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Pontivy |
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By any
standards Pontivy is, architecturally, a very unusual town. The town
centre has largely escaped modern development, and therefore still
reflects the peculiar history of the town which pivots around the events
of the French Revolution.
At one end of the main street is the old castle of the ‘Ducs de Rohan’, which is regarded as one of the finest examples of medieval architecture in Europe. At the other end of the town is the Hotel de Ville and sub-prefecture, completed in the mid-1800s when Pontivy was seen as being the potential capital of Brittany.
Prior to the Revolution, Pontivy was one of the headquarters of the powerful Dukes of Rohan. Clearly the Dukes had become unpopular with the people of the town because once the Revolution commenced the inhabitants of Pontivy supported it strongly, whilst the people in the countryside round about were pro-monarchy and anti-republican. On at least one occasion the townspeople repulsed an attack by a murderous mob of peasants armed with scythes and pitch forks. This won Pontivy the gratitude of the revolutionary government and contributed to its being selected as the main administrative centre on the proposed Nantes / Brest canal.
A complete re-development of the town was planned (the name was changed to Napoléonville), but only a cavalry barracks and a few other buildings were completed before the fall of Napoleon. However the plans were not forgotten and other buildings, such as the town hall, were completed in the mid-1800s. Most of these buildings are still standing today, positioned around a spacious and grandiose square in the lower part of the town.
What’s in a Name? Pontivy has changed its name to Napoléonville on three separate occasions during its history: once when it was originally accorded the honour by Napoléon I, once again when Napoléon returned to power for the ‘Hundred Days’ and finally during the reign of Napoléon III. In the long run, however, it has been the name of the town’s founder, Saint Ivy, which has proved to be more enduring. Ivy came from Lindisfarne in the North of England and founded a sanctuary on the banks of the river Blavet. He built a bridge over the river – Pont d’Ivy – to aid the passage of travellers, and it is from this that the town is named.
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