Langres, France
The first-century Triumphal Gate and the many artifacts exhibited in the town's museums are remnants of the town's Gallo-Roman history. The walls encompassing the town contain a 2nd-century Roman gate, 15th- to 16th-century towers, and 16th- to 18th-century gates.
After the period of invasions, the town prospered in the Middle Ages, due in part to the growing political influence of its bishops. The diocese covered Champagne, the Duchy of Burgundy, and Franche-Comté. The bishops obtained the right to coin money in the ninth century and to name the military governor of the city in 927. The Bishop of Langres was a duke and peer of France. The 12th-century Saint-Mammès Cathedral which marks the transition between Burgundy Romanesque and Gothic architecture has an 18th-century facade.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, during the long war against the English, fought almost entirely in France, the town strengthened its defenses, which still give the old city its fortified character and Langres entered a period of royal tutelage. The Renaissance, which returned prosperity to the town, saw the construction of numerous civil, religious and military buildings which still stand today. In the 19th century, a "Vauban" citadel was added.
Denis Diderot (1713-1784), philosopher, writer and art critic, was born in Langres in 1713; 9 in the square which today bears his name. Inaugurated at the time of the tercentenary of his birth in 2013, the museum, Maison des Lumières is the only museum in France that is devoted entirely to him. It is set up in a private mansion from the 16th and 18th centuries, displays his life and work, and is dedicated to his most famous work, the Encyclopédie, as well as to the "Age of French Enlightenment". His statue stands in the center of the town.
Online Sources
Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names:
ID: 7008343
Langres
Langres
Suggested readings
“Discovering Langres”Danielle Mihram, 2020