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Commune of Lillebonne Gallo-Roman Theater/Amphitheater of Lillebonne
Location
Coordinates	49.51888 0.53426
Administration
Country	France
Region	Haute-Normandie
Department	Seine-Maritime
Arrondissement	Le Havre
Canton	Lillebonne (chief town)
Intercommunality	Port-Jérôme
Mayor	Philippe Leroux (2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude	0 m–1,338 m (avg. 6 m)
Land area¹	14.66 km²
Population² (1999)	9,738
- Density	664/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	76384/ 76170
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Lillebonne is a town and commune of France in the département of Seine-Maritime, 3.5 miles north of the Seine and 24 miles east of Le Havre by railway. As of 2004, the town has a population of 9,600.

History

Lillebonne under the Romans, Juliobona, was the capital of the Caletes, or inhabitants of the Pays de Caux, in the time of Julius Caesar, by whom it was destroyed. It was afterwards rebuilt by Augustus, and before it was again ruined by the barbarian invasions it had become an important centre whence Roman roads branched out in all directions. It was an administrative, military and commercial city located close to the Seine. This made it a great transportation route between Brittany (current England) and the remainder of the Roman Empire. It was also a crossroads of communication in order to bring Roman ways to Harfleur, Étretat, Dieppe, Évreux and Rouen.

The remains of Roman baths and of a theater capable of holding 3,000 persons have been brought to light. Many Roman and Gallic relics, notably a bronze statue of a woman and two fine mosaics, have been found and transported to the museum at Rouen. In the Middle Ages the fortifications of the town were constructed out of materials supplied by the theater. The town recovered some of its old importance under William the Conqueror.

Geography

Lillebonne lies in the valley of the Bolbec River at the foot of wooded hills.

Sights

The church of Notre Dame, partly modern, preserves a Gothic portal of the 16th century and a graceful tower of the same period. The park contains a fine cylindrical donjon and other remains of a castle founded by William the Conqueror and rebuilt in the 13th century.

The Gallo-Roman amphitheater of Lillebonne was built in the first century and was altered in the second century so that it could be used as both an amphitheater and a theater. Part of its remains are still visible today from Félix Faur Square, and the foundations of some of its remnants (the wings and backdrop) remain under the square.

Economy

The principal industries are cotton-spinning and the manufacture of calico and candles.

Twin towns

Lillebonne is twinned with the towns of Wellington, Somerset, England, and Immenstadt, Bavaria, Germany.

External links and references

• Tourism office of Lillebonne (French)
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Coordinates: 49°31′N, 0°33′E