Saint-Brieuc

History

Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk, Brioc, who Christianised the region in the 5th century and established an oratory there. Bro Sant-Brieg/Pays de Saint-Brieuc, one of the nine traditional bishoprics of Brittany, which were used as administrative areas before the French Revolution, was named after Saint-Brieuc. It also dates from the Middle Ages, when the Pays de Saint Brieuc, or Penteur, was established by Duke Arthur II of Brittany as one of his eight "battles" or administrative regions.

The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1873.

Geography

The town is located by the English Channel, on the Bay of Saint-Brieuc. Two rivers flow through Saint-Brieuc: the Goued/Gouët and the Gouedig/Gouédic.

Other towns of notable size in the département of Côtes d'Armor are Gwengamp/Guingamp, Dinan, and Lannuon/Lannion all sous-préfectures.

In 2009, large amounts of sea lettuce, a type of alga, washed up on many beaches of Brittany, and when it rotted it emitted dangerous levels of hydrogen sulphide. A horse and some dogs died and a council worker driving a truckload of it fell unconscious at the wheel and died.

Neighbouring communes

Langueux, La Méaugon, Plérin, Ploufragan, Trégueux and Trémuson.

Climate

Saint-Brieuc experiences an oceanic climate. |Jan record high C = 15.9 |Feb record high C = 21.8 |Mar record high C = 23.9 |Apr record high C = 26.6 |May record high C = 29.0 |Jun record high C = 34.9 |Jul record high C = 39.7 |Aug record high C = 38.1 |Sep record high C = 31.5 |Oct record high C = 29.5 |Nov record high C = 20.7 |Dec record high C = 16.8 |year record high C = 39.7 |Jan record low C = -11.3 |Feb record low C = -9.4 |Mar record low C = -3.9 |Apr record low C = -1.8 |May record low C = 1.1 |Jun record low C = 3.6 |Jul record low C = 7.1 |Aug record low C = 6.6 |Sep record low C = 4.5 |Oct record low C = -3.9 |Nov record low C = -4.8 |Dec record low C = -7.2 |year record low C = -11.3

Culture

Saint-Brieuc is one of the towns in Europe that host the IU Honors Program.

The Cemetery of Saint Michel contains graves of several notable Bretons, and sculptures by Paul le Goff and Jean Boucher. Outside the wall is Armel Beaufils's statue of Anatole Le Braz. Le Goff, who was killed with his two brothers in World War I, is also commemorated in a street and with his major sculptural work La forme se dégageant de la matière in the central gardens, which also includes a memorial to him by Jules-Charles Le Bozec and work by Francis Renaud.

The town of St. Brieux in Saskatchewan, Canada is named after Saint-Brieuc of Brittany. It was founded by immigrants from this region in Brittany. It was settled in the early 1900s.

Demographics

Inhabitants of Saint-Brieuc are called Briochins in French.

| graph-pos = bottom |1793 |7335 |1800 |8394 |1806 |9000 |1821 |9956 |1831 |10420 |1836 |11313 |1841 |12484 |1846 |13239 |1851 |12813 |1856 |14888 |1861 |15341 |1866 |15812 |1872 |15253 |1876 |16355 |1881 |17833 |1886 |19240 |1891 |19948 |1896 |21665 |1901 |22198 |1906 |23041 |1911 |23945 |1921 |24511 |1926 |26043 |1931 |28320 |1936 |31640 |1946 |36674 |1954 |37670 |1962 |43142 |1968 |50281 |1975 |52559 |1982 |48563 |1990 |44752 |1999 |46087 |2007 |46178 |2012 |45936 |2017 |44372

Breton language

In 2008, 3.98% of primary school children attended bilingual schools.

Transport

The Saint-Brieuc railway station, situated on the Paris–Brest railway, is connected by TGV Atlantique to Paris Montparnasse station, with a journey time of about 3 hours.

There are no scheduled air services from Saint-Brieuc – Armor Airport.

Notable people

Saint-Brieuc has been the place of residence for many notable people.

• Yann Fouéré (1910–2011), Breton nationalist, journalist and author
• Patrice Carteron (born 1970), footballer
• Octave-Louis Aubert (1870–1950), editor
• Maryvonne Dupureur (1937–2008), athlete, Olympic 800m silver medallist
• Émile Durand (1830–1903), music theorist and teacher
• Léonard Charner (1797–1869), senator and Admiral of France
• Auguste Villiers de l'Isle-Adam (1838–1889), symbolist writer
• Célestin Bouglé (1870–1940), philosopher
• Louis Guilloux (1899–1980), writer
• Patrick Dewaere (1947–1982), actor
• Kévin Théophile-Catherine (born 1989), footballer
• Louis Rossel (1844–1871), Army officer and Communard
• Florent Du Bois de Villerabel (1877–1951), archbishop forced to resign after the Liberation of France in World War II
• Mamadou Wagué (born 1990), footballer
• Raymond Hains (1926–2005), artist
• Anaclet Wamba (born 1960), boxer
• Yelle (Julie Budet) (born 1983), musician
• Roland Fichet (born 1950), author, philosopher
• Jean-Christophe Boullion (born 1969), racing driver
• Alexandre Marsoin (born 1989), racing driver

Twin towns

Saint-Brieuc préfecture of the Côtes-d'Armor is twinned with:

• Wales Aberystwyth, Wales
• GRE Agia Paraskevi, Greece
• GER Alsdorf, Germany
• BIH Goražde, Bosnia and Herzegovina

References

References

1. (13 September 2022). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises.
2. Anonymous. (2012-05-05). "Saint-Brieuc - Sant Breig".
3. (2 October 2023). "Saint-Brieuc. La mairie, un édifice qui a 150 ans". Ma Ville.
4. (7 September 2009). "Seaweed suspected in French death". BBC News.
5. "Normales climatiques 1981-2010 : Saint-Brieuc".
6. "Normales et records pour St Brieuc (22)". Meteociel.
7. [https://www.habitants.fr/cotes-d-armor-22 Côtes-d'Armor], habitants.fr
8. {{Cassini-Ehess. 30795. Saint-Brieuc
9. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-22278#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE
10. {{in lang
11. "British towns twinned with French towns". Archant Community Media Ltd.