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| City of Art and History
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Famous People from Bar-le-Duc |
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His Eminence Charles AIMOND
Born in Varennes-en-Argonne in 1874, from a family of farmers, His Eminence Charles Aimond enjoyed repeating that his great-grandfather had attended Louis XVI’s arrest at the age of 7. After primary school, he started a Catholic secondary school in Glorieux and became a Master (Bachelor) of Arts after studying only one year at “La Sorbonne.” He was ordained priest in June 1898, and preached at the secondary school of Glorieux, then at the school of Saint Louis in Bar-le-Duc. Once settled in the city, he remained there for the rest of his life. His Eminence was then Father Superior at the school of Saint Louis. The “historian priest,” as he was called, dedicated most of his lifetime to the writing of a History of Lorraine, and more particularly of a history of Meuse and the areas of Bar-le-Duc. His eminence Charles Aimond obtained a PhD in 1910. He wrote some 30,000 pages about the History of the county of Meuse, and of the city of Bar-le-Duc in particular. The shrewdness and scholarship of his writings made him the undisputed historian of that part of Lorraine. He was awarded the Grand Prix of the Academy of Stanislas in 1956. He died on June, 28th 1968 in Bar-le-Duc. He was 94 years old. | |
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Georges BERNANOS (1888-1948)
Between 1924 and 1926, the French writer wrote his first best-seller, entitled “Under the Sun of Satan”, in a house of the Renaissance district (in the “rue des Ducs,” number 47). |
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Albert CIM (1845-1924)
Son of a Polish officer and of a French woman, Albert Cim was born in Bar-le-Duc in 1845. He was a civil servant at the French Post Office and telecommunications service in Paris. He was awarded the Grand Prix of the French Academy for his literary work five times. He was emotionally attached to his native city, that he evoked in several writings. | |
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Jean DRIES
Jean Driesbach, said Dries, was born in Bar-le-Duc on October, 19th 1905. After College, he dedicated his life to painting, encouraged to do so by Lemagny the engravor and by P. Salzy. In 1926, with a grant, he studied painting at L. Simon’s studio. Then, he traveled a lot and discovered the difference between the light of Provence, that of Spain, and that of Normandy. He lived through the abstract movement without joining it. “Abstract is none of my business,” he wrote. He deeply respected the notion of “subject” because he had studied nature - and consequently, human nature - in details. Jean Dries was a colourist with a strong personality and a relentless worker. He died in Paris on February, 26th 1976. | |
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Jean ERRARD (1554-1610)
Jean Errard, a building engineer from Bar-le-Duc specialized in fortifications, started to serve Charles III, Duke of Bar and of Lorraine. Once converted to Protestantism, he was in the service of the Duke of Bouillon, Prince of the city of Sedan. Later, he became “Great Engineer” (engineers in chief) of the French King Henry IV and “Great Master of the Royal Artillery.” | |
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Rémy-Joseph EXELMANS (1775-1852)
From 1791, Exelmans fought under Marshal Oudinot’s command in the third battalion of volunteers from Meuse. Because he had been a staunch supporter of Napoleon Bonaparte, he was exiled after the failure of the “Hundred Days” (the French “Cent-Jours”). He went back to France in 1819, and became a “Pair de France” in 1831. Then, on the initiative of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, Bonaparte’s nephew, he was named Great Chancellor of the Legion of Honour in 1849 and Marshal of France in 1851. | |
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Pierre-François GOSSIN (1753-1794)
Pierre-François GOSSIN was born in Souilly (Meuse) but lived in Bar-le-Duc. He played a prominent part in the French Revolution, among other things by creating the notion of counties (“departement”). Under the Reign of Terror, he was blamed for his “lack of public-spiritedness.” On the July, 22nd, he was sentenced to death by the “Convention” (the incumbent government) and was beheaded on that very day. | |
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Wlodimir KONARSKI
Son of a Polish officer who had emigrated to France after the Revolution of 1830, Wlodimir Konarski, was born in Auxerre on June, 24th 1852. After studying law, he was appointed counsellor of the “Préfecture” of Bar-le-Duc, his first and last position there. He dedicated most of his time to the study of the archives of the city of Bar-le-Duc. He published many articles that he illustrated himself with etchings and pen-and-ink drawings. After his death, the main part of his work was gathered in two big volumes that were published thanks to a public subscription in 1909 and untitled “A travers le vieux Bar-le-Duc le 28 juin 1906” (Throughout the old city of Bar-le-Duc on June, 28th 1906). | |
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LIGIER-RICHIER (circa 1500 - 1567)
Ligier-Richier was born in Saint Mihiel, about 30 kilometres from Bar-le-Duc. He was one of the greatest sculptors of the French Renaissance. He worked for the Duke of Bar and for the members of the Court. Once converted to Protestantism, he left the duchy for Geneva. His masterpiece, namely the “Monument de Coeur de René de Chalon,” also called “the Skeleton,” can be seen in the Church of Saint-Etienne (“Eglise Saint Etienne”), in Bar-le-Duc. | |
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Léon MAXE-WERLY
Léon Maxe-Werly was born on November, 4th 1831. He was the grand son of Jean Werly, who had invented the seamless corset, which made the city of Bar-le-Duc undisputedly famous. Léon Maxe-Werly was first part of the family business, but he quickly left it. Being passionate about everything dealing with the past of the county of Bar, he dedicated his whole sparetime to the study of the archaeology of the area and to numismatics. His eagerness to search, his qualities of observer and of methodical classifier made him build a scientific work which is still a reference for many. He died in Paris on October, 17th 1901. He took as a second forename that of his mother. The local library obtained the legacy of all his collection of coins, along with his personal collection of books. | |
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Pierre and Ernest MICHAUX (1813-1883 and 1842-1882)
Pierre and his son Ernest, who were both born in Bar-le-Duc, invented the velocipede with pedals. The invention kept the family business alive before it collapsed. However, Bar-le-Duc still honours the two inventors’ memory with a monument that was inaugurated in 1894. | |
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Nicolas-Charles OUDINOT (1767-1847)
The military career of that native of the city of Bar-le-Duc was extraordinary. After his good deeds at the Battle of Wagram, he became Duke of Reggio and marshal. Being neutral during the “Hundred Days” (the French “Cent-Jours”), he became one of the most important people of the country during the Restauration. He was named “Pair de France,” governor of the “Invalides” and Great Chancellor of the Legion of Honour. |
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Raymond POINCARE (1860-1934)
Born in Bar-le-Duc in 1860, Raymond Poincaré started an early political career, together with his work as a lawyer. He was Deputy of Meuse, several times Minister, and finally President of the French Republic from 1913 to 1920. He ruled the country with much dignity during the First World War. His political career lasted until 1929, when he was forced to retire from political life because of his bad health. | |
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André THEURIET (1833-1907)
André Theuriet, spent his childhood in Bar-le-Duc. He then became a civil servant and a literary man, and entered the French Academy in 1896. He evoked the country of his childhood in several writings, such as in La Chanoinesse or la Maison des deux barbeaux. |
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