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Montauban
Photo
: P. Ploquin et F. Peuriot
| The
pinkest of pink cities, Montauban is home to the Tarn and
Garonne prefecture, as well as 53 000 inhabitants. The town
was built in 1144 by Alphonse Jourdain in a symmetrical
pattern around a central square: la Place Nationale (previously
Place Royale). This was a century before walled towns (bastides)
became much more common. In order to best discover Montauban
it is necessary to approach via the Pont Vieux (the old
bridge) built in the 14th century for Philippe le Bel. This
bridge leads to the old Palais Episcopal -built shortly
afterwards by Edward, Prince of Wales (also known as the
Prince Noir - the Black Prince). This building today houses
the Ingres Musuem.
After Saint Bartholomew the town became one of three
capitals of Protestant France. Beseiged by Louis XIII in
1621, the town held out for 86 days until the King and his
soldiers withdrew. |
Photo
: B. Chiavassa
‘400
shots’ and ‘Montauban cannonballs’
With
the intention of frightening the brave soldiers into submission,
Louis XIII ordered 400 cannons to be fired simultaneously
against the city. Unmoved, the soldiers continued to hold
out, but before long supplies of iron for the manufacture
of cannonballs ran low. However, Jacques Dupuys, charged with
the town’s defense, noticed the sugar loaves in the kitchens
and, melting the sugar down, ordered it to be poured into
the cannonball moulds. In this way hundreds of black balls
were produced during the night of 17/18 November 1621, just
before the agreed dawn surrender.
During
the night, the sugar cannonballs were piled high on the Montauban
ramparts, and in the morning Louis XIII could not believe
his eyes. Dismayed by the sight he decided to break camp and
leave, cursing the ‘Montauban cannonballs’. |
Photo
: P. Ploquin et F. Peuriot |
The
famous Montauban painter Jean Auguste Dominique INGRES
The most well-known
native of Montauban is without doubt Jean Auguste Dominique
INGRES, born in 1780. A pupil of David, and opposed to the
Romanticism of Delacroix, he brought new ideas to the art
of portrait painting, female nudes and landscapes. The Ingres
museum is housed in the old episcopal palace built in 1664
on the site of an old fortress by the King of England’s
son the Prince Noir (Black Prince) during the Hundred Year
War.
It is possible to visit the old underground Guard
room, or the Prince Noir’s room dating from the 14th century.
The ground floor is mainly devoted to the scupltures of
Bourdelle, one of Rodin’s pupils, whereas the first-floor
houses many of Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres’ paintings.
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Montauban:
prototype des bastides
(walled towns)
A
well-structured regular layout and the presence
of a hall or covered square are the most common architectural
attributes of a walled town. After the construction of Montauban
in 1144, considered a prototype for other walled towns,
the trend spread throughout Tarn and Garonne, recording
nine centuries of art and history. Among the most noteworthy
are: Beaumont de Lomagne (1276), Réalville (1304), Montjoi
(1268), Castelsagrat (1269), Saint Antonin Noble Val, Bruniquel
et Montpezat de Quercy. |
Photo
: P. Ploquin et F. Peuriot |
Photo
: P. Ploquin et F. Peuriot |
Montauban:
festival town
A
town heavily involved with many cultural activities, Montauban
hosts:
- a jazz festival
from 15-25 July 1999 ( in tribute to Hugues Panassier)
- a music festival
from 11-15 May 1999 (Alors Chante)
- a large fair
with many attractions and rides in September: ‘la fête
des 400 coups’
Montauban
also boasts the largest rose garden in France, sited in
Chambord park. The Francois Mitterand rose garden hosts
100 000 plants of 900 different varieties.
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The town of Montauban
is twinned with the town of Pawhuska
in Oklahoma, America,
home of the Osage Indians.
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