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François Fénelon

François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon, PSS, more commonly known as François Fénelon (6 August 1651 – 7 January 1715), was a French Catholic archbishop, theologian, poet and writer. Today, he is remembered mostly as the author of The Adventures of Telemachus, first published in 1699. He was a member of the Sulpician Fathers.

Childhood and education, 1651–75
Fénelon was born on 6 August 1651 at the Château de Fénelon, in Sainte-Mondane, Périgord, Aquitaine, in the Dordogne river valley, the second of the three children of Pons de Salignac, Comte de La Mothe-Fénelon by his wife Louise de La Cropte. Reduced to the status of "impecunious old nobility" by François' time, the La Mothe-Fénelons had produced leaders in both Church and state. His uncle Francois currently served as bishop of nearby Sarlat, a see in which fifteen generations of the Fénelon family had filled the episcopal chair. "In fact, so many members of the family occupied the position that it had begun to be considered as practically a familial apanage to which the Salignac-Fénelon had a right as seigneurs of the locality"

Fénelon's early education was provided in the Château de Fénelon by private tutors, who gave him a thorough grounding in the language and literature of the Greek and Latin classics. In 1663, at age 12, he was sent to the University of Cahors, where he studied rhetoric and philosophy under the influence of the Jesuit ratio studiorum. When the young man expressed interest in a career in the church, his uncle, the Marquis Antoine de Fénelon (a friend of Jean-Jacques Olier and Vincent de Paul) arranged for him to study at the Collège du Plessis in Paris, whose theology students followed the same curriculum as the theology students at the Sorbonne. While there, he became friends with Antoine de Noailles, who later became a cardinal and the Archbishop of Paris. Fénelon demonstrated so much talent at the Collège du Plessis that at age 15, he was asked to give a public sermon. About 1672 (i.e. around the time he was 21 years old), Fénelon's uncle managed to get him enrolled in the Séminaire de Saint-Sulpice, the Sulpician seminary in Paris.

Early years as a priest, 1675–85
Around 1675 (when he would have been 24), Fénelon was ordained as a priest. He initially dreamed of becoming a missionary to the East, but instead, and at the instigation of friends, he preached in Sulpician parishes and performed routine pastoral work as his reputation for eloquence began to grow.

In early 1679, François Harlay de Champvallon, Archbishop of Paris, selected Fénelon as director of Nouvelles-Catholiques, a community in Paris for young Huguenot girls, who had been removed from their families and were about to join the Church of Rome. In 1687, he published a pedagogical work, Traité de l'éducation des filles (Treatise on the Education of Girls), which brought him much attention, not only in France, but abroad as well.

From 1681 to 1695, Fénelon was prior of the fortified monastery at Carennac.

Missionary to the Huguenots, 1686–87
During this period, Fénelon had become friends with his future rival Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet. When Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes in 1685, the Church began a campaign to send the greatest orators in the country into the regions of France with the highest concentration of Huguenots to persuade them of the errors of Protestantism. Upon Bossuet's suggestion, Fénelon was included in this group, alongside such oratorical greats as Louis Bourdaloue and Esprit Fléchier.

He spent the next three years in the Saintonge region of France preaching to Protestants. He persuaded the king to remove troops from the region and tried to avoid outright displays of religious oppression. But, in the end, he was willing to resort to force to make Protestants listen to his message. He believed that "to be obliged to do good is always an advantage and that heretics and schismatics, when forced to apply their minds to the consideration of truth, eventually lay aside their erroneous beliefs, whereas they would never have examined these matters had not authority constrained them."

Important friends, 1687–89
During this period, Fénelon assisted Bossuet during his lectures on the Bible at Versailles. It was probably at Bossuet's urging that he now composed his Réfutation du système de Malebranche sur la nature et sur la grâce, a work in which he attacked Nicolas Malebranche's views on optimism, the creation, and the Incarnation. This work was not published until 1820, long after Fénelon's death.

Fénelon also became friendly with the Duc de Beauvilliers and the Duc de Chevreuse, who were married to the daughters of Louis XIV's minister of finance Jean-Baptiste Colbert. He wrote a Treatise on the Existence of God.

In 1688, Fénelon first met his cousin Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon, usually known simply as Madame Guyon. At that time, she was well received in the social circle of the Beauvilliers and Chevreuses. Fénelon was deeply impressed by her piety and actively discipled her. He would later become a devotee and defend her brand of Quietism.

Royal tutor, 1689–97
In 1689, Louis XIV named Fénelon's friend the Duc de Beauvilliers as governor of the royal grandchildren. Upon Beauvilliers' recommendation, Fénelon was named the tutor of the Dauphin's eldest son, the seven-year-old Duke of Burgundy, who was second in line for the throne. This brought him a good deal of influence at court.

As tutor, Fénelon was charged with guiding the character formation of a future King of France. He wrote several important works specifically to guide his young charge. These include his Fables and his Dialogues des Morts.

But by far the most lasting of his works that Fénelon composed for the duke was his Les Aventures de Télémaque [The Adventures of Telemachus, Son of Ulysses], written in 1693–94. On its surface, The Adventures of Telemachus was a novel about Ulysses' son Telemachus. On another level, it became a biting attack on the divine right absolute monarchy which was the dominant ideology of Louis XIV's France. In sharp contrast to Bossuet, who, when tutor to the Dauphin, had written Politique tirée de l'Écriture sainte which affirmed the divine foundations of absolute monarchy while also exhorting the future king to use restraint and wisdom in exercising his absolute power, Fénelon went so far as to write "Good kings are rare and the generality of monarchs bad".

French literary historian Jean-Claude Bonnet calls Télémaque "the true key to the museum of the eighteenth-century imagination". One of the most popular works of the century, it became an immediate best seller both in France and abroad, going through many editions and translated into every European language and even Latin verse (first in Berlin in 1743, then in Paris by Étienne Viel [1737-87]). It inspired numerous imitations, such as the Abbé Jean Terrasson's novel Life of Sethos (1731), which in turn inspired Mozart's Magic Flute. It also more directly supplied the plot for Mozart's opera, Idomeneo (1781). Scenes from Télémaque appeared in wallpaper. The American president Andrew Jackson wallpapered the entrance hall to his slave plantation, The Hermitage, in Tennessee, with scenes from Telemachus on the Island of Calypso.

Most believed Fénelon's tutorship resulted in a dramatic improvement in the young duke's behaviour. Even the memoirist Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, who generally disliked Fénelon, admitted that when Fénelon became tutor, the duke was a spoiled, violent child; when Fénelon left him, the duke had learned the lessons of self-control as well as being thoroughly impressed with a sense of his future duties. Telemachus is therefore widely seen as the most thorough exposition of the brand of reformism in the Beauvilliers-Chevreuse circle, which hoped that following Louis XIV's death, his brand of autocracy could be replaced by a monarchy less centralized and less absolute, and with a greater role for aristocrats such as Beauvilliers and Chevreuse.

In 1693, Fénelon was elected to Seat 34 of the Académie française.

In 1694, the king named Fénelon Abbot of Saint-Valery, a lucrative post worth 14,000 livres a year.

The early- to mid-1690s are significant since it was during this period that Mme de Maintenon (quasi-morganatic wife of Louis XIV since roughly 1684) began to regularly consult Fénelon on matters of conscience. Also, since Fénelon had a reputation as an expert on educating girls, she sought his advice on the house of Saint-Cyr which she was founding for girls.

In February 1696, the king nominated Fénelon to become the Archbishop of Cambrai while at the same time asking him to remain in his position as tutor to the duke of Burgundy. Fénelon accepted, and he was consecrated by his old friend Bossuet in August.

Quietist controversy, 1697–99
As already noted, Fénelon had met Madam Guyon in 1688 and became an admirer of her work.

In 1697, following a visit by Mme Guyon to Mme de Maintenon's school at Saint-Cyr, Paul Godet des Marais, Bishop of Chartres (Saint-Cyr was located within his diocese) expressed concerns about Mme Guyon's orthodoxy to Mme de Maintenon. The bishop noted that Mme Guyon's opinions bore striking similarities to Miguel de Molinos' Quietism, which Pope Innocent XI condemned in 1687. Mme de Maintenon responded by requesting an ecclesiastical commission to examine Mme Guyon's orthodoxy: the commission consisted of two of Fénelon's old friends, Bossuet and de Noailles, as well as the head of the Sulpician order of which Fénelon was a member. The commission sat at Issy and, after six months of deliberations, delivered its opinion in the Articles d'Issy, 34 articles which briefly condemned certain of Mme Guyon's opinions, as well as set forth a brief exposition of the Catholic view of prayer. Both Fénelon and the Bishop of Chartres signed the articles, as did all three commission members. Mme Guyon immediately submitted to the decision.

At Issy, the commission asked Bossuet to follow up the Articles with an exposition. Bossuet thus proceeded to write Instructions sur les états d'oraison, which he submitted to the commission members, as well as to the Bishop of Chartres and Fénelon, requesting their signatures before its publication. Fénelon refused to sign, arguing that Mme Guyon had already admitted her mistakes and there was no point in further condemning her. Furthermore, Fénelon disagreed with Bossuet's interpretation of the Articles d'Issy, as he wrote in Explication des Maximes des Saints (a work often regarded as his masterpiece - English: Maxims of the Saints). Fénelon interpreted the Articles d'Issy in a way much more sympathetic to the Quietist viewpoint than Bossuet proposed.

Louis XIV responded to the controversy by chastising Bossuet for not warning him earlier of Fénelon's opinions and ordered Bossuet, de Noailles, and the Bishop of Chartres to respond to the Maximes des Saints. Shocked that his grandson's tutors held such views, the king removed Fénelon from his post as royal tutor and ordered Fénelon to remain within the boundaries of the archdiocese of Cambrai.

This unleashed two years of pamphlet warfare as the two sides traded opinions. On 12 March 1699, the Inquisition formally condemned the Maximes des Saints, with Pope Innocent XII listing 23 specific propositions as unorthodox.

Fénelon immediately declared that he submitted to the pope's authority and set aside his own opinion. With this, the Quietist matter was dropped.

However, that same year, The Adventures of Telemachus was published. This book also enraged Louis XIV, for it appeared to question his regime's very foundations. Thus, even after Fénelon abjured his Quietist views, the king refused to revoke his order forbidding Fénelon from leaving his archdiocese.

Later years

As Archbishop of Cambrai, Fénelon spent most of his time in the archiepiscopal palace, but also spent several months of each year visiting churches and other institutions within his archdiocese. He preached in his cathedral on festival days, and took an especial interest in seminary training and in examining candidates for the priesthood prior to their ordination.

During the War of the Spanish Succession, Spanish troops encamped in his archdiocese (an area France had only recently captured from Spain), but they never interfered with the exercise of his archiepiscopal duties. Warfare, however, produced refugees, and Fénelon opened his palace to refugees fleeing the ongoing conflict.

"For Fénelon all wars were civil wars. Humanity was a single society and all wars within it the greatest evil, for he argued that one's obligation to mankind as a whole was always greater than what was owed to one's particular country."

During these latter years, Fénelon wrote a series of anti-Jansenist works. The impetus was the publication of the Cas de Conscience, which revived the old Jansenist distinction between questions of law and questions of fact, and argued that though the church had the right to condemn certain opinions as heretical, it did not have the right to oblige one to believe that these opinions were actually contained in Cornelius Jansen's Augustinus. The treatises, sermons, and pastoral letters Fénelon wrote in response occupy seven volumes in his collected works. Fénelon particularly condemned Pasquier Quesnel's Réflexions morales sur le Nouveau Testament. His writings contributed to the tide of scholarly opinion which led to Pope Clement XI's 1713 bull Unigenitus, condemning Quesnel's opinions.

Although confined to the Cambrai archdiocese in his later years, Fénelon continued to act as a spiritual director for Mme de Maintenon, as well as the ducs de Chevreuse and de Beauvilliers, the duke of Burgundy, and other prominent individuals.

Fénelon's later years were blighted by the deaths of many of his close friends. Shortly before his death, he asked Louis XIV to replace him with a man opposed to Jansenism and loyal to the Sulpician order. He died on 7 January 1715.

Fénelon as reformer and defender of human rights
Fénelon wrote about the dangers of power in government. Historian Paul Hazard remarks that the author posed hard questions for his fictional hero Telemachus to put to Idomeneus, King of Salente: "...those same questions, in the same sorrowing tone, Fénelon puts to to his pupil, the Duc de Bourgogne, against the day, when he will have to take over the royal power: Do you understand the constitution of kingship? Have you acquainted yourself with the moral obligations of Kings? Have you sought means of bringing comfort to the people? The evils that are engendered by absolute power, by incompetent administration, by war, how will you shield your subjects from them? And when in 1711, the same Duc de Bourgogne became Dauphin of France, it was a whole string of reforms that Fénelon submitted to him in preparation for his accession"

Fénelon defended universal human rights, and the unity of humankind. He wrote:

"A people is no less a member of the human race, which is society as a whole, than a family is a member of a particular nation. Each individual owes incomparably more to the human race, which is the great fatherland, than to the particular country in which he was born. As a family is to the nation, so is the nation to the universal commonweal; wherefore it is infinitely more harmful for nation to wrong nation, than for family to wrong family. To abandon the sentiment of humanity is not merely to renounce civilization and to relapse into barbarism, it is to share in the blindness of the most brutish brigands and savages; it is to be a man no longer, but a cannibal."

He also wrote of women's education as a means against heresy.

"The world is not abstraction; it is the sum total of families; and who can civilize it more effectively than women . . .  .  [The concerns of women] are scarcely less important to the public than those of men, since women have a household to rule, a husband to make happy, and children to bring up well .  .  .  .   In short, one has to consider not only the good which women do when they are well brought up, but also the evil which they cause in the world when they lack an education which inspires them to virtue...""

Works

 * The Adventures of Telemachus, 10.3931/e-rara-79368 (Digitized Edition at E-rara).
 * Treatise on the Education of Daughters
 * Dialogues of the dead
 * Lives of the ancient philosophers
 * Christian Perfection
 * The Existence of God
 * Let Go
 * The Royal Way of the Cross
 * Maxims of the Mystics
 * The Inner Life
 * Spiritual Letters (2 volumes, letters to men; letters to women, Rivingtons, London, 1877)

Fénelon's Inner Life and Tozer
Rev. A. W. Tozer highly praises François Fénelon's Inner Life (Christian Perfection), valuing its profound spiritual insights and practical guidance for deepening one’s relationship with God. Tozer regards it as an essential read for those earnest in pursuing a devout Christian life, emphasizing its timeless significance.

Tozer cherished Fénelon's Christian Perfection deeply, never lending it out, and considered it an unparalleled aid to spiritual life.

Later Reference by William Godwin
William Godwin referenced Fenelon in book II, chapter II of his Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, as an example of man whose life and continued authorship of important works was so valuable to society at large, that if his palace was in flames and someone was in a position to rescue either Fenelon or his valet (some editions say chambermaid), we should rescue Fenelon, even if the servant was our close relative.

Biography

 * H. L. Sidney Lear, Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambrai: A Biographical Sketch (London, 1877)
 * Stafford Harry Northcote, Viscount Saint Cyres, François de Fénelon (London: Methuen & Co., 1901)

title: François Fénelon


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Op art

Op art, short for optical art, is a style of visual art that uses optical illusions.

Op artworks are abstract, with many better-known pieces created in black and white. Typically, they give the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images, flashing and vibrating patterns, or swelling or warping.

History

Illusionism, focused on the perception of extended space within a flat picture, is found from the earliest points of art history. However, the antecedents of op art, in terms of graphic effects and concern for exotic optical illusions, can be traced back to Neo-Impressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Constructivism and Dada. The Divisionists, a group of Neo-Impressionist painters, attempted to increase the apparent luminosity of their paintings through recourse to optics and optical illusions. László Moholy-Nagy produced photographic op art and taught the subject in the Bauhaus; one of his lessons consisted of making his students produce holes in cards and then photographing them.

Time magazine coined the term op art in 1964, in response to Julian Stanczak's show Optical Paintings at the Martha Jackson Gallery, to mean a form of abstract art (specifically non-objective art) that uses optical illusions. Works now described as "op art" had been produced for several years before Time's 1964 article. For instance, Victor Vasarely's painting Zebras (1938) is made up entirely of curvilinear black and white stripes not contained by contour lines. Consequently, the stripes appear to both meld into and burst forth from the surrounding background. Also, the early black and white "dazzle" panels that John McHale installed at the This Is Tomorrow exhibit in 1956 and his Pandora series at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1962 demonstrate proto-op art tendencies. Martin Gardner featured op art and its relation to mathematics in his July 1965 Mathematical Games column in Scientific American. In Italy, Franco Grignani, who originally trained as an architect, became a leading force of graphic design where op art or kinetic art was central. His Woolmark logo (launched in Britain in 1964) is probably the most famous of all his designs.

Op art perhaps more closely derives from the constructivist practices of the Bauhaus. This German school, founded by Walter Gropius, stressed the relationship of form and function within a framework of analysis and rationality. Students learned to focus on the overall design or entire composition to present unified works. Op art also stems from trompe-l'œil and anamorphosis. Links with psychological research have also been made, particularly with Gestalt theory and psychophysiology. When the Bauhaus was forced to close in 1933, many of its instructors fled to the United States. There, the movement took root in Chicago and eventually at the Black Mountain College in Asheville, North Carolina, where Anni and Josef Albers eventually taught.

"Op artists thus managed to exploit various phenomena,' writes Popper, 'the after-image and consecutive movement; line interference; the effect of dazzle; ambiguous figures and reversible perspective; successive colour contrasts and chromatic vibration; and in three-dimensional works different viewpoints and the superimposition of elements in space."

In 1955, for the exhibition Mouvements at the Denise René gallery in Paris, Victor Vasarely and Pontus Hulten promoted in their "Yellow manifesto" some new kinetic expressions based on optical and luminous phenomenon as well as painting illusionism. The expression kinetic art in this modern form first appeared at the Museum für Gestaltung of Zürich in 1960, and found its major developments in the 1960s. In most European countries, it generally includes the form of optical art that mainly makes use of optical illusions, like op art, as well as art based on movement represented by Yacov Agam, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Jesús Rafael Soto, Gregorio Vardanega or Nicolas Schöffer. From 1961 to 1968, the Groupe de Recherche d'Art Visuel (GRAV) founded by François Morellet, Julio Le Parc, Francisco Sobrino, Horacio Garcia Rossi, Yvaral, Joël Stein and Vera Molnár was a collective group of opto-kinetic artists that—according to its 1963 manifesto—appealed to the direct participation of the public with an influence on its behavior, notably through the use of interactive labyrinths.

Some members of the group Nouvelle tendance (1961–1965) in Europe also were engaged in op art as Almir Mavignier and Gerhard von Graevenitz, mainly with their serigraphics. They studied optical illusions. The term op irritated many of the artists labeled under it, specifically including Albers and Stanczak. They had discussed upon the birth of the term a better label, namely perceptual art. From 1964, Arnold Schmidt (Arnold Alfred Schmidt) had several solo exhibitions of his large, black and white shaped optical paintings exhibited at the Terrain Gallery in New York.

The Responsive Eye
In 1965, between February 23 and April 25, an exhibition called The Responsive Eye, created by William C. Seitz, was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and toured to St. Louis, Seattle, Pasadena, and Baltimore. The works shown were wide-ranging, encompassing the minimalism of Frank Stella and Ellsworth Kelly, the smooth plasticity of Alexander Liberman, the collaborative efforts of the Anonima group, alongside the well-known Wojciech Fangor, Victor Vasarely, Julian Stanczak, Richard Anuszkiewicz, Wen-Ying Tsai, Bridget Riley and Getulio Alviani. The exhibition focused on the perceptual aspects of art, which result both from the illusion of movement and the interaction of color relationships.

The exhibition was a success with the public (visitor attendance was over 180,000), but less so with the critics. Critics dismissed op art as portraying nothing more than trompe-l'œil, or tricks that fool the eye. Regardless, the public's acceptance increased, and op art images were used in a number of commercial contexts. One of Brian de Palma's early works was a documentary film on the exhibition.

Black-and-white and the figure-ground relationship
Op art is a perceptual experience related to how vision functions. It is a dynamic visual art that stems from a discordant figure-ground relationship that puts the two planes—foreground and background—in a tense and contradictory juxtaposition. Artists create op art in two primary ways. The first, best known method, is to create effects through pattern and line. Often these paintings are black and white, or shades of gray (grisaille)—as in Bridget Riley's early paintings such as Current (1964), on the cover of The Responsive Eye catalog. Here, black and white wavy lines are close to one another on the canvas surface, creating a volatile figure-ground relationship. Getulio Alviani used aluminum surfaces, which he treated to create light patterns that change as the watcher moves (vibrating texture surfaces). Another reaction that occurs is that the lines create after-images of certain colors due to how the retina receives and processes light. As Goethe demonstrates in his treatise Theory of Colours, at the edge where light and dark meet, color arises because lightness and darkness are the two central properties in the creation of color.

Color
Beginning in 1965 Bridget Riley began to produce color-based op art; however, other artists, such as Julian Stanczak and Richard Anuszkiewicz, were always interested in making color the primary focus of their work. Josef Albers taught these two primary practitioners of the "Color Function" school at Yale in the 1950s. Often, colorist work is dominated by the same concerns of figure-ground movement, but they have the added element of contrasting colors that produce different effects on the eye. For instance, in Anuszkiewicz's "temple" paintings, the juxtaposition of two highly contrasting colors provokes a sense of depth in illusionistic three-dimensional space so that it appears as if the architectural shape is invading the viewer's space.

Similarities with other art styles
Although op art is a unique style, it has similarities with styles such as abstract expressionism (color field painting). Although color field painting does not give us illusions, similarities can still be found. We can see that both of these styles are minimalist, only a few colors prevail, and no object or plot is shown. These styles can cause us emotion, since there is no clear plot, the human mind itself imagines and interprets it in its own way. Cold colors are usually associated with sadness, while warm colors are associated with joy. Also, op art and color field painting are characterized by the fact that the image is aesthetic and orderly.

Exhibitions

 * L'Œil moteur: Art optique et cinétique 1960–1975, Musée d'art moderne et contemporain, Strasbourg, France, May 13–September 25, 2005.
 * Op Art, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, Germany, February 17–May 20, 2007.
 * The Optical Edge, The Pratt Institute of Art, New York, March 8–April 14, 2007.
 * Optic Nerve: Perceptual Art of the 1960s, Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio, February 16–June 17, 2007.
 * CLE OP: Cleveland Op Art Pioneers, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio, April 9, 2011 – February 26, 2012
 * Bridget Riley has had several international exhibitions (e.g. Dia Center, New York, 2000; Tate Britain, London, 2003; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 2004).

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Op art


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Barrie

Barrie is a city in Central Ontario, Canada, about 90 km north of Toronto. The city is within Simcoe County and located along the shores of Kempenfelt Bay. Although it is physically in the county, Barrie is politically independent. The city is part of the extended urban area in southern Ontario known as the Greater Golden Horseshoe. As of the 2021 census, the city's population was 147,829, while the census metropolitan area had a population of 212,667 residents.

The area was first settled during the War of 1812 as a supply depot for British forces, and Barrie was named after Sir Robert Barrie. The city has grown significantly in recent decades due to the emergence of the technology industry. It is connected to the Greater Golden Horseshoe by Ontario Highway 400 and GO Transit. Significant sectors of the city's diversified economy include education, healthcare, information technology and manufacturing.

Before 1900
Barrie is situated on the traditional land of the Wendat and Anishinaabeg peoples. At its inception, Barrie was an establishment of houses and warehouses at the foot of the Nine Mile Portage from Kempenfelt Bay to Fort Willow, an indigenous transportation route that existed centuries before Europeans arrived in Simcoe County. The portage linked Kempenfelt Bay through Willow Creek, connecting Lake Simcoe to the Nottawasaga River which flows into Georgian Bay off Lake Huron.

Barrie played an integral role in the War of 1812. During the war, the city became a supply depot for British forces and, in addition, the Nine Mile Portage was adopted by the British military as a key piece of their supply line which provided a strategic path for communication, personnel and vital supplies and equipment to and from Fort Willow and Georgian Bay/Lake Huron. Today, the Nine Mile Portage is marked by signs along roads in Barrie and in Springwater Township. The scenic path from Memorial Square to Fort Willow is accessible to visitors year-round.

In 1815, Treaty 16 was signed, which transferred 250,000 acres of land from the Chippewa people to the colonial government. In 1818, Treaty 18 was signed, which resulted in the surrender of an additional 1,592,000 acres of land. The British supply depot would continue to prove useful for portaging Europeans and settlers making their way to northern and western Upper Canada.

The city was named in 1833 after Sir Robert Barrie, who was in charge of the naval forces in Canada and frequently commanded forces through the city and along the Nine Mile Portage. Barrie was also the final destination for a branch of the Underground Railroad. In the mid-19th century, this network of secret routes allowed many American slaves to enter Barrie and the surrounding area. This contributed to the development (and name) of nearby Shanty Bay. In 1846, the population of Barrie was roughly 500, mostly from England, Ireland and Scotland. A private school, three churches, a brick courthouse and a limestone jail, (built in 1842), were in operation. Local businesses included three taverns, six stores, three tanneries, a wagon maker, a bakery, a cabinet maker and six shoemakers, as well as a bank.

By 1869, Barrie became the county seat of Simcoe County, flourishing with a population of over 3,000 people. With this population increase came the establishment of prominent businesses and landmarks. In 1850, Edward Marks had established the Barrie Hotel (now called the Queen's Hotel), the oldest continuously running hotel in Barrie, James and Joseph Anderton established the Anderton Brewery in 1869, which would go on to be one of Barrie's largest employers for years, and Edmund Lally opened one of the Canadian Bank of Commerce's original branches in Barrie in 1867. A line of the Northern Railway was opened in 1853, connecting Barrie with Toronto and several other municipalities in Simcoe County and Muskoka. The Hamilton and North-Western Railway (H&NW) also ran through Barrie, and the two railways would eventually reorganize into the Northern and North Western Railway in June 1879. Allandale Station was the primary train station serving Barrie at the time. The Grand Trunk Railway purchased the original Northern Railway in 1888, and the line serving Barrie would become a branch of the Canadian National Railway (CNR). Throughout the latter of the 19th century, steamships ran from Barrie to the Muskoka Territory, Orillia and other communities and stages were taking passengers to Penetanguishene.

The period of 1870 to 1890 defined Barrie's downtown development with a series of raging fires that sequentially destroyed multiple landmarks, giving rise to the moniker that Barrie was "among the best burning towns in Canada." Many local businesses like breweries, tanneries and sawmills depended on fire to operate, endangering the ramshackle assortment of wooden homes and buildings that made up the city centre.

One of the most destructive fires came in mid-1875 when the entire section north of Dunlop Street to Collier Street, bounded by Clapperton and Owen Streets, was reduced to ash, destroying around 20 local businesses.

20th century
In the next century, the modern streets and buildings of Barrie began to take form in a massive rebuilding process. Other landmarks to eventually burn down over the years include the Queen's Hotel (1915) and two of Barrie's largest and most prominent companies; the Sevigny Carriage Shop and the Anderton Brewery in 1916.

During the First World War, residents of Barrie helped to construct Canadian Forces Base Borden (CFB Borden) as a means of additional support and to serve as a major training centre of Canadian Expeditionary Force battalions. The base would open on July 11, 1916, and since then has become the largest Canadian Forces Base in Canada, playing an important role through the remainder of the war by training some 350,000 troops for deployment in Europe. During World War II, the Royal Canadian Navy named a Flower-class corvette HMCS Barrie.

On September 7, 1977, a private aircraft, owned by Falconbridge Nickel Mines Ltd, dropped altitude to 500 ft in dense fog and struck CKVR's 1,000 ft transmitter tower, killing all five people aboard the plane and destroying the tower and antenna. The station's 225 ft auxiliary tower was also destroyed with damage to the main studio building. CKVR returned to the air on September 19 at a reduced power of 40,000 watts until a new 1,000 ft tower was built in 1978.

The 1980s and 1990s was a period of substantial growth for Barrie, with the population tripling in the span of 25 years. In 1981, the city had a population of 38,423; in 2006, Barrie had 128,430 residents living within city limits. The first larger scale developments would begin during this time, including high-density waterfront condos and the new Barrie City Hall which started construction in October 1985.

On May 31, 1985, Barrie was struck by a devastating F4 tornado that killed eight people. Over 600 homes were damaged or destroyed by the tornado, and of those roughly one-third were rendered uninhabitable. About 155 people were also injured during the storm, and the tornado remains today one of the most destructive and violent in Canadian history. The tornado caused $150 million (1985 CAD), equivalent to $326 million CAD as of 2022.

Between June 12–13, 1987, a sculpture called Spirit Catcher by Ron Baird was moved to Barrie from Vancouver, British Columbia, where it had been exhibited as part of Expo '86. The sculpture was permanently erected at the foot of Maple Avenue on the shore of Kempenfelt Bay and has since become a major Barrie landmark and tourist attraction. However, with the re-development along the waterfront and Lakeshore Drive, the city is considering moving the Spirit Catcher to a gravel outcropping at the foot of Bayfield Street.

21st century
On January 12, 2004, the former Molsons plant was found to be home to an illegal marijuana grow-op housing an estimated 30,000 marijuana plants with an estimated street value of $30 million (~$ in ); at the time, it was the largest marijuana grow-op bust in Canada's history.

Barrie's Park Place (formerly Molson Park) was chosen to host Live 8 Canada on July 2, 2005. The overall success of the concert helped support a plan to convert the former Molson Park lands into a commercial district. Construction of Park Place began in 2008 but was temporarily interrupted by the Great Recession and an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) appeal that proposed a rezoning of the Park Place lands that was initially denied by the City of Barrie. Construction resumed in 2010.

An explosion in the Royal Thai restaurant, housed in the landmark Wellington Hotel at the "Five Points" intersection in downtown Barrie, occurred at 11:20pm on December 6, 2007. The fire quickly spread to several neighbouring buildings and firefighters battled the blaze well into the following morning, requiring assistance from other Simcoe County fire services. Officials estimated the damages to be in the millions. The 100-year-old Wellington Hotel building collapsed later in the morning. On February 17, 2008, two people were charged in connection with the fire after the Ontario Fire Marshal's office concluded the explosion and subsequent fire were the result of arson.

In 2013, Barrie was twinned with the English town of Harrogate as a result of Sir Robert Barrie's close connection to it.

On July 15, 2021, a tornado struck neighbourhoods in south Barrie, leaving several people injured and causing serious damage to property. Environment Canada categorized it as an EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.

Geography
Barrie is located in the central portion of southern Ontario, approximately 90 km north of Toronto within the Greater Golden Horseshoe subregion. It is accessible via Highways 26, 400 and 11 and has convenient access to Highway 401, the Highway 407 Express Toll Route and to neighbouring Toronto. Toronto Pearson International Airport is less than a one-hour drive from Barrie via Highway 400.

Barrie's historic downtown area is situated in a distinct curved or wrapped valley, surrounding the western edge of Kempenfelt Bay. Terrain is generally flat near the city's centre. Moving up the valley slopes toward the city's north and south ends, the terrain can be rather steep in some areas. The minimum elevation of Barrie is 175 m around the shores of Kempenfelt Bay and the maximum elevation is 427 m northwest of the Lake Simcoe Regional Airport.

Barrie falls into Plant Hardiness Zone 5b. The city does not have any major rivers within its limits but does have numerous creeks and streams, most of which empty into Kempenfelt Bay.

Intraurban communities

 * Allandale
 * Ardagh Bluffs
 * Craighurst
 * Cundles
 * Dalston
 * Downtown
 * Eastview
 * Ferndale
 * Holly
 * Horseshoe Valley
 * Letitia Heights
 * Little Lake
 * Minet's Point
 * Painswick
 * St. Paul's
 * The Grove

Expansion
Barrie has been designated an Urban Growth Centre by the province of Ontario. As one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, this designation aims to mitigate urban sprawl and concentrate higher-density development in areas specified by the City of Barrie. Its population growth can be attributed to the emergence of the city as a bedroom community for Toronto. In 1991, Barrie had a population of 62,728 and by 2017, Barrie had an estimated population of 147,000. By 2031, the city's population is expected to exceed 200,000 people. To plan for the continued growth of the city, Barrie successfully annexed 2,293 hectare of land from the neighbouring Town of Innisfil to the south and southeast on January 1, 2010. The annexation comprised lands south beyond McKay Road and west of the 10th Sideroad, and as far south as Lockhart Road on the east side of the 10th Sideroad. The annexation allows Barrie to meet its future population needs without having to extend into the countryside north, east and west of the city. Intensification and infilling are simultaneously being undertaken in and near the downtown core to foster a more active urban environment within the city.

Climate
Barrie has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb), with warm, humid summers, and cold, snowy winters. The coldest month is January with a mean temperature of -8.1 C, while the warmest month is July with a mean of 19.6 C.

Winters are cold with frequent snowfall, the January average high temperature being -3.2 C. Barrie is located in a snowbelt, a region that experiences regular lake-effect snow every year. Snow squalls are a common occurrence between November and January when the water is warmest on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. The city averages 286 cm of snow annually, the brunt of which coming from lake-effect snow events. Alberta clippers and Colorado lows also generate ample snowfall in the region. Snow cover begins to build by the end of November, accumulating through December, and then lies through the end of February. March sees the spring thaw commence, with the snow cover being essentially gone by the beginning of April. Temperatures commonly drop to -20.0 C and occasionally drop to -30.0 C on the coldest nights of the year.

Summers in Barrie are warm and sometimes hot, humid, and long with pleasant summer-like temperatures persisting into October most years. The average temperature in July is 19.6 C. Thunderstorms are very common in the summer months in Barrie due to the city being in a convergence zone. Thunderstorms can occasionally be severe, bringing with them torrential rain, very strong winds and hail. Tornadoes are generally rare in the city however an F4 tornado did strike Barrie in 1985. Barrie's average frost-free period is from May 26 to September 16, allowing a growing season of 113 days.

Precipitation falls year round but is typically heaviest in the summer months due to thunderstorm activity. The driest months are February through April, receiving around 60.0 mm of precipitation each month per annum. The wettest months are August and September, seeing upwards of 90.0 mm of precipitation each month. November is also a wet month, receiving 88.9 mm of precipitation in the form of both rain and snow. October interestingly remains relatively dry in comparison to the months preceding and succeeding it. Despite this however, October has the most precipitation days and rainy days out of every month with 15.6 and 15.5 respectively.

The coldest temperature ever recorded in Barrie was -38.9 C on January 8, 1886. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 38.9 C on July 5, 1911.

Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Barrie had a population of $147,829$ living in $55,316$ of its $57,276$ total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of $141,434$. With a land area of 99.01 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

At the census metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Barrie CMA had a population of $212,856$ living in $78,540$ of its $82,649$ total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of $197,059$. With a land area of 897.26 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Ethnicity
As of the 2021 census Barrie was approximately 77.9% white, 17.1% visible minorities and 5.0% Indigenous. The largest visible minority groups in the city were South Asian (4.4%), Black (3.9%), Latin American (2%), Chinese (1.6%) and Filipino (1.4%).
 * Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses.

Language
The city's French-speaking population was notable, with 9,710 people (6.6% of the total population) capable of speaking French. Some 84.4% of the population spoke mostly English at home.

Religion
According to the 2021 Census, Barrie was 52.5% Christian, down from 66.3% in 2011. 23.6% of Barrie residents were Catholic, 15.9% were Protestants, 8.2% were Christians of unspecified denomination, and 1.5% were Christian Orthodox. Adherents to other denominations of Christianity and Christian-related traditions accounted for 3.4% of the population. 40.8% of Barrie residents were nonreligious/secular, up from 31.0% in 2011. All other religions and spiritual traditions combined make up 6.7% of residents. The largest non-Christian religions in Barrie are Islam (2.5%), Hinduism (1.5%), and Sikhism (0.8%).

Economy
The following are some of the city's major employers:

 * Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre
 * Georgian College and the associated University Partnership Centre and Centre for Health and Wellness
 * City of Barrie
 * County of Simcoe
 * Simcoe County District School Board
 * TD Canada Trust and TD Waterhouse Regional Centre
 * TD Canada Trust Technology and Operations Centre
 * Scotiabank Regional Centre
 * BMO Data Centre
 * IBM Canada Leadership Data Centre
 * The Source Distribution Centre
 * Coca-Cola Bottling Company
 * Canadian Mental Health Association – Simcoe
 * Hydro One Ontario Grid Control Centre

Notwithstanding these major employers, Barrie has increasingly been perceived as a bedroom community for the City of Toronto, which is approximately 90 km south of Barrie. In recent decades however Barrie's economy has diversified, and the local population's reliance on commuting to Toronto has decreased. The city's economy is rooted in retail, education, healthcare, services, manufacturing and technology. Major employers in the city include the Simcoe County District School Board with 6,000 employees along with the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board with 3,400 employees, Georgian College with 2,500 employees and the Royal Victoria Hospital with 2,465 employees.

Barrie has emerged as a growing tech-hub with several companies such as IBM and BMO constructing data centres in the city. Although not as prominent as cities like Markham or Waterloo in the tech industry, Barrie is considered one of the best high-tech centres in the country for small markets.

Tourism
Tourism plays an important role in the local economy. Barrie's historic downtown and waterfront are at the heart of its tourism industry. Downtown Barrie has a number of older buildings that have been kept up over the years or given new facades that exemplify their historical importance. Several specialty shops, boutiques, pubs and restaurants are located throughout downtown Barrie, including along Dunlop Street East. Downtown Barrie is becoming well known for its fashion boutiques, local art, live theatre, indie-music and nightlife scenes. In addition, downtown Barrie is home to several annual festivals and events such as The Barrie Waterfront Festival, Barrielicious, Winterfest, Celebrate Barrie, Ecofest, Jazz & Blues Festival, Promenade Days, Ribfest and Craft Beer Show, Caribfest, Lawnchair Luminata, Kempenfest, The New Music Festival, Barrie Film Festival, Santa Claus Parade and the New Year's Countdown.

In the summer months, the city has several beaches including Minet's Point Beach, Johnsons Beach, The Gables, Tyndale Beach, and Centennial Beach. Boating is also popular in Kempenfelt Bay and Lake Simcoe as it connects to the Trent Severn Waterway. In 2011, Barrie's waterfront was under redevelopment, with the relocation of several roadways to provide more greenspace and parkland along the lakeshore. There are a number of winter recreation activities and facilities in the surrounding area, including skiing, snow tubing and snowboarding resorts, snowmobile, snowshoe and Nordic skiing trails, and ice fishing. Recreational activities include skiing at nearby Horseshoe Resort, Snow Valley, Mount St. Louis Moonstone, Blue Mountain and Hardwood Ski and Bike.

Arts and culture
Barrie is home to a number of performing and fine art venues. There are a number of live performance companies including Theatre by the Bay, Talk Is Free Theatre and the Huronia Symphony. Grove Park Home is the practice hall for On-Stage Performance Group which performs in Cookstown. The Strolling Youth Players and the Kempenfelt Community Players also all perform in Barrie. In addition, an annual live concert series is hosted by Georgian College.

Performing arts
There are two main performing arts venues in the city: the Five Points Theatre, and the Georgian Theatre. Originally, the Five Points Theatre was known as The Mady Centre For The Performing Arts, but it was renamed in January 2018. It is located in Barrie's downtown at the Five Points intersection and was completed in 2011. This modern facility is home to many professional and amateur cultural productions, film screenings, theatrical plays, concerts, dance recitals and other performances. It is also the main venue for Theatre by the Bay and the Talk Is Free Theatre Companies. The venue features a flexible stage area with lighting and sound for professional theatre, music, dance, and other presentations, an automated riser/seating system with capacity for 120-200 seats and a sprung performance floor.

The Georgian Theatre is a professional performing arts facility located in Barrie's north end on the campus of Georgian College. The theatre features a proscenium stage, sound, lights, fly gallery and seating for 427 on the main level, with three pods that can be used to increase the seating capacity to 690. The Theatre is used both for theatrical and non-theatrical activity, including conferences and seminars.

Galleries
The prominent MacLaren Art Centre is located in Barrie. This is an art gallery that inspired the "Art City" project, which has had many different large sculptures installed around the city. These can be found in parks and along the waterfront.

Barrie is also home to many independent galleries and studios. A concentration of independent galleries, studios and boutiques is located in Lakeshore Mews. This area is located behind the downtown's Dunlop Street. Lakeshore Mews artists also organize the annual "Arts ce Soir"; an all-night contemporary art event in celebration of visual, musical, theatrical and literary art.

In addition, a studio tour in the Barrie/Orillia area takes place on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend every year. It is called the Images Studio Tour and has over 25 artists on average. Potters, jewellers, painters, textile artists and fashion designers make up a few of the disciplines of the talents on display.

Festivals
Barrie is home to Kempenfest; one of the largest outdoor arts and crafts celebrations in Ontario. This festival occurs annually over the August long weekend and features over 300 artisans, an antique show, food demonstrations, children's activities and live entertainment, including an indie-music stage.

Since 2021, Barrie has held Open Air Dunlop, in which Dunlop Street downtown is temporarily pedestrianized to attract visitors to the downtown area.

Groups
Some of the main arts and culture groups in the city include:
 * Barrie Art Club
 * Barrie Concert Band
 * Barrie Film Festival
 * Barrie Folk Society
 * Campus Gallery
 * Caribbean Culture Institute
 * Huronia Symphony Orchestra
 * Kempenfelt Community Players
 * King Edward Choir
 * Lyrica Chamber Choir
 * Simcoe Contemporary Dancers
 * Talk Is Free Theatre
 * Theatre By The Bay
 * Kiwanis

Attractions
Barrie has numerous recreational venues and community centres throughout the city:
 * Allandale Recreation Centre
 * Barrie Community Sports Complex
 * Barrie Public Library
 * Dorian Parker Centre
 * East Bayfield Community Centre
 * Eastview Arena
 * Holly Community Centre
 * Lampman Park
 * Lampman Lane Community Centre
 * Parkview Community Centre
 * Southshore Community Centre
 * Victoria Village
 * YMCA of Barrie
 * Shak's World Community Centre

Sports
Barrie is also home to the Mariposa School of Skating, which has trained many world-class figure skaters, including Brian Orser, Elvis Stojko and Jeffrey Buttle.

Municipal
The current mayor of Barrie is Alex Nuttall, who was elected in October 2022, succeeding Jeff Lehman.

Military
Barrie has a long military history dating back to at least the Nine Mile Portage of the War of 1812. By the time of the 1837 Rebellion, Simcoe County had a sufficient population to form a battalion of Sedentary Militia of almost 600 strong. This battalion was involved in marching suspected rebels down Yonge Street to Toronto in order to face justice. By 1855, Barrie was home to an independent company of Rifle Company of militia, followed in 1863 by a company of Infantry. These companies served during the Fenian Raids. With the Militia Act of 1866, the companies in Barrie were respectively organized as Number 1 and Number 5 companies, in the newly formed 35th Battalion of Infantry (Simcoe Foresters), gazetted on September 14, 1866.

In 1885, four companies from the 35th Simcoe Foresters, including those from Barrie, along with four companies from the 12th York Battalion came together to form the York-Simcoe Battalion. This specially raised battalion served in Western Canada during the North-West Rebellion, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel W.E. O'Brien of Shanty Bay, Ontario. For its efforts, The Simcoe Foresters received its first Battle Honour "North West Canada 1885". Citizens of Barrie would next volunteer for military service during the Boer War in South Africa from 1899 to 1902. It was during this conflict that at the Battle of Paardeberg, the citizens of Barrie and The Simcoe Foresters suffered their first fatal casualty, Private James Halkett Findlay. Private Findlay was killed-in-action on February 18, 1900, while serving with C Company of the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment of Infantry.

In 1914, the First World War broke out and many citizens of Barrie were quick to volunteer for service overseas with The Simcoe Foresters. Late the following year, the Regiment was tasked with raising two overseas battalions, the 157th Battalion (Simcoe Foresters), CEF and the 177th Battalion (Simcoe Foresters), CEF. In the spring of 1916, the Barrie and Collingwood companies of the 157th Battalion began clearing the land for the construction of a new military camp on the Simcoe Pines Plain — Camp Borden (now CFB Borden). This began Barrie's long friendship with the Base, hence the reason CFB Borden was used for Canada's Worst Driver 2 and Canada's Worst Driver 5.

With a re-organization of the Canadian Militia between the two world wars, The Simcoe Foresters, headquartered in Barrie, were amalgamated in 1936 with the Grey Regiment, headquartered at Owen Sound, Ontario. This event created the present-day regiment of The Grey and Simcoe Foresters, which is headquartered at the Armoury in Queen's Park, downtown Barrie. With the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, citizens of Barrie volunteered for service overseas with The Grey and Simcoe Foresters, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force. The City of Barrie sponsored a ship in the Royal Canadian Navy, HMCS Barrie, a Flower-class corvette.

Airports
There are no major airports with scheduled flights near Barrie (the closest being Toronto Pearson International Airport, located in Mississauga). There are a few airports that are used for light aviation aircraft:

 * Lake Simcoe Regional Airport
 * Barrie/Little Lake Water Aerodrome
 * Springwater (Barrie Airpark) Aerodrome

Roads
Barrie is served by Provincial Highway 400, which acts as the primary route between Barrie and Toronto. Highway 400 bisects the city on a roughly north–south basis. Highway 26, also located in the city, is the main route to the Collingwood area and is known as Bayfield Street within the city limits. Barrie was once served by Highway 27, Highway 90, Highway 93, Highway 131 and Highway 11. However, the province downgraded many highways in 1997 and 1998; these highways are now known as Simcoe County Road 27, Simcoe County Road 90 (Dunlop Street), and Simcoe County Road 93.

The portion of Highway 11 through Barrie is known as Yonge Street, though it is actually part of the Penetanguishene Road. Major arterial roads within the city include Mapleview Drive, Ferndale Drive, 10th Line, Big Bay Point Road, Essa Road, Huronia Road, Bayfield Street, Cundles Road, Anne Street, Dunlop Street, Livingstone Street, Duckworth Street, Wellington Street and St. Vincent Street.

Public transit
Public transport is provided by Barrie Transit, which operates numerous bus routes within the city. Accessible transit is offered by booking with city run Barrie Accessible Community Transportation Service. Most regular bus routes operated by Barrie Transit are accessible using low floor vehicles. Barrie also has GO Trains and Buses.

Commuter rail
GO Transit connects the city to the Greater Toronto Area through daily train service along the Barrie line, with trains operating from the Allandale Waterfront GO Station and the Barrie South GO Station. This is primarily a commuter rail service to the GTA, with southbound trips to Toronto's Union Station in the morning rush hour and northbound trips in the evening rush hour. Limited weekend service to and from Toronto is also operated. Barrie was once a stop for the Northlander train but re-routing resulted in the termination of service. The former Barrie station serving the Northlander still exists north of the Allandale GO Station.

Intercity and commuter buses
In addition to train service, GO Transit offers daily commuter-oriented bus service to the Greater Toronto Area. Ontario Northland operates bus routes from various locations to and from Barrie. All inter-urban buses operate from the Barrie Transit Terminal at 24 Maple Street.

Barrie once had been served by various private interurban bus lines such as Penetang-Midland Coach Lines and Greyhound Canada, which ran buses between Barrie and Toronto's Yorkdale Bus Terminal. Greyhound operated QuickLink commuter service from Barrie to Toronto seven days a week. In the past Gray Coach offered service from Toronto to Barrie; the route was later acquired by Greyhound. Greyhound Canada ended all service in Ontario on May 13, 2021.

Barrie is also served by Simcoe County LINX, which provides services between municipalities within Simcoe County, including Orillia, Midland and Penetanguishine.

Passenger rail
Historically, Barrie was served by scheduled passenger rail service. Allandale Station was a stop for the Grand Trunk Railway, Canadian National Railway and Via Rail. In addition, Ontario Northland's Northlander used the station as a stop, as did CN Rail/Via Rail (namely The Canadian). Regular passenger rail service to the station ended in the 1980s and has largely been replaced by regional/commuter rail service.

Education
Barrie has two major English school boards that operate inside the city at a public level. The Simcoe County District School Board administers a public education in Barrie and Simcoe County, while the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board administers to the Catholic population and serves the Simcoe and Muskoka areas. It also has two French school boards, Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir (formerly Conseil scolaire de district catholique Centre-Sud), the Catholic board, and Conseil scolaire Viamonde (CSV, formerly Conseil Scolaire de District du Centre-Sud-Ouest), the secular board. There are also several private schools both for K-8 and K-12.

High schools

 * Barrie North Collegiate Institute
 * Bear Creek Secondary School
 * Eastview Secondary School
 * École secondaire catholique Nouvelle-Alliance
 * Innisdale Secondary School
 * Maple Ridge Secondary School
 * St. Joseph's High School
 * St. Joan of Arc High School
 * St. Peter's Catholic Secondary School
 * École secondaire Roméo-Dallaire
 * Unity Christian High School

Georgian College
Georgian College's main campus, with over 10,000 full-time students and approximately 25,000 part-time students, is located in Barrie.

Online
Village Media operates BarrieToday.com.

Print
There are both semi-weekly and monthly newspapers serving the City of Barrie. The Barrie Advance, published by Metroland Media Group, is a free newspaper established in 1983 and delivered weekly (on Thursdays) to every residence in the city as well as residents of Springwater Township and parts of Oro-Medonte. The newspaper contains local news, classifieds, advertisements and flyers. Barrie Business is a free newsprint publication covering local and regional business news. Published monthly and distributed to every business in the City of Barrie through Canada Post, it seeks to highlight and support Barrie's local business community and events. The Barrie Examiner, established in 1864, was one of Canada's oldest daily newspapers. It was distributed five days a week (Tuesday to Saturday) to paid subscribers and also delivered to the remainder of the market free on Thursdays. The Examiner was one of several Postmedia Network newspapers purchased by Torstar in a transaction between the two companies in 2017. Following the acquisition, Torstar subsidiary Metroland Media Group announced the closure of the paper effective November 27, 2017.

Television
CKVR-DT (currently part of the CTV 2 television system) is the only local television station in Barrie. It produces approximately 1.30 hours of local news on weekdays and 1 hour of local news on weekends.

Television stations and rebroadcasters based in the vicinity of Barrie Region are:

Radio
Local radio stations serving Barrie and environs include:
 * FM 93.1 – CHAY ("Fresh 93.1"), Top 40
 * FM 95.7 – CFJB ("Rock 95"), active rock
 * FM 100.3 – CJLF ("Life 100.3"), Christian radio
 * FM 101.1 - CIQB ("Big 101"), Classic Hits
 * FM 107.5 – CKMB ("1075 Kool FM"), Hot adult contemporary

Notable people

 * Brent Burns (born 1985), professional ice hockey defenceman for the Carolina Hurricanes
 * Mark Dilley (born 1969), racing driver
 * Matthew Di Leo (born 1995), racing driver
 * Mitchell Hooper (born 1995), strongman and winner of 2023 World's Strongest Man
 * Rebecca Hornbrook (born 1975), atmospheric chemist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research
 * Michael Hutchinson (born 1990), professional ice hockey goaltender
 * Gordon Meeking (born 1890), retired NHL player
 * Slava Pastuk (born 1990), music journalist and author of Bad Trips.
 * Darrin Shannon (born 1969), retired NHL player
 * Darryl Shannon (born 1968), retired NHL player
 * Daniel Vandervoort (born 1994), CFL wide receiver
 * Samantha Win (born 1991), actress and martial artist

title: Barrie


text:
Mondrian (disambiguation)

Piet Mondrian (1872–1944) was a Dutch painter and theoretician.

Mondrian may also refer to:

Buildings

 * Mondrian Hotel, the name of five boutique hotels owned and/or operated by SBE Entertainment Group
 * The Mondrian, a high-rise building in Dallas, Texas, U.S.
 * Mondrian, a building at the University of Auckland's Elam School of Fine Arts, New Zealand
 * The Mondrian, a high-rise condominium building at 250 East 54th Street in Manhattan.

Science and technology

 * Mondrian (Google software), developed by Guido van Rossum
 * Mondrian (software), a statistical data visualization system
 * Mondrian OLAP server, a software component
 * Mondrian, an object-oriented version of the programming language Haskell
 * Mondrian, a visual test for color constancy

Other uses

 * The Mondrian collection of Yves Saint Laurent, a fashion collection
 * The Mondrians, a Swiss band

title: Mondrian (disambiguation)


text:
Belleville, Ontario

Belleville is a city in Ontario, Canada situated on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, located at the mouth of the Moira River and on the Bay of Quinte. Belleville is between Ottawa and Toronto, along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Its population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 55,071 (Census Metropolitan Area population 111,184). It is the seat of Hastings County, but politically independent of it, and is the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region.

History

The settlement was first called Singleton's Creek after an early settler, George Singleton. Next it was called Meyer's Creek, after prominent settler and industrialist John Walden Meyers (1745–1821), one of the founders of Belleville. He built a sawmill and grist mill. After an 1816 visit to the settlement by colonial administrator Sir Francis Gore and his wife, Lady Annabella Gore, it was renamed as Belleville in her honour.

Henry Corby, who arrived in 1832 with his new wife Alma Williams (they had married before immigrating), settled in Belleville. He was a merchant, setting up a grocery store and other businesses. He founded the H. Corby Distillery, and promoted the municipality. He also represented it in Parliament.

Their son Henry Corby Jr. (Harry) took over the family business and continued to support the town: he donated funding to create the public library, helped develop the park at Massassaga Point, established the Corby Charitable Fund, helped raise funds to build the first bridge across the Bay of Quinte and donated the land and development of Corby Park.

In 1836 Belleville became an incorporated village. By 1846, it had a population of 2040. Several stone buildings were soon constructed, including a jail and court house, as well as some of the seven churches. Transportation to other communities was by stagecoach and, in summer, by steamboat along the lake. Two weekly newspapers were published. The post office received mail daily. Several court and government offices were located here. In addition to tradesmen, there was some small industry, three cloth factories, a paper mill, two grist mills, three tanneries and two breweries. The seventeen taverns outnumbered the churches and most businesses. The oldest surviving residence within the original boundaries, 67 South Front Street, was built by Alexander Oliphant Petrie in 1814.

With the completion of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856, Belleville became an important railway junction. Added to a booming trade in lumber and successful farming in the area, the railway helped increase the commercial and industrial growth. Belleville was incorporated as a town in 1850.

In 1858 the iron bridge was completed over the Moira River at Bridge Street; it was the first iron bridge in Hastings County. By 1865, the population reached 6,000. Telephone service to 29 subscribers was in place by 1883; electricity became available in 1885 and in 1886, the town began to offer municipal water service. In 1870, Ontario's first school for the deaf was established in Belleville. Under Dr. Charles B. Coughlin, the school was recognized as making a significant contribution to special education. Originally called the Ontario Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, the facility was renamed as Ontario School for the Deaf. In 1974, it was renamed as the Sir James Whitney School.

Belleville's city hall operates in a building first constructed in 1873 to house the public market and administrative offices. It was designed in the High Victorian Gothic style and retains much of its original appearance. In 1877, Belleville was legally incorporated as a city.

In 1998, the city was amalgamated with the surrounding Township of Thurlow to form an expanded City of Belleville as part of Ontario-wide municipal restructuring. The city also annexed portions of Quinte West to the west.

Late-20th-century franchises founded here include the Dixie Lee Fried Chicken chain in 1964 and, in 1978, Journey's End Corporation's economy, limited-service hotel chain.

Geography
Belleville is located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in southeastern Ontario between the cities of Quinte West to the west and Napanee to the east. These cities are connected by both Ontario's Highway 2 and the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway (Highway 401); The city is also served by Highway 37, running north–south from Belleville towards Tweed to the east of the Moira River; and Highway 62 (once Highway 14 south of 401), northwards towards Madoc, and southward to Prince Edward County over the Bay Bridge.

Belleville is located in a transitional zone which may be considered part of either the Central Ontario or Eastern Ontario regions by different sources. Officially, Belleville is properly considered part of the Central Ontario region as it is located west of the St. Lawrence River's starting point, but the city is popularly considered part of Eastern Ontario as it shares the eastern region's area code 613 and K postal code.

Neighbourhoods
In addition to the Belleville city centre, the city of Belleville also comprises a number of villages and hamlets, including the following communities: Bayshore, Cannifton, Corbyville, Foxboro, Frink Centre, Gilead, Halloway, Honeywell Corners, Latta, Loyalist, Philipston, Plainfield, Pointe Anne, Roslin (partially), Thrasher's Corners, Thurlow, Thurlow South and Zion Hill.

Climate
Belleville's climate has four distinct seasons. The city's traditional humid continental climate (Dfb)(hot summers, cold winters) is moderated by its location near Lake Ontario. The lake moderates temperature extremes, cooling hot summer days and warming cold days during the fall and winter. Because of this, winter snowfall is somewhat limited due to the increased frequency of precipitation falling as rain during the winter months. In the summer months, severe thunderstorm activity is usually limited because of the non-favourable lake breeze conditions. The city, being located on the north shore of Lake Ontario, is also in an unfavourable location for lake effect snow. One notable exception, however, was in December 2010 when 14 cm of snow occurred in one day as a result of a snow band from Lake Ontario. The summer months do not typically experience exceedingly hot temperatures, however, humidity levels can make daytime highs uncomfortable. Summer rainfall is usually modest and delivered by passing thunderstorms or warm fronts. Remnants of tropical systems do pass through on occasion towards summer's end, resulting in one or two days of consistently wet weather. The winter season is highly variable, with the record setting winter of 2007–08 experiencing near 270 cm of snow. Four years later, the winter of 2011–12 experienced only 60 cm of snow. Winter temperatures are also highly variable, even in one season. Air masses change frequently, and while a few days may see above freezing temperatures at a time in January, the next week may bring cold and snowfall. Autumn is usually mild, with an increase in precipitation starting in late September as conditions for fall storms develop. The highest temperature ever recorded in Belleville was 104 F on 9 July 1936. The coldest temperature ever recorded was -39 F on 9 February 1934.

Demographics
The 2021 Census by Statistics Canada found that Belleville had a population of $55,071$ living in $23,536$ of its $24,582$ total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of $50,716$. With a land area of 247.15 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

At the census metropolitan area (CMA) level in the 2021 census, the Belleville - Quinte West CMA had a population of $111,184$ living in $46,213$ of its $48,274$ total private dwellings, a change of NaN% from its 2016 population of $103,401$. With a land area of 1337.5 km2, it had a population density of in 2021.

Belleville's population is mostly of European descent. The racial make up of Belleville is as of 2021 was 85.1% White, 5.6% Indigenous and 9.3% visible minorities. The largest visible minority groups in Belleville are South Asian (3.9%), Black (1.3%), Filipino (0.9%) and Chinese (0.8%).

89.7% of residents speak English as their mother tongue. Other common first languages are French (1.5%), Gujarati (0.7%), Punjabi (0.6%), Spanish (0.5%), and Chinese (0.5%). 1.1% list both English and a non-official language as mother tongues, while 0.4% list both English and French.

As of 2021, 53.4% of residents were Christian, down from 67.1% in 2011. 22.7% were Protestant, 19.8% Catholic, 6.0% Christians not otherwise specified, and 4.9% members of other Christian denominations or Christian-related traditions. 42.1% were non-religious or secular, up from 30.3% in 2011. The remaining 4.5% affiliated with another religion, up from 2.6% in 2011. The largest non-Christian religions were Hinduism (1.4%), Sikhism (1.0%) and Islam (0.8%).

Economy
Some corporations operating in Belleville include the following:

 * Procter & Gamble
 * Kellogg's
 * Bardon Supplies Limited,
 * Redpath,
 * W.T. Hawkins Ltd
 * Sigma Stretch Film Canada,
 * Autosystems Manufacturing (Magna International),
 * Amer Sports Canada,
 * Avaya (formerly Nortel)

Many other manufacturing sector companies operate within the City of Belleville, including Bioniche Life Sciences, Sprague Foods, Airborne Systems Canada Ltd, Berry Plastics Canada, CPK Interior Products, Hanon (formerly Halla) Climate Control Canada, Reid's Dairy, Parmalat Canada – Black Diamond Cheese Division and Norampac Inc.

Belleville is home to two shopping malls: The Bay View Mall in east-end Belleville and the Quinte Mall along Bell Boulevard (south of Highway 401) in North Belleville. In January 2017 a Shorelines Casino opened on Bell Boulevard.

Theatre

 * Pinnacle Playhouse
 * The Empire Theatre
 * Moonpath Productions
 * Quinte Ballet School of Canada

Annual events
January
 * Civic Levee

February
 * Downtown Docfest

March

 * Quinte Sportsman Boat & RV Show

May

 * Quinte Trash Bash
 * 5k Fun Run
 * Front Street Farmers Market

June July Belleville Jazz Festival
 * Berrylicious
 * Rockfest
 * Quinte Ballet School of Canada Spring Showcase
 * Belleville's Canada D'Eh
 * Waterfront and Ethnic Festival
 * Belleville Poutine Feast
 * Quinte Ballet School of Canada Summer Dance Intensive

August
 * Quinte Ribfest
 * Dragon Boat Festival

September
 * Quinte Fall Fair and Exhibition
 * Porchfest Belleville

November
 * Belleville Festival of Trees
 * Belleville Nighttime Santa Claus Parade
 * Christmas at the Pier

December
 * Quinte Ballet School of Canada performs Holiday Dance - experts from "The Nutcracker"
 * Christmas at the Pier

Sports
The Belleville Senators play in the American Hockey League (AHL) and began play in the 2017–18 season as the top minor league affiliate of the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators. They play at the CAA Arena, formally Yardmen Arena, located on 265 Cannifton Road.

Belleville Bulls played in the Ontario Hockey League from 1981 to 2015. The team was then sold and relocated to Hamilton, Ontario. Belleville was also previously home to two senior hockey teams, the Belleville Macs and the Belleville McFarlands. Belleville is also home the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club, which challenged for the America's Cup in 1881. Belleville also sports minor hockey league teams such as the Belleville Bearcats (female) and the Belleville Jr. Bulls (male).

The Belleville McFarlands were a men's senior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association Senior division from 1956 to 1961. The McFarlands were Allan Cup champions in 1958, defeating the Kelowna Packers four games to three, and the World Championship in 1959. The team name was revived by a later team in the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League from 2003 to 2006, known as the Belleville Macs.

Shannonville Motorsport Park has hosted rounds of the Canadian Touring Car Championship, the Canadian Superbike Championship and the CASC Ontario Region championships.

Government

Local government is represented by Belleville City Council with a mayor and eight councillors. There are two city wards with Ward 1 (Belleville) represented by six councillors and Ward 2 (Thurlow) by two councillors. Ward 1 consists of the historic city and Ward 2 was created in 1998 with the amalgamation of Township of Thurlow. City Council sits at Belleville City Hall.

Police Service
The city has had its own police force since 1834, and constables since 1790. The force has about 100 sworn members headed by a Chief of Police and a Deputy Chief. The service is stationed out of one location only. Policing on provincial highways (37, 62 and 401) are provided by the Ontario Provincial Police from the Centre Hastings detachment.

Transportation
Belleville is serviced by the 401 highway system, and bus service to and from Toronto Pearson International Airport is provided by Megabus. Deseronto Transit provides public transportation services to destinations including Deseronto, Napanee, and Prince Edward County.

Belleville is located on the Toronto-Montreal main rail lines for both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway; both companies provide freight access. VIA Rail also operates five daily passenger services each way along its Quebec City–Windsor Corridor.

Major routes

 * Highway 62
 * Highway 37/Cannifton Road Parkway
 * Highway 2/Dundas Street.
 * Bell Boulevard/Adam Street
 * College Street/Airport Parkway

Hospital
Belleville General Hospital is located near Highway 2 and is Belleville's main healthcare facility. The hospital is one of the four hospitals in the region under Quinte Health Care. The corporate headquarters of Quinte Health Care is located in the Belleville location.

Post-secondary
The Academy of Learning College is a local college located on the east end of Belleville.

Loyalist College is a local public community college located on the border of Belleville and Quinte West on Wallbridge Loyalist Road.

Public schools
The public school system is served by the Hastings & Prince Edward District School Board. The Catholic School system is served by the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board.

Secondary schools:
 * Centennial Secondary School
 * Eastside Secondary School
 * Bayside Secondary School (Quinte West)

Elementary schools:
 * Susanna Moodie Elementary School
 * Parkdale Public Elementary School
 * Queen Elizabeth Elementary School
 * Prince of Wales Elementary School
 * Harry J. Clarke Elementary School (Offers French immersion)
 * Queen Victoria Elementary School
 * Sir John A Macdonald School
 * Prince Charles Elementary School
 * Foxboro Public School
 * Bayside Elementary School] (Offers French immersion}
 * Harmony Public School

Separate schools
The following are Belleville area schools managed by the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board.

Secondary schools:
 * Nicholson Catholic College
 * St. Theresa Catholic Secondary School

Elementary schools:
 * Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School
 * St Michael's Catholic School (French immersion)
 * St Joseph's Catholic School
 * Georges Vanier Catholic School
 * Holy Rosary Catholic School
 * Saint Maracle Catholic School

Provincial demonstration schools

 * Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf
 * Sagonaska School

Private and Independent schools

 * Albert College (independent school for Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12)
 * Academy of Learning College
 * Quinte Ballet School of Canada
 * Quinte Christian High School
 * Belleville Christian School
 * Belleville Montessori School

Print

 * Belleville Intelligencer (Tuesday thru Saturday)
 * Community Press (Every Thursday)

Internet

 * Quinte News
 * QNet News
 * InQuinte.ca

Sister cities
The City of Belleville has three sister city arrangements with communities outside of Canada which include:
 * 🇩🇪 Lahr, Baden-Württemberg, Germany – established in 1971
 * 🇰🇷 Gunpo, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea – established in 1996
 * 🇨🇳 Zhucheng, Shandong, People's Republic of China – established in 1996

Notable people

 * Lee Aaron, hard rock and jazz singer. Best known for "Metal Queen"
 * Marianne Ackerman, playwright, novelist, and journalist'
 * Lauren Ash, actress best known for "Superstore"
 * Drew Bannister, professional ice hockey defenceman
 * Dennis Bock, novelist and short story writer
 * Michael Botterill, professional Canadian football linebacker
 * Sir MacKenzie Bowell, Canada's fifth Prime Minister
 * Wilfred Leigh Brintnell, a pioneering Canadian aviator
 * James Brown, politician
 * Stevie Cameron, award-winning investigative journalist and best-selling author
 * James Collip, co-discoverer of insulin
 * Matt Cooke, NHL hockey player
 * Nick Cousins, NHL player
 * Brander Craighead, football player
 * Bob Crawford, retired NHL hockey player
 * Lou Crawford, former OHL and AHL head coach
 * Marc Crawford, NHL head coach
 * Jack Devine, CJBQ sports commentator, and president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
 * Bob Dillabough, retired NHL player with the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins and the Oakland Seals
 * Herbert Henry Dow, Dow Chemical, Born February 26, 1866
 * Rick Green, retired NHLer
 * Ellie Anne Harvie, actress
 * Bobby Hull, Hockey Hall of Fame member
 * Brett Hull, son of Bobby, Hockey Hall of Fame member (inducted 2009)
 * Dennis Hull, Bobby's younger brother, member of 1972 Team Canada
 * Aislinn Hunter, poet and fiction writer
 * Frances Itani, fiction writer, poet and essayist
 * Avril Lavigne, Canadian singer/songwriter and actress, born in Belleville and lived here until age five.
 * James Frederick Lister, lawyer
 * Norm Maracle, hockey goaltender
 * James Marker, inventor of Cheezies
 * Rick Meagher, retired NHL player
 * Rick Mofina, author of crime fiction and thriller novels
 * Susanna Moodie (1803–1885), author, moved to Belleville with her husband in 1840 after several years spent "roughing it in the bush" near Lakefield, Ontario
 * Riyo Mori, Miss Universe 2007, spent her teenage years in Belleville, studying at Centennial Secondary School and at Quinte Ballet School of Canada
 * Farley Mowat, author, born in Belleville
 * William Barton Northrup, lawyer and politician
 * Brian Orser, figure skater and coach
 * Shawn O'Sullivan, 1984 Olympic silver medalist boxer
 * Graham Parkhurst, actor
 * Pete Quaife, bassist for The Kinks in the 1960s, lived in Quinte Region from 1980 to 2005
 * Peter Quinney, Canadian football player, Toronto Argonauts
 * Andrew Raycroft, NHL goaltender
 * Brad Richardson, NHL forward
 * Wallace Havelock Robb, poet and naturalist
 * Alexander Milton Ross, abolitionist and agent for the Underground Railroad
 * Johnny Rutherford, former Major League Baseball pitcher
 * Nancy Anne Sakovich, actress and former model
 * Mike Schad, National Football League offensive lineman
 * Martin Seemungal, Foreign Correspondent CBC, ABC, CTV, PBS Newshour
 * Andrew Shaw, retired NHL player
 * Derek Smith, NHL forward
 * Harry Leslie Smith, British writer, political commentator and Royal Air Force veteran
 * Matt Stajan, NHL forward resided in Belleville from 2000 to 2004
 * Manly E. MacDonald, Semi-impressionistic painter
 * Alex Stieda, former professional road bicycle racer
 * Chris Valentine, former ice hockey player and coach
 * Thomas Campbell Wallbridge, lawyer and politician
 * John Weldon, animated movies director, Oscar Award winner (1979)
 * Ed Westfall, retired NHL player
 * The Wilkinsons, country music group
 * Ty Wishart, professional ice hockey player
 * Jerry Yanover, political advisor

title: Belleville, Ontario


text:
Félix Faure

Félix François Faure (30 January 1841 – 16 February 1899) was the president of France from 1895 until his death in 1899. A native of Paris, he worked as a tanner in his younger years. Faure became a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Seine-Inférieure in 1881. He rose to prominence in national politics up until unexpectedly assuming the presidency, during which time France's relations with Russia improved.

According to David Bell, Felix Faure was born in Paris and moved to Le Havre where he became a successful shipowner. He moved up from local politics and was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1881. He started as a junior minister and became minister for marine and colonies. He was elected seventh president of the Third Republic in 1895 and died in office in 1899. He did not excel in leadership but was successful in the symbolic role of president. His technique was to exploit his distinguished appearance and cordiality to enhance the dignity of the presidency at formal events. He tried to dampen the enormous controversy of the Dreyfus Affair by refusing to reopen the case despite evidence in favour of the disgraced officer. His presidency was wholly concerned with ceremony, not substance.

Biography
Félix François Faure was born in Paris, the son of a maker of small furniture pieces Jean-Marie Faure (1809–1889) and his first wife, Rose Cuissard (1819–1852).

Having started as a tanner and merchant at Le Havre, Faure acquired considerable wealth, was elected to the National Assembly on 21 August 1881, and took his seat as a member of the Left, interesting himself chiefly in matters concerning economics, railways and the navy. In November 1882, he became under-secretary for the colonies in Ferry's ministry, and retained that post till 1885. He held the same post in Tirard's ministry in 1888, and in 1893 was made vice-president of the chamber.

In 1894, he obtained cabinet rank as minister of marine in the administration of Charles Dupuy. In the following January, he was unexpectedly elected President of the Republic upon the resignation of President Casimir-Perier. The principal cause of his elevation was the determination of the various sections of the moderate republican party to exclude Henri Brisson, who had had a plurality of votes on the first ballot, but had failed to obtain an absolute majority. To accomplish this end, it was necessary to unite the party, and such unity could be secured only by the nomination of someone who offended no one. Faure answered this description exactly.

He granted amnesty to the anarchist movements in 1895, enabling the return from exile in England of several famous anarchists, such as Émile Pouget.

In 1898 (and for the first few years of the following century), the French automobile industry was the largest in the world. President Faure was not impressed. Invited to address industry leaders at what, in retrospect, is recorded as the first Paris Motor Show, Faure told his audience, "Your cars are very ugly and they smell very bad" ("Vos voitures sont bien laides et sentent bien mauvais !").

His fine presence and his tact on ceremonial occasions rendered the state some service when he received the Tsar at Paris in 1896, and in 1897 returned his visit, after which meeting the Franco-Russian Alliance was publicly announced again. The latter days of Faure's presidency were consumed by the Dreyfus affair, which he was determined to regard as chose jugée (res judicata, "adjudicated with no further appeal"). This drew against him the criticism of pro-Dreyfus intellectuals and politicians, such as Émile Zola and Georges Clemenceau.

Freemasonry
Félix Faure was initiated in Le Havre, at "L'aménité", a lodge of Grand Orient de France, on 25 October 1865.

Death
Faure died suddenly at the age of 58 from a stroke in the Élysée Palace on 16 February 1899.

An American newspaper segment at the time read: About 6 o'clock M. Faure, who was then in his study went to the door of the room of M. LeGall, his private secretary, which is contiguous to the study, and said:

"I do not feel well. Come to me."

M. LeGall immediately went to the President's aid, led him to a sofa and called General Bailloud. General Secretary of the President's household, M. Blondell, Under Private Secretary, and Dr. Humbert, who happened to be at the Elysee, attending a relative.

The President's condition did not appear dangerous: but Dr. Herbert, on perceiving that he was rapidly getting worse, telephoned for Dr. Lann-Longue and Dr. Cheurlet, who arrived with M. Dupoy and were joined later by Dr. Bergeroy.

Though M. Faure still retained consciousness, the doctors recognized that the case was hopeless, but it was not until nearly 8 o'clock that the family were informed of the real state of affairs. They then came to the sofa where the President lay upon a hastily improvised bed. after he began to lose consciousness and despite all efforts expired at ten, in the presence of the family and M. Dupuy. Unconfirmed rumours at the time state he was engaged in sexual activities in his office on top of the presidential desk with the then 30-year-old Marguerite Steinheil.

It has been widely reported that those activities were oral sex, but their exact nature is in fact unknown and such reports may have stemmed from various jeux de mots (puns) made up afterward by his political opponents. According to the legend, Steinheil was performing oral sex on him when he suffered a fatal stroke, his convulsed hands tangled in her hair. This was not officially announced, but rumours started spreading immediately, although for several years it was believed that his partner at the time of his death was actress Cécile Sorel.

According to Pierre Darmon, a historian of medicine born in 1939, the popular story of Faure's death is a legend: Félix Faure showed signs of tachycardia. A stormy meeting with the Prince of Monaco (a Dreyfusard, who demanded that Germany act as guarantor for the innocent captain) would have aggravated the president's condition. He then spent a few minutes with his mistress before fainting and returning to his office. He would have died surrounded by his family and his doctor. But according to Germain Galérant, doctor and member of the International Society for the History of Medicine, Faure died of a stroke, the first signs of which appeared several hours earlier, and the historian puts the version of the deadly antics on the account of “Mrs. Steinheil’s mythomania”.

In popular culture
The French barque Président Felix Faure, named for the President, was involved in a 1908 case of shipwreck at the Antipodes Islands, south of New Zealand, the survivors being stranded for sixty days before being rescued.

Faure's liaison with Marguerite Steinheil was the subject of the film The President's Mistress (2009) broadcast on Eurochannel, with Cristiana Reali in Steinheil's role, and was referenced in the opening episode of the television series, Paris Police 1900 (2021), with Évelyne Brochu as Steinheil.

title: Félix Faure