La Flèche
Encyclopedia
La Flèche is a municipality
located in the French department of Sarthe
and the region of Pays de la Loire
in the Loire
Valley. This is the sub-prefecture of the South-Sarthe, the chief district and the chief city of a canton. This is the second most populous city of the department. The city is part of the Community of communes of the Pays La Flèche. The inhabitants of the town are called the La Flèchois. It is classified as a country of art and history.
The Prytanée National Militaire
is located in La Flèche.
The location of La Flèche-(Distances in kilometers by road and Great circle route)
In the Middle Ages, La Flèche was a parish of the Diocese of Angers and as such formed an integral part of the province of Anjou and more specifically the Upper Anjou, also called Maine Angevine.
In 1343, salt became a state monopoly by order of King Philip VI of Valois
, who established the Gabelle, the tax on salt. The Anjou was among the regions of "high salt tax" and contained sixteen special tribunals or "salt warehouses", including La Fleche.
La Flèche was at the head of angevine seneschalship under the Old Regime: the Seneschal of La Flèche, was dependent on the principal Seneschal of Angers.
In 1603, Guillaume Fouquet de la Varenne
, lord of La Flèche and then Sainte-Suzanne (Mayenne) and Angers, and a friend of Henry IV of France
, contributed to the enhancement and diversification of functions of the angevine city. Henry IV founded a college in which management was entrusted to the Jesuits. They were expelled in 1762 and the college became a "cadet school" in 1764, a pre-military academy of Paris.
Also in the seventeenth century, La Flèche, under the leadership of Jérôme le Royer de la Dauversière
, was involved in the founding of Montreal
, Quebec
.
In 1790, during the creation of the French departments, the entire northeastern part of the Anjou region, including La Fleche, Le Lude and Château-du-Loir, was attached to the new department of Sarthe
.
On December 8, 1793, during the War in the Vendée, the city was stormed by the Vendéens at the battle of La Flèche.
In 1808, Napoleon built the military academy.
In 1866, the town of Sainte-Colombe was integrated with La Flèche.
On 1 January 1965, La Flèche absorbed the communes of Saint-Germain-du-Val and Verron.
La Flèche and the Loire Valley have been certified Cities and Regions of Art and History since 2006.
The Parc des Carmes in La Flèche has improved the quality of its flowers as part of the town's participation in French Villages and Towns in Bloom rankings, attaining a three flower rating since 1997.
The quality of garbage collection in the communes of the La Flèche region has been recognized through the 2007 Qualitri label, a label of the ADEME, which is a first in Sarthe. The city has also put into service municipal vehicles running natural gas.
Since July 2008, La Fleche, in partnership with the town of Cre
, has a regional nature reserve, the first in the Sarthe. This preserves the alluvial marsh area and varied biodiversity present on the reserve that extends over 65 hectares.
Parc des Carmes, situated at the foot of the town hall, next to the old gardens of the chateau of Fouquet de la Varenne, allows you to roam and discover a few animals as well as an aviary. This park has some remarkable trees, including Araucaria
and a young Ginkgo biloba ("the thousand crowns tree"). Also a path from the park to the lakes of Monnerie, along the Loire, under the shade of the trees.
The print tradition is still alive in La Flèche with the factory Brodard and Taupin (group CPI), a leading European manufacturer of paperback books.
Demographic progression from 1793 to 2006
The "black chicken", from the townships of La Flèche and Malicorne-sur-Sarthe is known for its fine flesh, and once made the reputation of La Flèche.
Macaroons with lemon, violet or rose, the "Prytanéens" chocolate-flavored nougat with crushed praline, so named in reference to Prytanée National Militaaire, or the "Fiches" small confectionery form of piles to dark chocolate, chocolate orange and finely crushed nougat.
Jasnières 6 wine is produced with the Chenin blanc
on the slopes of the Loire and Anjou and accompanies the tasting of potted meat or refined goat. refined.
(Germany),: Obernkirchen (9744 inhab.) Since 1968. Chippenham
(England) (28,065 inh.) Since 1982. Markala
(Mali) (approximately 56 644 inhabitants). Zlotow
(Poland) (approximately 18 468 inhabitants). St. Lambert
(Canada) (pop. 21,772).
It is an institution created by King Henry IV in 1603 in a large family house he inherited from his grandmother, the Duchess of Alençon and that now houses, within its walls, one of six military schools of France (officially called "schools of the defense" since 2006). This monument, which has become an historical monument, is set in a framework of classical architecture and presented in the form of three successive courtyards dominated by the imposing stature of the Church of St. Louis (1607). The work followed a plan developed by Louis Métezeau with courtyards in a row, roughly the same size. A Masterpiece of Stephen Martellange, the work was completed in 1655 by the construction of the gate of honour with the pediment, the bust of Henri IV. When visiting the building, the gate of honor, the various courts, the French garden, library, and especially the Church of St. Louis that command attention. It was soon the most powerful college in the kingdom.
Created in 1946 by Jacques Bouillault, a naturalist, it is the oldest private park in France. It includes 1,200 animals of 150 species on 14 hectares. This is the premiere tourist destination of the department of Sarthe, with over 300,000 entries per year. The zoo participates in the European Endangered Species Programme(EEP) since 1989. Many new exhibits are added every year. In 2008 the zoo showed the extremely rare white lions of Kruger, of which there are only 200 specimens in the world (White Lion).
The site of the Monnerie is a mosaic of lakes and meadows situated in a bend of the Loire is a rich biodiversity. Many animal and plant species coexist in these places: herons, reed warbler, coot, hare, ermine, green frog, frog, dragonfly depressed, snail, reed, iris, water crowfoot, plantain water all make this site a popular place for walkers and naturalists. The preservation of these wetlands helps maintain biodiversity. The lakes are the result of the operation of a gravel pit, and wet meadows and, each winter, over thirty species migratory (eg greylag goose, pochard, teal etc ...) find shelter and cover here.
Closed to the public since 1947, it was restored to "authenticity" in 1998 and was recently renamed as the site of the Corn Exchange. This was rewarded in 2000 by the Rubans du Patrimoine.
In 1839, added to the first floor, was a small Italian theater. The architect who drew up the plans for the "little theater" was called Pierre-Félix Delarue. The latter is no stranger to La Flèche. He, indeed, was the author of many castles in the region in the second half of the nineteenth century. This is best known building of La Flèche that he has achieved in the sub-prefecture. The decoration of the room and its dome is due to Adrien-Louis Lusson, an architect and designer, born in La Fleche in August 4, 1788. He entrusted carrying out the work to decorative painters for the Royal Academy of Music. This theater has retained much of its original decor, except for the paintings of the false dome, redesigned in 1923.
Since March 1999, performances in the cultural season are scheduled by the Entertainment and Arts Carroi. This rare Italian-French drama of the first half of the nineteenth century is open to public tours during the Heritage Days and the summer season. For groups, the tourist office of the La Flèche Region organizes tours.
Jérôme Le Royer, lord of La Dauversière, installed in 1636 the first sisters in the hospital "Maison Dieu" of La Flèche. In 1641, he entrusted the task to Jeanne Mance to build a hospital in New France, in Ville-Marie. In 1659, she returned to France with the first three sister carers for Ville-Marie. A century and a half later, during the French Revolution, the nuns were expelled from La Flèche. The place was then converted into police station, court and prison. The staircase of the Hotel Dieu was walled and forgotten. Only during the demolition and restoration of the old prison in 1953, was the oak staircase rediscovered. The town of La Flèche offered it to Montreal as a symbol of the long alliance between the two cities. Over 300 years after the arrival of the sisters in Montreal, the staircase resides in the museum of the Hospitallers of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montreal, where it sits in the lobby. The Hotel-Dieu itself is no longer visible today, separated from the former police station having been turned into housing, and the present court. The old prisons disappeared as they were subsumed into it.
The unhealthy state of the prisons was denounced August 7, 1807 by Mr. Rock Desperrés, a board member, who was concerned about the detention conditions of detainees. Half a century later, the prisoners were again entitled to complain as they were deprived of water because of the erection of the statue of Henri IV, in Pillory Square, which had involved the removal of the water pipe . But no one passed the budget at the town hall and the prisoners remained in this state for several years.
On May 30, 1933, a presidential decree abolished 14 prisons including that of La Flèche. On June 16 of that year, prisoners were transferred to Le Mans. Between 1937 and 1939, during the Spanish Civil War, the old prison was occupied at various times by Spanish refugees (men, women and children).
World War II led to the reopening of the prison La Flèche in which were interred, political prisoners. The prison was finally abolished in 1953. The door of the priory, in the middle of the dead end street, Saint-Thomas, was removed in early 1958.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
located in the French department of Sarthe
Sarthe
Sarthe is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.- History :The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22, 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine which was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and...
and the region of Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire is one of the 27 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" ¹...
in the Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
Valley. This is the sub-prefecture of the South-Sarthe, the chief district and the chief city of a canton. This is the second most populous city of the department. The city is part of the Community of communes of the Pays La Flèche. The inhabitants of the town are called the La Flèchois. It is classified as a country of art and history.
The Prytanée National Militaire
Prytanée National Militaire
The Prytanée National Militaire, originally Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand, is a French school managed by the military, offering regular secondary education as well as special preparatory school classes, equivalent in level to the first years of university, for students who wish to enter French...
is located in La Flèche.
Geography
La Flèche is located on the Loire. La Flèche is also placed on the Greenwich meridian. It is located halfway between Le Mans (45 km) and Angers.Neighboring municipalities
- Bazouges-sur-le-LoirBazouges-sur-le-LoirBazouges-sur-le-Loir is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in north-western France.-References:*...
- CrosmièresCrosmièresCrosmières is a commune in the Sarthe department in the Pays de la Loire region in north-western France.-References:*...
- Villaines-by-Malice
- BousseBousseBousse or Boussé may refer to:* Boussé, a town in Kourwéogo, Burkina Faso* Bousse, Moselle, a commune in the Moselle département, France* Bousse, Sarthe, a commune in the Sarthe département, France...
- Clermont-Créan
- Mareil-sur-LoirMareil-sur-LoirMareil-sur-Loir is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in north-western France.-References:*...
- Thorée-les-PinsThorée-les-PinsThorée-les-Pins is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays-de-la-Loire in north-western France.-References:*...
- VaulandryVaulandryVaulandry is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France....
(Maine-et-Loire) - KeysKEYSKEYS is a radio station serving the Corpus Christi, Texas area with a sports format. It broadcasts on AM frequency 1440 kHz and is licensed to Malkan AM Associates, L.P.-History:...
(Maine-et-Loire) - Saint-Quentin-les-BeaurepaireSaint-Quentin-lès-BeaurepaireSaint-Quentin-lès-Beaurepaire is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.-References:*...
(Maine-et-Loire) - CreCREAs an acronym, CRE may refer to:*Center for Regulatory Effectiveness, a US lobbying firm*Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae*Chemical Reaction Engineering*Commission for Racial Equality, a body handling racial equality in United Kingdom...
History
The origin of the name La Flèche is uncertain. Historian Jacques Termeau, in La Flèche Book No. 9, p. 5-11, has documented several hypotheses which most likely are related to the ancient Latin name Fixa meaning "stuck", that is to say "rock stuck in the ground". In fact La Flèche was a city situated on the border of Maine and Anjou. An ancient megalith boundary would have given this the name Fixa that can be found in early manuscripts in full as Fixa andegavorum, often translated later as La Flèche in Anjou, but strictly meant the boundary of Anjou.In the Middle Ages, La Flèche was a parish of the Diocese of Angers and as such formed an integral part of the province of Anjou and more specifically the Upper Anjou, also called Maine Angevine.
In 1343, salt became a state monopoly by order of King Philip VI of Valois
Philip VI of France
Philip VI , known as the Fortunate and of Valois, was the King of France from 1328 to his death. He was also Count of Anjou, Maine, and Valois from 1325 to 1328...
, who established the Gabelle, the tax on salt. The Anjou was among the regions of "high salt tax" and contained sixteen special tribunals or "salt warehouses", including La Fleche.
La Flèche was at the head of angevine seneschalship under the Old Regime: the Seneschal of La Flèche, was dependent on the principal Seneschal of Angers.
In 1603, Guillaume Fouquet de la Varenne
Guillaume Fouquet de la Varenne
Guillaume Fouquet de la Varenne was a French chef who rose from the kitchen to become an important statesman in the service of Henry IV.-Heraldry: : description donnée par René II Fouquet de la Varenne en 1680 Guillaume Fouquet de la Varenne (born La Flèche, 1560 – 7 December 1616) was a French...
, lord of La Flèche and then Sainte-Suzanne (Mayenne) and Angers, and a friend of Henry IV of France
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
, contributed to the enhancement and diversification of functions of the angevine city. Henry IV founded a college in which management was entrusted to the Jesuits. They were expelled in 1762 and the college became a "cadet school" in 1764, a pre-military academy of Paris.
Also in the seventeenth century, La Flèche, under the leadership of Jérôme le Royer de la Dauversière
Jerome le Royer de la Dauversiere
Jérôme le Royer de la Dauversière was a Jesuit who was head of the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal.- Youth :...
, was involved in the founding of Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
.
In 1790, during the creation of the French departments, the entire northeastern part of the Anjou region, including La Fleche, Le Lude and Château-du-Loir, was attached to the new department of Sarthe
Sarthe
Sarthe is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.- History :The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22, 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine which was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and...
.
On December 8, 1793, during the War in the Vendée, the city was stormed by the Vendéens at the battle of La Flèche.
In 1808, Napoleon built the military academy.
In 1866, the town of Sainte-Colombe was integrated with La Flèche.
On 1 January 1965, La Flèche absorbed the communes of Saint-Germain-du-Val and Verron.
Coat of Arms
Gules, an arrow in pale, the point upwards between two towers argent, a chief azure, three fleurs de lis or.Urban environment and green spaces
The Parc des Carmes in La Flèche has improved the quality of its flowers as part of the town's participation in French Villages and Towns in Bloom rankings, attaining a three flower rating since 1997.
The quality of garbage collection in the communes of the La Flèche region has been recognized through the 2007 Qualitri label, a label of the ADEME, which is a first in Sarthe. The city has also put into service municipal vehicles running natural gas.
Since July 2008, La Fleche, in partnership with the town of Cre
CRE
As an acronym, CRE may refer to:*Center for Regulatory Effectiveness, a US lobbying firm*Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae*Chemical Reaction Engineering*Commission for Racial Equality, a body handling racial equality in United Kingdom...
, has a regional nature reserve, the first in the Sarthe. This preserves the alluvial marsh area and varied biodiversity present on the reserve that extends over 65 hectares.
Parc des Carmes, situated at the foot of the town hall, next to the old gardens of the chateau of Fouquet de la Varenne, allows you to roam and discover a few animals as well as an aviary. This park has some remarkable trees, including Araucaria
Araucaria
Araucaria is a genus of evergreen coniferous trees in the family Araucariaceae. There are 19 extant species in the genus, with a highly disjunct distribution in New Caledonia , Norfolk Island, eastern Australia, New Guinea, Argentina, Chile, and southern Brazil.-Description:Araucaria are mainly...
and a young Ginkgo biloba ("the thousand crowns tree"). Also a path from the park to the lakes of Monnerie, along the Loire, under the shade of the trees.
Economy
The La Flèche economy is organized as follows:- 65% of commercial,
- 22% in industry,
- 7% in construction,
- 6% in agriculture.
The print tradition is still alive in La Flèche with the factory Brodard and Taupin (group CPI), a leading European manufacturer of paperback books.
Demographics
| 1793 | 1800 | 1806 | 1821 | 1831 | 1836 | 1841 | 1846 | 1851 |
| 4897 | 5099 | 5098 | 5387 | 6421 | 6440 | 7009 | 6831 | 7048 |
| 1856 | 1861 | 1866 | 1872 | 1876 | 1881 | 1886 | 1891 | 1896 |
| 7147 | 7077 | 9292 | 9341 | 9405 | 9424 | 9841 | 10249 | 10477 |
| 1901 | 1906 | 1911 | 1921 | 1926 | 1931 | 1936 | 1946 | 1954 |
| 10519 | 10663 | 10830 | 9522 | 9842 | 10115 | 10101 | 11293 | 11275 |
| 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2008 | ||
| 11092 | 13768 | 14516 | 14752 | 14953 | 15241 | 15359 | ||
- La Flèche is the 582nd most populous commune in FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(of which there are over ).
Local Gastronomy
Macaroons with lemon, violet or rose, the "Prytanéens" chocolate-flavored nougat with crushed praline, so named in reference to Prytanée National Militaaire, or the "Fiches" small confectionery form of piles to dark chocolate, chocolate orange and finely crushed nougat.
Jasnières 6 wine is produced with the Chenin blanc
Chenin Blanc
Chenin blanc , is a white wine grape variety from the Loire valley of France. Its high acidity means it can be used to make everything from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines, although it can produce very bland, neutral wines if the vine's natural vigor is not controlled...
on the slopes of the Loire and Anjou and accompanies the tasting of potted meat or refined goat. refined.
Notable people connected with the city
- Jean PicardJean PicardJean-Felix Picard was a French astronomer and priest born in La Flèche, where he studied at the Jesuit Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand. He was the first person to measure the size of the Earth to a reasonable degree of accuracy in a survey conducted in 1669–70, for which he is honored with a...
or "Father Picard" (July 21, 1620 - July 12, 1682), astronomer and priest. - Baif Lazarus (1496 - 1547): diplomat, priest, poet and humanist.
- Jacques Bouillault: naturalist and founder of La Flèche Zoo in 1946.
- Jean de Beaugency: first lord of La Flèche.
- Jérôme Le Royer, Sieur de La Dauversière (1597 - 1659): man behind the departure of the settlers for the foundation of a city on the island of Montreal, "Ville Marie" has since become Montreal.
- Jean-Baptiste LemireJean-Baptiste LemireJean-Baptiste Lemire was a French composer.- Biography :Jean-Baptiste Lemire was born in Colmar, Haut-Rhin. He was the son of Jean-Baptiste , a mason, and Anne-Marie Sarter , a dressmaker...
(1867 - 1945), composer and conductor buried at La Flèche. - Leo DelibesLéo DelibesClément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French composer of ballets, operas, and other works for the stage...
composer, author of Lakmé and Coppélia. - Felix John Bayle (1843 - 1920), lecturer at the National Prytanée military schools in the city, it restores and manages the town band. Composer, he wrote such a "cantata Leo Delibes' and many operas.
- René DescartesRené DescartesRené Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
(1596 - 1650): Students of the Royal College Henri IV. - Jean-Baptiste Cresset (1709 - 1777), poet and satirist, professor at the College Henri IV. He left the Jesuits later.
- Louis-Adrien LussonLouis-Adrien LussonLouis-Adrien Lusson was a French architect. His projects in Paris include the churches of Saint Eugene at 6 rue Sainte-Cécile, 9th arrondissement , and Saint-François Xavier des Missions étrangères ....
, architect, designer, born in La Fleche August 4, 1788, he created and manages the implementation of paintings of the dome of the Little Theatre, which he entrusted to the painters of the Royal Academy of Music. - David HumeDavid HumeDavid Hume was a Scottish philosopher, historian, economist, and essayist, known especially for his philosophical empiricism and skepticism. He was one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and the Scottish Enlightenment...
(1711 - 1776), British philosopher. He wrote in 1737 in La Fleche his Treatise of human nature. - Mary Pope-Carpantier (1815 - 1878): organizer of the first kindergartens.
- Joseph GallieniJoseph GallieniJoseph Simon Gallieni was a French soldier, most active as a military commander and administrator in the French colonies and finished his career during the First World War. He was made Marshal of France posthumously in 1921...
, General of the First World War, a student at Prytanée. - Pierre-Félix Delarue, architect of the Little Theatre in 1839 and the sub-prefecture in 1861. He also made many castles in the area at that time.
- Paul Henri d'Estournelles Balluet Constant (1852-1924): Diplomate, MP, senator, Nobel Peace Prize in 1909.
- Paul GauthierPaul GauthierPaul Gauthier is the name of:* Paul Gauthier , French theologian and humanist* Paul Gauthier , ice hockey player* Paul Gauthier , Canadian politician...
(1914 - 2002): theologian and humanist. - Balinec Yan (1928 - 2009), writer and poet.
- Alain PellegriniAlain PellegriniAlain Pellegrini is a French general.A former student of the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr, Pellegrini graduated from general staff schools before being appointed in Africa and the Middle East, and commanding a regiment of the troupes de marine in Fréjus...
(1946 -): Major General. - Marquis de Turbilly: agronomist.
- Guillaume Fouquet de la VarenneGuillaume Fouquet de la VarenneGuillaume Fouquet de la Varenne was a French chef who rose from the kitchen to become an important statesman in the service of Henry IV.-Heraldry: : description donnée par René II Fouquet de la Varenne en 1680 Guillaume Fouquet de la Varenne (born La Flèche, 1560 – 7 December 1616) was a French...
: Officer and friend of Henry IV. - Anne-Marie Chassaigne, also known as Liane de Pougy: dancer and courtesan of the Belle Epoque.
- Francis Theodore Latouche: former mayor, died in 1861, to whom was erected by public subscription in 1862, a mausoleum, representing the city of La Flèche mourning the disappeared. This monument by the sculptor Eugène-Louis Lequesne, is visible in the cemetery of St. Thomas.
- Joseph SauveurJoseph SauveurJoseph Sauveur was a French mathematician and physicist. He was a professor of mathematics and in 1696 became a member of the French Academy of Sciences.-Life:Joseph Sauveur was the son of a provincial notary...
(born in La Fleche in 1653 - died in Paris in 1716): French scientist, inventor of physical acoustics and professor at the College de France. - Michel VirlogeuxMichel VirlogeuxDr. Michel Virlogeux is a French structural engineer and bridge specialist.-Career:Michel Virlogeux graduated from the École Polytechnique in 1967 and from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées in 1970...
: architect involved in the completion of the Millau Viaduct. - Adrien Fainsilber, architect of the town hall of La Fleche, was also the architect of the City of Science and Industry in Paris.
- Jean Vilain, born August 3, 1836 in Poitiers, and died April 30, 1863 during the Battle of Cameron, is a French officer of the Foreign Legion, hero of the Mexican campaign. Student of Prytanée of La Flèche and Knight of the Legion of Honor. He was appointed patron of the 2006-2007 cycle of the 4th Battalion of the Special Military School of the Schools of Saint-Cyr-Coëtquidan, but also patron to promote the 1999 - 2001 Corniche Brutionne of the National Military Prytanée.
Twinning
ObernkirchenObernkirchen
Obernkirchen is a town in the district of Schaumburg, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 8 km southwest of Stadthagen, and 15 km east of Minden....
(Germany),: Obernkirchen (9744 inhab.) Since 1968. Chippenham
Chippenham
Chippenham may be:* Chippenham, Wiltshire* Chippenham * Chippenham, Cambridgeshire-See also:* Virginia State Route 150, also known as Chippenham Parkway, USA* Cippenham, Berkshire, UK...
(England) (28,065 inh.) Since 1982. Markala
Markala
Markala is a city in Mali's Ségou Region on the Niger River, 35 km downriver from the city of Ségou. Markala is the site of Mali's primary irrigation dam....
(Mali) (approximately 56 644 inhabitants). Zlotow
Zlotów
Złotów is a town in northern Wielkopolska in Poland with a population of 18,303 inhabitants . It is today part of Wielkopolska Province , but was previously in Piła Voivodeship . Since 1999 Złotów has been the seat of Złotów County.The town is located on the river Głomia and is surrounded by...
(Poland) (approximately 18 468 inhabitants). St. Lambert
Saint-Lambert, Quebec
Saint-Lambert is a Canadian city in the province of Quebec located opposite Montreal on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. Saint-Lambert was named for either the early French Canadian hunter Lambert Closse or for Roman Catholic Bishop Lambert of Maastricht...
(Canada) (pop. 21,772).
Prytanée National Militaire
Château des Carmelites
The castle is now the current City Hall and was originally the mid-eleventh century fortress that defended the crossing point there that is the ford. In the beginning, Jean de Beaugency, with Hélie his son, the future Count of Maine, expanded and strengthened it towards the end of the eleventh century. It was a wooden fortress sitting on a main island and spanning two neighboring islands, and was the subject of several sieges in the twelfth century to the fifteenth century. Rebuilt again in 1450, still standing are the ruins of the keep of this period (still seen are arrows mark on the drawbridge and battlements). In the seventeenth century, Louis XIII donated it to the Carmelites who had established and transformed the city. The main building and cloister date from this period. During the Revolution, it became private property of the family-Auger Bertron who transformed it again. Having become mayor in 1909, he was the victim of a fire in 1919. It was rebuilt with a different style in the years that followed. The castle is now part of the wedding hall of the town of La Flèche, but also two temporary exhibition rooms.La Flèche Zoo
The Pavilion Fouquet de la Varenne
Fouquet de la Varenne Pavilion is in downtown La Flèche. The Pavilionis early seventeenth century, and is visible throughout the year outside the city center and open to visitors on certain occasions. This pavilion is the only building remaining of the ancient castle of La Flèche.The Bruere mill
Nestled in the hollow of the Loir, the mill of the Bruere allows you to discover how the force of the river, the imposing wheel drives a mechanism, producing flour, electricity and refreshing ice blocks. This is the last mill in France to produce ice.Lakes of La Monnerie
These vast bodies of water of some fifty hectares are equipped with a bathing area that combines water fun, fitness and nature discovery.The site of the Monnerie is a mosaic of lakes and meadows situated in a bend of the Loire is a rich biodiversity. Many animal and plant species coexist in these places: herons, reed warbler, coot, hare, ermine, green frog, frog, dragonfly depressed, snail, reed, iris, water crowfoot, plantain water all make this site a popular place for walkers and naturalists. The preservation of these wetlands helps maintain biodiversity. The lakes are the result of the operation of a gravel pit, and wet meadows and, each winter, over thirty species migratory (eg greylag goose, pochard, teal etc ...) find shelter and cover here.
The hall and the theater of the Halle au Ble (nicknamed "The Candy Box")
From the Middle Ages there was already a wooden market hall, while the square held the grain market. Since then the halls have been rebuilt twice in the eighteenth century. In 1737, they were built of stone and then expanded in 1772 to establish the town hall.Closed to the public since 1947, it was restored to "authenticity" in 1998 and was recently renamed as the site of the Corn Exchange. This was rewarded in 2000 by the Rubans du Patrimoine.
In 1839, added to the first floor, was a small Italian theater. The architect who drew up the plans for the "little theater" was called Pierre-Félix Delarue. The latter is no stranger to La Flèche. He, indeed, was the author of many castles in the region in the second half of the nineteenth century. This is best known building of La Flèche that he has achieved in the sub-prefecture. The decoration of the room and its dome is due to Adrien-Louis Lusson, an architect and designer, born in La Fleche in August 4, 1788. He entrusted carrying out the work to decorative painters for the Royal Academy of Music. This theater has retained much of its original decor, except for the paintings of the false dome, redesigned in 1923.
Since March 1999, performances in the cultural season are scheduled by the Entertainment and Arts Carroi. This rare Italian-French drama of the first half of the nineteenth century is open to public tours during the Heritage Days and the summer season. For groups, the tourist office of the La Flèche Region organizes tours.
The museum and chapel of Providence
Discovery of the personal effects of Françoise Jamin, founder in the early nineteenth century, of the Institute of the daughters of Saint-Cœur de Marie, told of Providence. The chancel and chapel are a unique in the region, with murals of the nineteenth century.The manor of Blottière
Dates from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. It is a former hunting manor of William Fouquet de la Varenne. It can be visited only during the summer.Former Hotel Dieu in La Flèche
In the Museum of the Hospitallers of Hôtel-Dieu de Montreal, in the her namesake city, stands the ancient steps of the Hotel-Dieu in La Flèche.Jérôme Le Royer, lord of La Dauversière, installed in 1636 the first sisters in the hospital "Maison Dieu" of La Flèche. In 1641, he entrusted the task to Jeanne Mance to build a hospital in New France, in Ville-Marie. In 1659, she returned to France with the first three sister carers for Ville-Marie. A century and a half later, during the French Revolution, the nuns were expelled from La Flèche. The place was then converted into police station, court and prison. The staircase of the Hotel Dieu was walled and forgotten. Only during the demolition and restoration of the old prison in 1953, was the oak staircase rediscovered. The town of La Flèche offered it to Montreal as a symbol of the long alliance between the two cities. Over 300 years after the arrival of the sisters in Montreal, the staircase resides in the museum of the Hospitallers of the Hôtel-Dieu de Montreal, where it sits in the lobby. The Hotel-Dieu itself is no longer visible today, separated from the former police station having been turned into housing, and the present court. The old prisons disappeared as they were subsumed into it.
Former prisons
The first prisons were located in La Fleche, in the Wheat Market Street, next to the Présidial, created in 1595 by Henri IV. Then they were transferred at the beginning of the nineteenth century to the bottom of the dead end street, St. Thomas, on the premises that had been those of the priory of the same name.The unhealthy state of the prisons was denounced August 7, 1807 by Mr. Rock Desperrés, a board member, who was concerned about the detention conditions of detainees. Half a century later, the prisoners were again entitled to complain as they were deprived of water because of the erection of the statue of Henri IV, in Pillory Square, which had involved the removal of the water pipe . But no one passed the budget at the town hall and the prisoners remained in this state for several years.
On May 30, 1933, a presidential decree abolished 14 prisons including that of La Flèche. On June 16 of that year, prisoners were transferred to Le Mans. Between 1937 and 1939, during the Spanish Civil War, the old prison was occupied at various times by Spanish refugees (men, women and children).
World War II led to the reopening of the prison La Flèche in which were interred, political prisoners. The prison was finally abolished in 1953. The door of the priory, in the middle of the dead end street, Saint-Thomas, was removed in early 1958.
Religious heritage
La Flèche has six major religious buildings:- The Church of St. Thomas (early twelfth century and rebuilt in the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries), the main church of the city;
- The church of Sainte-Colombe, freely accessible;
- The church of St. Germain du Val (eleventh and twelfth centuries), freely accessible;
- Church Verron, freely accessible;
- Chapel of Our Lady of Virtues (no celebrations, but open to the public) is the oldest religious building in the city (Roman times);
- The Church of St. Louis is located within the confines of the Prytanée National Militaire.
External links
- Town council website (French)
- Tourist Office website (English)