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Another wonderful monument in Evreux, dept 27 of the Eure in the Normandie region of my belle France. I had this minimally mentioned in another post and decided to split the old post into the wonderful monuments you can see in this nice layback Norman town. Therefore, here is my brief take on the Clock tower or Belfry of Evreux.

The Clock Tower or the belfry located not far from the city/town hall of Évreux. Flamboyant Gothic style, the Clock Tower is 44 meters high, it houses a staircase of 140 steps and has undergone many changes, especially in the 19C. From its summit, signals were exchanged with the castle and there are traces of the presence of lookouts and small artillery.

From 1512, the Clock Tower was fortified and a wall connected it to the castle, relayed in 1590 by an underground  tunnel. From 1624 to the 19C, it served as a storage for powder, saltpetre and ammunition; thus, it marked the opening and closing times for a long time of the markets and, from 1803 to 1839, sounded not only the carillon, but also the knell in the event of death,  and the tocsin (a cord fixed to the Louyse was activated in the event of fire, the presence of enemies or for any another form of alert). In 1864, a judge declared that legal time in town was that of the municipal clock tower ,and not that of the cathedral or Saint-Taurin. In 1939, the tocsin was replaced by a siren.

Located on the banks of the Iton river, the source of life for ther city since  aAntiquity.  The Clock Tower is lit with different shades of blue, evoking water and its slight movements. If until then the Clock Tower was lit by 6 external projectors, located on the periphery of the monument, the majority of the light points are now placed on the structure, creating a warm light, as if the Clock Tower were inhabited and regained its original function of watchtower, protector of the city.

The city of Evreux on the clock tower : https://evreux.fr/decouvrir-evreux/monuments-evreux/la-tour-de-lhorloge-ou-le-beffroi/

The Evreux tourist office on its heritage : https://evreux.fr/decouvrir-evreux/monuments-evreux/

There you go folks, a dandy monument to visit and close to all the major attractions listed in my posts on Evreux. The Clock Tower or Belfry is worth the detour. Hope you enjoy the brief post on this wonderful monument.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

Another wonderful monument in Evreux, dept 27 of the Eure in the Normandie region of my belle France. I had this minimally mentioned in another post and decided to split the old post into the wonderful monuments you can see in this nice layback Norman town. Therefore, here is my brief take on the Legendre Theater of Evreux.

The Legendre Theater,located at 1 square Georges Brassens with a capacity of 330 seats, completely renovated turn-of-the-century Italian-style theater re-opened its doors in September 2019. After 13 years of restoration and extension work, the building built in 1903 in the Beaux-Arts style .The Legendre theater has the particularity of composing with the city/town hall which adjoins it a quality urban ensemble within a revitalized town center. Located on a large square formed by the city/town hall, the Media Library, the Maison des Arts and the Pavillon Fleuri, the theater is located in the heart of the Arts square of Évreux.

A bit of history I like tell us that there was an ancient theater, Located in the triangle formed by the current boulevards Jules-Janin and Pasteur and rue Lépouzé, the ancient theater was probably the oldest of the public buildings. A dedication to the Emperor Claudius found on the site made it possible to date it around 41 to 54 AD. Measuring approximately 90 meters long with a radius of 36 meters and able to accommodate 6,000 people, it consisted of a frons scaenae or stage wall, an arena and a cavea or tiers. It was abandoned after the barbarian invasions at the end of the 3C !

Later came the Joséphine’s theater In 1812, Joséphine de Beauharnais was exiled to Évreux after her repudiation by Napoleon I. The performance hall proves too popular to host the former empress, In February 1896, the municipal council decided to demolish the theater and organized an architectural competition. The only freedom left to the designers was the orientation of the entrance to the theatre: either towards Place de la Comédie (now Place Sarrail), or towards the Museum (now Square Georges Brassens). The Legendre Theater was inaugurated on June 9, 1903 , In 2013, the city of Evreux initiated a project management consultation for the restoration and extension of the Evreux Theater The reception hall, linking element between the extension south and the theater is covered by full-height glazed facades. The main access to the theater is at the level of the west facade of the entrance hall created by the ramp accessible from the square Georges Brassens. At the end of this major work campaign and after thirteen years of closure to the public, the renovated Legendre theater was inaugurated on June 18, 2019.  The name of the theater is after the architect who built the new theater Léon Legendre.

The city of Evreux on its theater : https://evreux.fr/sortir/culture/theatre/

The Evreux tourist office on its heritage ; https://evreux.fr/decouvrir-evreux/monuments-evreux/

There you go folks, a dandy monument to visit and close to all the major attractions listed in my posts on Evreux. The Théâtre Legendre is worth the detour. Hope you enjoy the brief post on this wonderful monument.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!

So let me bring you out west to the new Normandie, and the nice friendly city of Evreux in the department 27 of the Eure. I have written briefly on it and by passed the museum so therefore it is time to make up the omission. Let me update this post and split the others on Evreux and, tell you now a bit on the Musée d’Art, Histoire et Archéologie

The Évreux Art, History, and Archeology museum opened in 1961. It occupies the former Episcopal palace of Évreux, a late 15C building linked to Notre-Dame Cathedral (see post) by a cloister. By the old Roman walls of the city, before it was located in the Maison des Arts Solange-Baudoux, then transferred to the present location in 1961. It houses around 1,500 m2 of exhibition halls on four levels and periodically hosts temporary exhibitions. The fourth level of the museum, in the basement, was created in 1985 and exposed the foundations of the Gallo-Roman rampart, visible from the exhibition hall. This room is dedicated to Prehistory and Antiquity.

The Evreux museum of Art, History ,and Archeology  has rich collections that satisfy the most varied tastes and interests. Archeology is represented through the famous bronze statues of Jupiter and Apollo. In the basement unfolds the Gallo-Roman rampart (3rd century AD), a real heritage asset. The museum has a fine collection relating to the history of the bishopric (medieval and Renaissance sculpture and silversmithing) and presents its collection of decorative arts, furniture and painting (Flanders, Holland, Italy, France) in its 17C, 18C and 19C salons. The Évreux museum also has a large collection of works from the second half of the 20C with works by major artists such as Simon Hantaï, Zao Wou-Ki, Pierre Soulages, Hans Hartung in particular.  Each year, the museum presents 3 to 5 temporary exhibitions and participates in cultural events of national scope (European Heritage Days, Night of museums, etc.). Throughout the year, an activity program is developed to discover the richness of the collections.

As the presentation goes you go in by the archaeological room presenting the discoveries of the region, from Prehistory to the Gallo-Roman period. The bronze statue of Jupiter Stator, from the Gisacum site, is one of the most beautiful pieces in the collection. Several rooms are dedicated to the Middle Ages (miter of Jean de Marigny, episcopal ring of Jean de La Cour d’Aubergenville, statues). Several Aubusson tapestries (14C) are also on display.  The first floor brings together works from the 17-20C as well as a fine series of old watches. The second floor is devoted to 19C painting and sculpture (Flandrin, Boudin, Rodin, Gérôme), also paintings from masters of the 17-20C. Small but very nice museum worth the detour.

The city of Evreux on the museum : https://evreux.fr/sortir/culture/musee-evreux/

The museums of Normandy on the Evreux museum: https://www.musees-normandie.fr/musees-normandie/musee-d-art-histoire-archeologie-d-evreux/?lang=en

The Evreux tourist office on the museum: https://evreux.fr/sortir/culture/musee-evreux/

There you go another detour to do on the autoroute de Normandie A13 rather nice small museum worth the detour me think. The Évreux Art, History, and Archeology museum is nice, hope you like the post and visit the museum.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!