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Pont Canal spans the Garonne river in Agen. This water bridge, part of
the Channel of the Two Seas, has 23 arches and is the second longest
channel-bridge in France. |
Each year, we make our annual pilgrimage to Agen, the capital of the Lot-et-Garonne, to apply for our visa renewal. The process gets simpler each year; the people at the
bureau des étrangers are so nice and seem to remember us from year-to-year. This time, nous profitons de l'ensolleillment and explore the city before meeting some friends for an Indian lunch.
Agen (pop. 34,000) has its origin in pre-Roman times when the people living there, the Nitiobroges, called their home Aginnum. Several invasions ensued, and starting in the 11th century, Agen fell under the reign of the Dukedom of Aquitaine. The region then spent 300 years going back and forth between French and English control. The city was swept up in accusations of heresey and stake-burning; the last Cathar bishop was one notable victim.
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| Mosaïque Gallo-Roman in Agen |
Agen's most famous resident was Nostradamus, who moved there in 1531 to practice medicine. During the Wars of Religion, Agen was a loyal Catholic stronghold. Beginning in the late 1600s, Agen prospers because of its location on the Garonne river and the Canal du Midi.
Much of Agen's prosperity is found in prunes; sailors crossing back and forth between Europe and the New World ate the dried plums to avoid scruvy. Pruneau d'Agen eventually became the city's emblem and remains an important commodity in this rural city.
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| The house that prunes built |
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Arcade in Corniïres neighborhood, once Agen's commercial center and
still bustling with shops and restaurants |
Today, Agen has more than 30 historical buildings and monuments. Musée des Beaux Arts is a complex of four former 15th- and 16th-century mansions. Next door is Théâtre Doucourneau, a beautiful stone building. And Agen's Hôtel de Ville is located just across Place du Esquirol.
