It is no coincidence that the
Church of Saint Pierre is in the
heart of Old Bordeaux, on the
very site of the original Gallo-Roman
port. Bordeaux, a port before
being a city, paid tribute to
the patron saint port of those
that lived from the river, who
were the majority of the city's
population.
In 1832, beneath the Place Saint-Pierre,
a magnificent bronze statue of Hercules
was discovered, that at the time must
have decorated the entrance to the port,
at that time situated at the mouth of
an tributary river, the Devèze.
This fine Hellenistic style sculpture
is one of the most beautiful pieces
in the Museum of Aquitaine. Thus did
St. Pierre usurp Hercules.
In the XIIth century, the old port was
filled in and most of the quarter built.
The quays were moved to the South, to
the mouth of another tributary, the
Peugue, at the foot of the Palais de
l’Ombrière.
In the XVIIIth century, The Intendants
Boucher and Tourny made major changes.
They opened up the quarter by demolishing
the mediaeval wall, designed the Place
de la Bourse et la rue Royale (rue Fernand
Philipart) opened up the place du Marché
Royal (place du Parlement), leaving
a quarter full of Louis XV residences,
decorated with mascarons, sculptures,
stone balconies and wrought iron: the
finest of French architecture.
Public monuments also pay tribute to
the city's principal activity, be it
the Monument des Girondins, The fontaine
Art Nouveau on the place Amédée
Larrieu, the monuments to Gaston Lafargue,
local writer, or to Alexis Millardet,
scientist, in the jardin public. |
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