Bourg-en-Bresse is located at the western base of theJura Mountains, on the left bank of theReyssouze, a tributary of theSaône. It lies 70 kilometres (43 mi) northeast ofLyon and 50 kilometres (31 mi) south-southwest ofLons-le-Saunier.
Roman remains have been discovered at Bourg, but little is known of its early history. It was probably pillaged byGoths inLate Antiquity. Raised to the rank of a free town in 1250, it was at the beginning of the 15th century the capital of the dukes ofSavoy in the province of Bresse. In February 1535 it was conquered by France during a full-scale invasion of Savoy, but was restored toDuke Philibert Emmanuel in 1559, when he marriedHenri II's sister Marguerite. The duke later built a strong citadel, which afterwards withstood a six-months'siege by the soldiers ofHenry IV during theFranco-Savoyard War of 1600–1601. The town was finally ceded to France in 1601. In 1814, the inhabitants, in spite of the defenseless condition of their town, offered resistance to the Austrians, who put the place to pillage.[4]
Hôtel-Dieu de Bourg-en-BresseThéâtre de Bourg-en-Bresse
Bourg-en-Bresse Cathedral, also known as the church of Notre-Dame (Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation de Bourg-en-Bresse), which dates back to the 16th century, has a façade built in theRenaissance; other parts of the church areGothic. In the interior there are stalls of the 16th century.
The other public buildings, including a handsome prefecture, are modern. TheHôtel de Ville (town hall) contains a library and the Lorin Museum with a collection of pictures, while another museum has a collection of old costumes and ornaments characteristic of Bresse. Among the statues in the town there is one of historianEdgar Quinet, a native of Bourg-en-Bresse.[4]
Stalls in the Church of Brou, albumen print,c. 1865–1886Interior of the Church of Brou
The exterior, especially thefaçade, is richly ornamented, but the chief interest lies in the works of art in the interior, which date from 1532. The most important are the three mausoleums with the marble effigies of Marguerite of Bourbon, Philibert le Beau and Margaret of Austria. All three are remarkable for perfection of sculpture and richness of ornamentation. The rood loft, the oak stalls and thereredos in the chapel of the Virgin are masterpieces in a similar style.[4] The monastery has three cloisters from the early 16th century. The church and the cloisters arelisted monuments.[8]
In the early 20th century, the city manufactured iron goods, mineral waters, tallow, soap and earthenware. There wereflour mills andbreweries; there is considerable trade in grain, cattle and poultry.[4]
Bourg is the prefecture of the department and the location of acourt of assizes; it has atribunal of first instance, a tribunal and a chamber of commerce, as well as a local branch of theBank of France.
Bourg-en-Bresse was the finish of Stage 6 and the departure of Stage 7 in the2007 Tour de France.
^ab"Répertoire national des élus: les maires".data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved11 December 2020.
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