View source for Gray, Haute-Saône

{{Infobox French commune
|name               = Gray
|commune status     = [[Communes of France|Commune]]
|image coat of arms = Blason de Gray (Haute-Saône).svg
|image              = {{Photomontage
| photo1a = Gray hotel de ville.jpg
| photo2a = Gray Maison place Charles-De-Gaulle.jpg
| photo2b = Gray - Collège des Jésuites 01.JPG
| photo3a = Gray - Basilique Notre-Dame 02.JPG
| photo3b = Palais de justice de Gray.jpg
| photo4a = Gray pont.jpg
| spacing = 2
| border = 1
| size = 270
}}
|caption            =
|coordinates        = {{coord|47.445|5.5922|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|INSEE              = 70279
|postal code        = 70100
|arrondissement     = Vesoul
|canton             = Gray
|mayor              = Christophe Laurençot<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
|term               = 2020&ndash;2026
|elevation min m    = 187
|elevation max m    = 249
|area km2           = 20.26
|population         = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes   = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}
'''Gray''' ({{IPA|fr|ɡʁe|-|Fr-Paris--gray.ogg}}) is a [[Communes of France|commune]] in the [[Haute-Saône]] [[Departments of France|department]], [[Regions of France|region]] of [[Bourgogne-Franche-Comté]], eastern [[France]].
==Geography==
Gray is situated on the banks of the river [[Saône]]. It is the last major town in Haute-Saône before the Saône flows into [[Côte-d'Or]].
==History==
In the Middle Ages it was an important river port and trading center in [[Franche-Comté]].
Gray is believed to have acquired its name from an old landed estate in its vicinity owned by a family with Gallo-Roman origins bearing the name "Gradus", a cognate of the Celtic "Grady" meaning "illustrious" or "noble".
{{blockquote|Gray was founded in the 7th century. Its fortifications were destroyed by [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]]. During the Franco-German War [[August von Werder|General von Werder]] concentrated his army corps in the town and held it for a month, making it the ''point d'appui'' of movements towards Dijon and Langres, as well as towards Besançon.<ref>{{cite EB1911|wstitle=Gray|volume=12|page=395}}</ref>}}
==Population==
{{Historical populations
|source = INSEE<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/7633058?geo=COM-70279#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
|percentages = pagr
|align = none
|1968 |7789
|1975 |8805
|1982 |7723
|1990 |6916
|1999 |6773
|2009 |6050
|2014 |5504
|2020 |5560
}}
==Sights==
The town includes many old buildings. An 18th century stone bridge spans the Saône river, connecting the main town with the settlement of [[Arc-lès-Gray]]. Gray is a popular place for fishing and various water activities.
Gray's Basilica (Basilique Notre Dame) was built from 1478 to 1559, with a bell tower typical of Franche-Comté.
An art museum, the Musée Château Baron Martin, is housed in the Château of the [[Louis XVIII of France|Count of Provence]], brother of [[Louis XVI of France|Louis XVI]], which in the 18th century replaced the fortress belonging to the Dukes of Burgundy. The 12th century "Paravis Tower" is the last remnant of the fortress and offers a panoramic view of the Saône Valley. The museum displays some 1200 pieces of art from the 15th to the 20th century throughout 24 rooms.
The Carmelite chapel (Chapelle des Carmelites) was built in 1667. Since 1978, it has held eight centuries of sacred art in Haute-Saône, including paintings, sculptures, and religious objects.
Gray is the site of France's National [[Esperanto]] Museum.
<gallery>
File:Grande bibliotheque-Gray01.jpg|[[Library of Gray|The Great Library]]
File:Merry-Joseph Blondel, The Death of Hyacinthus.jpg|''The death of [[Hyacinth (mythology)|Hyacinthus]]'' by [[Merry-Joseph Blondel]], [[Musée Alexandre Martin (Baron)|Musée Baron Martin]]
</gallery>
== Notable people ==
* [[Claude François Devosge]] (1697-1777), a sculptor and architect.
* [[François Devosge]] (1732-1811), a portraitist and history painter.
* [[Jean-Baptiste L. Romé de l'Isle]] (1736–1790), mineralogist, a creator of modern [[crystallography]].<ref>{{Cite EB1911 |wstitle= Romé de l'Isle, Jean Baptiste Louis |volume = 23 |last= |first= |author-link= |page=685 |short=1}}</ref>
* [[Marguerite de Gourbillon]] (1737-1817), a noble and lady-in-waiting.
* [[Antoine Augustin Cournot]] (1801–1877), philosopher and mathematician, helped develop [[economics]].
* [[Ferdinand de Lanoye]] (1810–1870), a writer.
* [[Anne Michaut]] (born 1972), a sprint canoeist.
==Transport==
There is a bus station.
==See also==
*[[Communes of the Haute-Saône department]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Commons category|Gray (Haute-Saône)}}
{{Haute-Saône communes}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Haute-Saone}}
[[Category:Communes of Haute-Saône]]
{{HauteSaône-geo-stub}}