Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

BRIANCON

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V04, Page 515 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
» Make a correction to this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

BRIANCON , a strongly fortified See also:

town in the See also:department of Hautes-Alpes in S.E. See also:France. It is built at a height of 4334 ft. on a See also:plateau which dominates the junction of the See also:Durance with the Guisane. The town itself is formed of very steep and narrow, though picturesque streets. As it lies at the See also:foot of the descent from the Mont Genevre Pass, giving See also:access to See also:Turin, a See also:great number of fortifications have been constructed on the heights around Briancon, especially towards the See also:east. The Fort See also:Janus is no less than 4000 ft. above the town. The See also:parish See also:church, with its two towers, was built 1703–1726, and occupies a very conspicuous position. The See also:Pont d'Asfeld, E. of the town, was built in 1734, and forms an See also:arch of 131 ft. span, thrown at a height of 184 ft. across the Durance. The See also:modern town extends in the See also:plain at the S.W. foot of the plateau on which the old town is built and forms the suburb of Ste See also:Catherine, with the railway station, and an important See also:silk-See also:weaving factory. Briancon is 512 M. by See also:rail from See also:Gap. The See also:commune had a See also:civil See also:population in 1906 of 4883 (See also:urban population 3130), while the permanent See also:garrison was 264r--in all /524 inhabitants. Briancon was the Brigantium of the See also:Romans and formed See also:part of the See also:kingdom of See also:King Cottius.

About 1040 it came into the hands of the See also:

counts of Albon (later dauphins of the Viennois) and thenceforth shared the See also:fate of the See also:Dauphine. The Brianconnais included not merely the upper valley of the Durance (with those of its affluents, the Gyronde and the Guil), but also the valley of the Dora Riparia (Cesanne, Oulx, Bardonneche and Exilles), and that of the Chisone (Fenestrelles, Perouse; Pragelas)—these glens all lying on the eastern slope of the See also:chain of the See also:Alps. But by the treaty of See also:Utrecht (1713) all these valleys were handed over to See also:Savoy in See also:exchange for that' of See also:Barcelonnette, on the See also:west slope of the Alps. In 1815 Briancon successfully withstood a See also:siege of three months at the hands of the See also:Allies, a feat which is commemorated by an inscription on one of its See also:gates, Le passe repond de l'avenir. (W. A. B.

End of Article: BRIANCON

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
BRIAN (926-1014) 		[next]
BRIAND, ARISTIDE (1862– )

Site © 2006 - Net Industries