Agen

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | 700+ words | Copyright

Agen , town (1990 pop. 32,223), capital of Lot-et-Garonne dept., SW France, on the Garonne River, in Guienne . It is an agricultural marketplace in the center of a fruit-growing region and an industrial center where food products, clothing, agricultural machinery, bicycles, tiles, drugs, furniture, and musical instruments are manufactured. Originally a Gallic settlement, Agen was a crossroads in Roman times. It became the capital of the county of Agenois under the Carolingians . An episcopal see from the 10th cent., it passed (1154) to England with the rest of Aquitaine . It was reconquered in the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) and incorporated into the province of Guienne. Among the historic structures are chapels from the 13th and 14th cent.; the Church of St. Jacobius (13th cent.), with its Gothic frescoes; the St. Hilaire Church (15th cent.); and the Romanesque and Gothic St. Caprais Cathedral.

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