Gray, Haute-Saône

Gray is a commune in the Haute- Saône, in the Franche -Comté.

Geography

Gray is located in the southwestern corner of the Haute -Saône, just on the border of the Franche- Comté region with the neighboring region of Burgundy (English: Burgundy ). The city lies on the canalised river Saône, in conjunction with the Rhône River and the Canal des Vosges (German: Vosges channel) creates a navigable route from the northeast of France to the Mediterranean.

History

• In the 9th century, the Counts of Burgundy erect a fortress on the edge of a plateau. Soon after came beneath the castle, on the banks of the Saône, a town.
• The city's development is driven by Otto IV, Count Palatine of Burgundy, and his wife, Matilda of Artois, on.
• Her daughter, Johanna II of Burgundy, continues her father's work and builds the city after a fire in 1324 again.
• The city and its ramparts are in 1479 by the French king Louis XI. destroyed.
• The 16th century is a true golden age for the city, thanks to the dynamics of the river trade and the continuous presence of a political elite. The Renaissance art comes on, the church is rebuilt, built the city hall.
• The German Emperor Charles V. installed in Gray 's Vogt Gauthiot d' Ancier.
• In the 17th century, the city is sorely tried by the Thirty Years' War, which ultimately goes with the incorporation of the Free County of Burgundy in the Kingdom of France to an end.
• Numerous monasteries settle down. The statuette " Virgin and Child ", which is carved from a piece of oak, attracts many pilgrims. Pierre Fourier, founder of the Congregation of Notre -Dame, whose loyalty to the Dukes of Lorraine, it requires you to go into exile in 1636 comes to Gray. He died there in 1640 and 1730 and blessed in 1897 canonized.
• The following century brought Gray his lost wealth with the resumption of the flow of trade back. The economic boom concrete in setting up the quays, wine and grain stores and mills. The evolution of culture is evident by the construction of the library and the theater.