Cathedrals of France
Cathedrals of France
Paris, Reims, Laon, Strasbourg, Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Marseille, Nice, Nimes, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes, Quimper, Tours, Le Mans, Chartres, Rouen and Amiens
France, officially the French Republic, is a sovereign state whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe, as well as several overseas regions and territories. The country's 18 integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 square kilometres (248,573 sq mi) and a total population of 67.25 million (as of June 2018). Paris is the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse and Strasbourg.
During the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. Rome annexed the area in 51 BC, holding it until the arrival of Germanic Franks in 476, who formed the Kingdom of France. France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages following its victory in the Hundred Years' War (1337 to 1453). In the late 18th century, the French Revolution overthrew the absolute monarchy, established one of modern history's earliest republics, and saw the drafting of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.
In the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire. His subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a tumultuous succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. France was a major participant in World War I, from which it emerged victorious, and was one of the Allies in World War II, but came under occupation by the Axis powers in 1940. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War. The Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains today.
France has long been a global centre of art, science, and philosophy. It hosts world's fourth-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and leads the world in tourism, receiving around 83 million foreign visitors annually.
With 83 million foreign tourists in 2012, France is ranked as the first tourist destination in the world, ahead of the United States (67 million) and China (58 million). It is third in income from tourism due to shorter duration of visits. The most popular tourist sites include (annual visitors): Eiffel Tower (6.2 million), Château de Versailles (2.8 million), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (2 million), Pont du Gard (1.5 million), Arc de Triomphe (1.2 million), Mont Saint-Michel (1 million), Sainte-Chapelle (683,000), Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg (549,000), Puy de Dôme (500,000), Musée Picasso (441,000), Carcassonne (362,000).
France, especially Paris, has some of the world's largest and renowned museums, including the Louvre, which is the most visited art museum in the world (5.7 million), the Musée d'Orsay (2.1 million), mostly devoted to Impressionism, and Centre Georges Pompidou (1.2 million), dedicated to contemporary art. Disneyland Paris is Europe's most popular theme park, with 15 million combined visitors to the resort's Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park in 2009.
France has 37 sites inscribed in UNESCO's World Heritage List and features cities of high cultural interest, beaches and seaside resorts, ski resorts, and rural regions that many enjoy for their beauty and tranquillity (green tourism). Small and picturesque French villages are promoted through the association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (literally The Most Beautiful Villages of France). The Remarkable Gardens label is a list of the over 200 gardens classified by the French Ministry of Culture. This label is intended to protect and promote remarkable gardens and parks. France attracts many religious pilgrims on their way to St. James, or to Lourdes, a town in the Hautes-Pyrénées that hosts several million visitors a year. Another major destination are the castles (French: châteaux) of the Loire Valley; this World Heritage Site is noteworthy for its architectural heritage, in its historic towns but in particular its castles, such as the Châteaux d'Amboise, de Chambord, d'Ussé, de Villandry, Chenonceau and Montsoreau. The Château de Chantilly and Vaux-le-Vicomte, both located near Paris, are also visitor attractions.
With more than 10 millions tourists a year, the French Riviera (French: Côte d'Azur), in Southeast France, is the second leading tourist destination in the country, after the Paris region. It benefits from 300 days of sunshine per year, 115 kilometres (71 mi) of coastline and beaches, 18 golf courses, 14 ski resorts and 3,000 restaurants.
Watch also:
Tourism in France:
Palaces and Castles of France:
Subscribe
Topbuzz:
Carillon de l'abbaye de Saint-Hilaire (Aude)
L'abbaye de Saint-Hilaire (Aude) dont les origines remontent au IXème siècle est une ancienne abbaye bénédictine. Initialement dédiée à Saint Sernin, premier évêque de Toulouse, elle prend par la suite l’appellation de Saint-Hilaire, évêque de Carcassonne au VIème siècle, dont elle détiendrait la dépouille.
L’église abbatiale, placée sous le patronage de Notre-Dame fut reconstruite à la fin du 12e siècle. L'édifice est composé d'une nef unique terminée par une abside en cul de four et deux chapelles latérales formant un faux transept.
Parmi les richesses de l'abbaye on peut notamment admirer : un magnifique cloitre parfaitement conservé, édifié au XIVème siècle, le logis abbatial dotée d’un remarquable plafond peint à la française du tout début du XXVIème siècle, l'ancien réfectoire des moines, les anciennes caves d'où, d'après la légende, les moines découvrirent en 1531, la blanquette de Limoux ...
Le clocher de l'abbaye possède un petit carillon de 11 cloches. Les cloches sont dotées d'électro-tinteurs jouant des mélodies programmées. Parmi ces cloches 5 d'entre-elles (les plus grosses) pouvaient sonner en volée manuelle. La sonnerie est actuellement hors service.
- La3 fondue en 1608 par Chalot
- Ré4 fondue en 1951 par Granier
- Mi4 fondue en 1951 par Granier
- Fa#4 fondue en 1951 par Granier
- La4 fondue en 1951 par Granier
- Si4 fondue en 2000 par Paccard
- Do#5 fondue en 2000 par Paccard
- Ré#5 fondue en 2000 par Paccard
- Mi5 fondue en 2000 par Paccard
- Fa5 fondue en 2000 par Paccard
- Sol5 fondue en 2000 par Paccard