Thesaurus

Bourges is located almost exactly in the center of France and lies on the Canal du Berry, at the convergence of the Yèvre and Auron rivers. It was one of the pilgrimage sites on route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. The hill on which the city is built is crowned with the 12th-century Gothic cathedral of Saint-Étienne. The palace of Jacques Coeur, chief financier to Charles VII, is an exellent source of French 15th-century civil architecture. Bourges is the sheep, cattle, wine, and cereals marketing center for the region. In 52 BCE, Julius Caesar recognized the city as one of the most beautiful cities in Gaul. Saint Ursin brought Christianity to Bourges in the 3rd century. During the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII resided there between the years of 1422 and 1437, and Joan of Arc wintered there between the years of 1429 and 1430. Louis XI, was born in Bourges and endowed the city in 1463 with a university, which was abolished during the French Revolution.