Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Bastille Day (July 14th)

The Cultural Arts Center of Saint Louis would like to honor Bastille Day by providing a detailed description of the national holiday of France.

The Bastille was a former prison fortress in Paris, France. It was built as a part of the city fortifications by order of King Charles V, about 1370, at the gate of St. Antoine. During the 17th century the Bastille became used primarily for the housing of political prisoners, and from the time of the French statesman Armand du Plessis, Cardinal Richelieu, it was a name of terror throughout France. Nobles, statesmen, authors, scholars, or generals, if for any reason obnoxious to the court, were liable to be arrested by secret warrants known as letters-de-cachet, and imprisoned in the Bastille without accusation or trail, often cut off from all communication with friends or the world, until in some cases their very names were forgotten.

At the outbreak of the French Revolution, the Bastille, a symbol of tyranny to the populace, was attacked and captured on July 14, 1789, by a mob, assisted by royal troops who had joined them with four fieldpieces. On the following day the destruction of this stronghold was commenced, amid great pubic rejoicings. The building was razed to the ground and its site is now occupied by an open square, called the Place de la Bastille. Bastille Day, similar to Independence Day in the United Sates, is celebrated annually in France on July 14.

Source: Wilfred Funk, Inc. “Bastille.” Universal Standard Encyclopedia. 1957.

La Bastille était une forteresse construite dans l’est de Paris (1370-1382). D’abord citadelle militaire, elle devint sous Louis XIII une prison d’Etat où les détenus étaient envoyés sur lettre de cachet du roi. La prise de la Bastille par les émeutiers le 14 juillet 1789 devint le symbole de la victoire du peuple sur l’arbitraire royal. Elle fut détruite l’année suivante.

Source : « Bastille. » Le Petit Larousse Illustré. 2006.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.