two rivers flow through Saint-Brieuc: the Goued/

Gouët The Gouët ( br, Goued) is a French river, located in the department of Côtes-d'Armor, in the region of Brittany, which drains into the English Channel. Geography The river's source is found at the top of Kerchouan, a shale geological featu ...

and the Gouedig/ Gouédic. Other towns of notable size in the ''département'' of Côtes d'Armor are Gwengamp/

Guingamp Guingamp (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. With a population of 6,895 as of 2017, Guingamp is one of the smallest towns in Europe to have a top-tier professional football team: En Avant Gui ...

Dinan Dinan (; ) is a walled Breton town and a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in northwestern France. On 1 January 2018, the former commune of Léhon was merged into Dinan. Geography Its geographical setting is exceptional. Instead o ...

, and Lannuon/

Lannion Lannion ( ; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of Côtes-d'Armor, the capital of Trégor and the center of an urban area of almost 60,000 inhabitants. Climate Lannion ha ...

all ''sous-préfectures''. In 2009, large amounts of

sea lettuce The sea lettuces comprise the genus ''Ulva'', a group of edible green algae that is widely distributed along the coasts of the world's oceans. The type species within the genus ''Ulva'' is ''Ulva lactuca'', ''lactuca'' being Latin for "lettuc ...

, a type of algae, washed up on many beaches of Brittany, and when it rotted it emitted dangerous levels of hydrogen sulphide. A horse and some dogs died and a council worker driving a truckload of it fell unconscious at the wheel and died.

Neighboring communes

Langueux Langueux (; br, Langaeg) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Langueux are called ''langueusiens'' in French. See also *Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor department The f ...

La Méaugon La Méaugon (; ; Gallo: ''Laméaugon'') is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of La Méaugon are called ''méaugonnais'' in French. See also *Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor ...

Plérin Plérin (; ; Gallo: ''Plérein'') is a coastal commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. The Marché du Porc Breton, located in Plérin, is where the price of pork is set for retailers across France.

Ploufragan Ploufragan (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. Ploufragan lies adjacent to the southwest of Saint-Brieuc, the prefecture and largest city of Côtes-d'Armor. Population Inhabitants of Ploufrag ...

Trégueux Trégueux (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Trégueux are called ''trégueusiens'' in French. Breton language In 2008, 2.7% of primary school children attended bil ...

and

Trémuson Trémuson (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Trémuson are called ''trémusonnais'' in French. See also *Communes of the Côtes-d'Armor department The following ...

Climate

Saint-Brieuc experiences a

warm-summer Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

Culture

Saint-Brieuc is one of the towns in Europe that host the IU Honors Program. The ''Cemetery of Saint Michel'' contains graves of several notable Bretons, and sculptures by Paul le Goff and Jean Boucher. Outside the wall is

Armel Beaufils Émile Jean Armel-Beaufils was a French sculptor born in Rennes in 1882 and who died in Saint-Briac in 1952. Biography Émile Jean Armel-Beaufils started his schooling in Fougères then at a lycée in Rennes. He studied law and then literature ...

's statue of

Anatole Le Braz Anatole le Braz, the "Bard of Brittany" (2 April 1859 – 20 March 1926), was a Breton poet, folklore collector and translator. He was highly regarded amongst both European and American scholars, and known for his warmth and charm. Biography Le B ...

. Le Goff, who was killed with his two brothers in World War I, is also commemorated in a street and with his major sculptural work ''La forme se dégageant de la matière'' in the central gardens, which also includes a memorial to him by

Jules-Charles Le Bozec Jules-Charles Le Bozec (1898–1973) was a French sculptor, whose work reflects a commitment to the local design traditions of his native province of Brittany. Biography Le Bozec was born in Saint-Mayeux, Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany. He was appren ...

and work by Francis Renaud. The town of St. Brieux in Saskatchewan, Canada is named after Saint-Brieuc of Brittany. It was founded by immigrants from this region in Brittany. It was settled in the early 1900s.

Demographics

Inhabitants of Saint-Brieuc are called ''Briochins'' in French.

Breton language

In 2008, 3.98% of primary school children attended bilingual schools. ''Ofis ar Brezhoneg''
''Enseignement bilingue''
/ref>

Transport

The Saint-Brieuc railway station, situated on the

Paris–Brest railway The railway from Paris to Brest is a 622-kilometre long railway line in France that connects Paris and the western port city Brest, via Le Mans and Rennes. It is used for passenger (express, regional and suburban) and freight traffic. The railwa ...

, is connected by

TGV Atlantique The TGV Atlantique (TGV-A) is a class of high-speed trains used in France by SNCF; they were built by Alstom between 1988 and 1992, and were the second generation of TGV trains, following on from the TGV Sud-Est. 105 bi-current sets, numbered ...

to Paris Montparnasse station, journey time is about 3 hours. There are no scheduled air services from Saint-Brieuc – Armor Airport.

Personalities

Saint-Brieuc is hometown of many personalities: * Octave-Louis Aubert (1870–1950), editor *

Maryvonne Dupureur Maryvonne Samson Dupureur (24 May 1937 – 7 January 2008) was a French middle-distance runner. Competing in the 800 m event she won silver medals at the 1964 Olympics and 1967 European Indoor Games; she also took part in the 1960 and 1968 Olym ...

(1937–2008), athlete, Olympic 800m silver medallist *

Émile Durand Émile Durand (; 16 February 18307 May 1903) was a French musical theorist, teacher and composer. He was better known for his theoretical writings than for his compositions. Biography Émile Durand was born in 1830, at Saint-Brieuc, Côtes-d' ...

(1830–1903), music theorist and teacher *

Léonard Charner Léonard Victor Joseph Charner (13 February 1797 – 7 February 1869) was an Admiral of the French Navy. Early career (1797–1837) Léonard Victor Joseph Charner was born on 13 February 1797 in Saint-Brieuc, Brittany. He became a cadet at the ...

(1797–1869), senator and

Admiral of France Admiral of France (french: Amiral de France) is a French title of honour. It is the naval equivalent of Marshal of France and was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. History The title was created in 1270 by Louis IX of France, dur ...

* Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (1838–1889), symbolist writer * Louis Auguste Harel de La Noë (1852–1931), engineer *

Célestin Bouglé Célestin Charles Alfred Bouglé (1 June 1870 – 25 January 1940) was a French philosopher known for his role as one of Émile Durkheim's collaborators and a member of the '' L'Année Sociologique''. Life Bouglé was born in Saint-Brieuc, C ...

(1870–1940), philosopher *

Louis Guilloux Louis Guilloux (15 January 1899 – 14 October 1980) was a French writer born in Saint-Brieuc, Brittany, where he lived throughout his life. He is known for his Social Realist novels describing working class life and political struggles in the mi ...

(1899–1980), writer * Henri Nomy (1899–1971), admiral *

Patrick Dewaere Patrick Dewaere (26 January 1947 – 16 July 1982) was a French film actor. Born in Saint-Brieuc, Côtes-d'Armor, he was the son of French actress Mado Maurin. Actor from a young age, his career lasted more than 21 years, until his suicide in ...

(1947–1982), actor *

Kévin Théophile-Catherine Kévin Théophile-Catherine (born 28 October 1989) is a French professional footballer who plays as a defender for SuperSport HNL club Dinamo Zagreb. Career Stade Rennais Théophile-Catherine was born in Saint-Brieuc, Brittany to a Martiniqu ...

(born 1989), footballer *

Louis Rossel Louis-Nathaniel Rossel (9 September 1844 28 November 1871) was a French army officer and a politician. On 19 March 1871, he became the only senior French officer to join up with the Paris Commune, playing an important role as Minister of Wa ...

(1844–1871) - Army officer and

Communard The Communards () were members and supporters of the short-lived 1871 Paris Commune formed in the wake of the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After the suppression of the Commune by the French Army in May 1871, 43,000 Communards ...

Florent Du Bois de Villerabel Florent Michel Marie Joseph du Bois de La Villerabel (29 September 1877 in St. Brieuc – 7 February 1951 in St. Brieuc), archbishop of Aix, Arles and Embrun (1940–1944), was the most prominent of seven French mainland or colonial bishops who i ...

(1877-1951), archbishop forced to resign after France's liberation in World War II *

Mamadou Wagué Mamadou Wagué (born 19 August 1990) is a French football (soccer), footballer who plays for Zakho SC as a Defender (football), defender. Career Mamadou can play as either a defender or a Holding midfielder#Defensive midfielder, holding midfiel ...

(born 1990), footballer *

Raymond Hains Raymond Hains (9 November 1926 – 28 October 2005) was a prominent French visual artist and a founder of the Nouveau réalisme movement. In 1960, he signed, along with Arman, François Dufrêne, Yves Klein, Jean Tinguely, Jacques Ville ...

(1926–2005), artist *

Anaclet Wamba Anaclet Wamba (born January 6, 1960) is a Congolese-French former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1994. He held the WBC Cruiserweight title from 1990 until 1994. Amateur career Wamba had a notable amateur career. He represented t ...

(1960–),

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

Yelle Yelle is a French band founded by lead singer and namesake Yelle (Julie Budet) and GrandMarnier (Jean-François Perrier). A third member, Tepr (Tanguy Destable), joined the band before the recording of their debut album. Yelle and GrandMarnier b ...

(Julie Budet) (1983–present), musician * Roland Fichet (1950–present), Author, Philosopher * Nathan Saliou, Gardener

International relations

Saint-Brieuc ''préfecture'' of the

is twinned with : * Aberystwyth, Wales * Agia Paraskevi, Greece *

Alsdorf Alsdorf () is a municipality in the district of Aachen, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Until the 21st century Alsdorf was a mining area, but now many service companies have established themselves in Alsdorf. Alsdorf has an indoor arena, ...

, Germany * Goražde, Bosnia and Herzegovina

References

External links

City council website

saint-brieuc.maville

Saint-Brieuc Tourism
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saintbrieuc Communes of Côtes-d'Armor Prefectures in France