Encyclopedia Search Results
|
|
|
Montpellier
For other places named Montpellier or Montpelier, see Montpelier.
Montpellier (Occitan Montpelhièr) is a city in the south of France. It is the capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon région, as well as the préfecture (administrative capital) of the Hérault département. The population of the city (commune) of Montpellier at the 1999 census was 225,300 inhabitants, whereas the whole metropolitan area (in French: aire urbaine) had a population of 459,916 inhabitants in 1999. As of February 2004 estimates, the population of the city of Montpellier reached 244,700 inhabitants, meaning a 1.7% population growth per year between 1999 and 2004. The estimated population of the metropolitan area is 531,000 inhabitants in 2007. 
 
GeographyThe city is situated on hilly ground 10 km (6 miles) inland from the Mediterranean coast on the . The name of the city, originally Monspessulanus, is said to have stood for mont pelé (the naked hill, because the vegetation was poor), or le mont de la colline (the mount of the hill) History
Montpellier is one of the few cities in France without a (Gallo-)Roman background. Medieval periodIn the Early Middle Ages the nearby episcopal town of Maguelone was the major settlement in the area, but raids by pirates encouraged settlement a little further inland. Montpellier, first mentioned in a document of 985, was founded under a local feudal dynasty, the Guillem counts of Toulouse, who joined together two hamlets, built a castle and walls around the settlement. The two surviving towers of the city walling, the Tour des Pins and the Tour de la Babotte are later in date, however. Montpellier came to prominence in the 10th century as a trading centre, with trading links across the Mediterranean world and a rich Jewish cultural life and traditions of tolerance of its Muslims, Jews and Cathars— and later of its Protestants. William VII of Montpellier established a faculty of medicine in 1180, recognised by Pope Nicholas IV; the city's university was established in 1220 and was one of the chief centers for the teaching of medicine. This marked the high point of Montpellier's prominence. The city became a possession of the kings of Aragon in 1213 by the marriage of Peter II of Aragon with Marie of Montpellier, who brought the city as her dowry. Montpellier gained a charter in 1204 when Peter and Marie confirmed the city's traditional freedoms and granted the city the right to choose twelve governing consuls annually. Montpellier remained a possession of the crown of Aragon until it passed to James III of Majorca, who sold the city to the French king Philip VI in 1349, to raise funds for his ongoing struggle with Peter IV of Aragon. In the 14th century, Montpellier gained a church (not yet a cathedral) dedicated to Saint Peter, noteworthy for its very unusual porch supported by two high, somewhat rocket-like towers. With its importance steadily increasing, the city finally gained a bishop, who moved from Maguelone in 1536 and sat in the neighbouring community of (eventually absorbed into Montpellier proper). In 1432, Jacques Coeur established himself in the city and it became an important economic centre, until 1481 when Marseille took over this role. After the ReformationAt the time of the Reformation in the 16th century, many of its inhabitants became Protestants (or Huguenots as they were known in France) and it became a stronghold of Protestant resistance to the (mainly Catholic) French crown. In 1622, King Louis XIII besieged the city and took it after eight months, building the citadel to secure it. Louis XIV made Montpellier capital of , and the town started to embellish itself, by building the , the Esplanade and a large number of houses in the historic centre. After the French Revolution, the city became the capital of the much smaller Hérault. Modern historyDuring the 19th century the city developed into an industrial centre. In the 1960s, its population grew dramatically after French settlers in Algeria were resettled in the city following Algeria's independence from France. In the 1980s and 1990s, the city drew attention with a number of major redevelopment projects, such as the Corum and especially the Antigone District. Lords of MontpellierMain article: Lords of Montpellier
UniversityThe University of Montpellier is one of the oldest in France, having been granted a charter in 1220 by Cardinal Conrad von Urach and confirmed by Pope Nicholas IV in a papal bull of 1289. It was suppressed during the French Revolution but was re-established in 1896. It is not known exactly at what date the schools of literature were founded which developed into the Montpellier faculty of arts; it may be that they were a direct continuation of the Gallo-Roman schools. The school of law was founded by Placentinus, a doctor from Bologna university, who came to Montpellier in 1160, taught there during two different periods, and died there in 1192. The school of medicine was founded perhaps by a graduate of the Spanish medical schools; it is certain that, as early as 1137, there were excellent physicians at Montpellier. The statutes given in 1220 by Cardinal Conrad, legate of Honorius III, which were completed in 1240 by Pierre de Conques, placed this school under the direction of the Bishop of Maguelonne. Pope Nicholas IV issued a Bull in 1289, combining all the schools into a university, which was placed under the direction of the bishop, but which in fact enjoyed a large measure of autonomy. Theology was at first taught in the convents, in which St. Anthony of Padua, Raymond Lullus, and the Dominican lectured. Two letters of King John prove that a faculty of theology existed at Montpellier independently of the convents, in January, 1350. By a Bull of 17 December, 1421, Martin V granted canonical institution to this faculty and united it closely with the faculty of law. In the sixteenth century the faculty of theology disappeared for a time, when Calvinism, in the reign of Henry II of France, held complete possession of the city. It resumed its functions after Louis XIII had reestablished the royal power at Montpellier in 1622; but the rivalries of Dominicans and Jesuits interfered seriously with the prosperity of the faculty, which disappeared at the Revolution. The faculty numbered among its illustrious pupils of law Petrarch, who spent four years at Montpellier, and among its lecturers Guillaume de Nogaret, chancellor to Philip the Fair, Guillaume de Grimoard, afterwards pope under the name of Urban V, and Pedro de Luna, antipope as Benedict XIII. But after the fifteenth century this faculty fell into decay, as did also the faculty of arts, although for a time, under Henry IV of France, the latter faculty had among its lecturers Casaubon. The Montpellier school of medicine owed its success to the ruling of the Guilhems, lords of the town, by which any licensed physician might lecture there; there was no fixed limit to the number of teachers, lectures were multiplied, and there was a great wealth of teaching. Rabelais took his medical degrees at Montpellier. It was in this school that the biological theory of vitalism, elaborated by Barthez (1734-1806), had its origin. The French Revolution did not interrupt the existence of the faculty of medicine. The faculties of science and of letters were re-established in 1810; that of law in 1880. It was on the occasion of the sixteenth centenary of the university, celebrated in 1889, that the Government of France announced its intention -- which has since been realized -- of reorganizing the provincial universities in France. Notable sights
TransportMontpellier is served by railway, including TGV trains. The Montpellier-Méditerranée Airport is located in the area of Fréjorgues, in the town of Mauguio, southeast of Montpellier. The TaM (Transports de l'agglomération de Montpellier) manages the city's public transportation, including its tramway network and several parking facilities. Line 2 of the Montpellier tram systems was officially opened on Saturday, December 16, 2006 with bands, singers, jugglers, fireworks and a weekend of free tram travel. The new line of 19.8km route serves five communes and expects to carry 52,000 passengers a day. Starting in Jacou on the northeast side of the city, in a copse of conifers, the line goes SW though the city centre and passes the train station to St Jean de Védas on the southwest of the town. There are plenty of parking sites along the line which crosses Line 1 at St Roch station, Place de l'Europe and again in front of the Corum. Work on Line 3, which is planned to be in service by 2010, will start in the spring of 2007. This 22.4 km line will link Juvenac and Perols with a branch to Lattes and will serve 32 stations. SportMontpellier was the finish of Stage 11 and the departure of Stage 12 in the 2007 Tour de France. The city is home to a variety of professional sports teams:
CultureThe Festival de Radio France et Montpellier is a summer festival of opera and music held in Montpellier. The music festival concentrates on classical music and jazz with about 100 events, including opera, concerts, films, and talks. Most of these events are free and are held in the historic courtyards of the city or the modern concert halls of Le Corum. Le Corum cultural and conference centre contains 3 auditoriums; the Berlioz Opera, which has 2,010 seats, the Pasteur, which has 745 seats, and the Einstein, which has 318 seats. There are also reception and exhibition areas and meeting rooms. Twin citiesMontpellier is twinned with:
Famous inhabitants of MontpellierMontpellier was the birthplace of:
Other famous inhabitants include:
Sources and references
External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Sorry: result not found. Latest
Comment:
Add Your Comment:
We welcome your Comment on this story.Comments are submitted for possible publication on the conditiin that they may be edited.Please provide your full name.We also require a working email address-not for publication,but for verification.The location field is optional. Read our Publication guidelines. |
ADVERTISEMENT
Sponsored Links
Search Tools
Todays Top Searches
List Your Business
Receive hundreds of new customers for your business
ABSOLUTELY FREE!
Over 90% of Internet users in Iran are using search engines to find local businesses, services or products.
List now to ensure your business is found.
Client Testimonials
Iran Crawler has delivered what they promised. My company shows up at the top of most relevant searches, people call me from that listing, and my business sales and web traffic have increased David - Anime International,Inc. Read More |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Help us improve Iran Crawler Encyclopedia Search - Send Your Feedback
 Search for Encyclopedia right from your Iran Crawler Toolbar. It’s easy.Try it.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
