Editing Aurillac (section)

==<FONT COLOR="#FF0000">'''HISTORY OF AURILLAC'''</FONT>==
Once there was '''Aurelius’ domain : Aureliacum'''.
This Gallo-Roman character set up his dwelling beyond the temple of Aron, at the opening of the Jordanne valley, on grounds that will become the setting of the city of Aurillac. A feudal stronghold was erected on heights overlooking the valley, northwards, on the foothills of the Cantal volcano.

In the middle of the 9th century, it belonged to the son of '''Gérard I, Count of Auvergne'''. At the foot of the castle, already known as Saint-Etienne Castle, he built a small church dedicated to Saint Clément. Around the church, the town of Aurillac began to spread.
After his death, his son Géraud inherited the domain. Géraud founded an abbey and around the year 896, he had a church built next to his father’s. It was first dedicated to both Saint-Pierre and Saint-Clément, and later to its saint founder: Saint-Géraud.

After his death, circa 910, Géraud was buried in his church. His tomb became a place of pilgrimage and the church was extended. It was consecrated in 972 by Etienne II, bishop of Auvergne, Aurillac became the second church of his bishopric, after Clermont. At the end of the 10th century, the abbey was in full expansion. The monk Gerbert was educated there, he was to become in 999 the first French pope under the name of Sylvestre II. Pilgrims come flocking, and the fame of Saint-Géraud is as great as that of Sainte-Foye de Conques.

In the second half of the 11th century, the church was once more reshaped, and consecrated again in 1095 by pope Urbain II. Around the abbey, a small town develops and gradually spreads westwards along the river Jordanne and over the hillside of Aurinques. At the end of the 12th century, the “burgesses” of Aurillac, the citizens of the town, are officially mentioned for the first time. They appoint consuls (municipal magistrates) in agreement with the abbot who remains the lord.

In 1233 the Albigensian war breaks out. Saint-Etienne Castle, the abbot’s dwelling, is destroyed. From then on, there was constant fighting, punctuated by conventions known as '''Aurillac Peaces''', signed in 1280, 1298 and 1347 between the abbot and the burgesses. Then, it is the start of the English wars in the Auvergne. The city of Aurillac resists, under the protection of its walls. In 1366, the Royal Bailiwick of the mountains was definitely installed in Aurillac, asserting thus its role as the administrative capital of Haute-Auvergne. At the end of the Middle Ages, as peace came back, reconstruction begins, followed by a period of relative prosperity. The religion wars broke out. The abbey was entirely devastated by the protestants in 1569, together with the rest of the town’s monuments. Aurillac, restored, and freed from the abbey's lordship, went on developing. In 1775, it was a densely populated city of commerce and trading

In 1790, '''when the “départements” (counties) were created''', after a period of alternation with Saint-Flour, Aurillac becomes the capital city of Cantal. The oncoming of the railway in 1866 boosts its development. The first census, in 1759, numbered 6 268 inhabitants in Aurillac as compared with today’s population of 30 580. Aurillac still is a place of trading and commerce for all the county. It is also an active cultural and touristic centre. Its secondary schools and university colleges house numerous students 

'''''More informations about the History of Aurillac on the [[wikipedia:Aurillac]] !'''''