Angers, France
1859

ANGERS, a town of France, the cap. of the dep. of Maine and Loire; in N lat. 47 28 17, and E long. 0 33 34; 178 m. SW of Paris. It rises on a gentle acclivity on the l. or E. bank of the Maine or Mayenne, 5 m. above its confluence with the Loire. In the older parts of the town the streets are narrow, and the gable-faced houses, built of wood, and covered on the sides as well as roofs with slate, have a singularly gloomy aspect; but the roofs are sometimes projecting, and supported by galleries adorned with vines; and of late years a number of regularly built modern houses have been substituted for these antique structures. The more modern buildings - which occupy the site of the ancient ramparts - are generally substantial and handsome; and the adjacent public walks, especially that which terminates in the Champ-d-Mars, and the Bout-du-Monde are very pleasing. The castle, now used as a prison and powder-magazine occupies a commanding position on the summit of a steep rock, the base of which is washed by the river. Its walls are of great height and thickness, and were formerly flanked by massive round towers, of which all except one are now in ruins. The side next the town is defended by a moat. In the interior are the palace and chapel of King Rene of Anjou. The cathedral, a fine structure of the 14th century, stands on an eminence in the centre of the town. It has two lofty spires, and its interior architecture exhibits much delicate masonry. Among other public buildings are the church of the Trinity, built in 1062, and one of the finest edifices in France; the church of St. Serge, erected towards the middle of the 11th cent.; and the town-house, founded in 1155 by Henry II, of England, formerly the residence of the counts of Anjou. Angers likewise contains two theatres, a library of 28,000 vols., a picture-gallery, a museum, a bank, a university, academy, a royal college, a school of arts and sciences, a deaf and dumb institution, a chamber of commerce, a botanic garden, and 5 hospitals. The Earl of Chatham and the Duke of Wellington received part of their education at the military college here, now removed to Saumur. Its riding-school was once unique in the world for its reputation and the rank of its scholars. The education of an English gentleman, in Queen Anne's time, was not considered complete till he had been instructed in the grand mauege at Angers.

The commerce of Angers consists chiefly in white wines, brandy, corn, fresh and dried fruits, honey, oil, sealing wax, wax-candles, slates - of which 80,000,000 are annually furnished by the neighbouring quarries, giving employment to 3,000 men - lint, hemp, mercury, and various articles of local manufacture, amongst which are printed calicoes, cotton and linen handkerchiefs, bolting cloth, and sail-cloth. It also possesses some sugar-refineries, and a wax-bleaching establishment. The environs afford considerable quantities of coal and timber. Steamers ply daily between Angers and Nantes, Tours, and Orleans. Angers is the see of a bishop, and suffragan of Tours, whose diocese comprehends the dep. of Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, and Sarthe; it is also the seat of assizecourt.

- The origin of this town, the ancient Juliomagus, is lost in antiquity. It was the capital of the Adnecaves. Under the Roman supremacy, when it was embellished by numerous edifices, some of which still exist, its name was changed to Andegavia, whence Anjoy. In the 5th cent. it was besieged by Childric; and in the 9th by the Normans. It has been repeatedly taken and retaken by the Bretons, the English, and the French. In 1585 the castle was surprised by the Huguenots; and in 1793 an unsuccessful attempt upon the town was made by the Vendeans. It was the birth-place of Boden and Manage, and of the traveller Bernier.

The pop. of the com. and city in 1789 was 27,596; in 1836, 35,901; in 1846, 40,628. Before the revocation of the edict of Nantes it amounted to 50,000. - The cant. of Angers, comprising 21 com., had a pop. in 1831 of 51,022. The arround. of Angers, which represents a superficial area of 158,997 hectacres, is divided into the 7 cantons of Angers, Briollay, Ponts-de-Ce, Chalonnes, St. Geeorges and the Louroux, with a pop. in 1836 of 138,459.

A Gazetteer of the World: Or, Dictionary of Geographical Knowledge, Volume 1
Publisher A. Fullarton, 1859



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