Bouxières-aux-Dames

Bouxières-aux-Dames
Commune
Bouxières-aux-Dames
Location within Grand Est region  Bouxières-aux-Dames
Coordinates: 48°45′10″N 6°09′49″E / 48.7528°N 6.1636°E / 48.7528; 6.1636Coordinates: 48°45′10″N 6°09′49″E / 48.7528°N 6.1636°E / 48.7528; 6.1636
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Department	Meurthe-et-Moselle
Arrondissement	Nancy
Canton	Entre Seille et Meurthe
Intercommunality	Bassin de Pompey
Government
• Mayor (2001–2008)	Gérard Haquin
Area1	4.11 km2 (1.59 sq mi)
Population (2012)2	4,134
• Density	1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	54090 /54136
Elevation	180–361 m (591–1,184 ft) (avg. 220 m or 720 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Bouxières-aux-Dames is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in northeastern France.

The village is located on the slope of a hill, directed south-north. It overlooks the confluent of Moselle and of Meurthe within its north-north-west. It is located at the north-north-east of Nancy, along the motorway A31. The village is divided into five parts:

The name of Bouxières comes from the Latin word buxus which means boxwood. The history of Bouxières-aux-Dames is closely related to its abbey of chanoinesses or ladies ("dames" in French), founded by Saint Gauzelin. Issued from a noble Frankish family, he was a notary of the royal chancellery when King Charles the Simple made him bishop of Toul. Following a visit to Fleury Abbey near Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire he founded in Lorraine the male monastery of Saint-Epvre and the female monastery of Bouxières-aux-Dames. He lived in poverty and died into 962. The legend says that a stag appeared to him indicating where to found the abbey. Later on, to be a chanoinesse, several districts of nobility will be required.

The treasure of the abbey is kept in Nancy cathedral. It comprises in particular five objects: a chalice [1], a patene [2], a gospel book [3] covered with a binding of goldsmithery, a ring of the prelate and a comb of ivory. Some rare stone remainders are visible on the top of the hill in "rue des chanoinesses" (chanoinesses street). The abbey persisted until 1787 when the chanoinesses who were bored with Bouxières-aux-Dames wanted to take advantage of the city life and settled in Nancy close to Bonsecours. The abbey was used as a stone quarry and was destroyed after French Revolution. Several houses re-used its stones.