Capdenac

Capdenac
region	Occitania
Department	Lot
Arrondissement	Figeac
Canton	Figeac-2
Community association	Grand Figeac
Coordinates	44 ° 35 '  N , 2 ° 4'  E Coordinates: 44 ° 35 '  N , 2 ° 4'  E
height	155-369 m
surface	10.90 km 2
Residents	1,105 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	101 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	46100
INSEE code	46055
Capdenac - the townscape

Capdenac , sometimes also Capdenac-le-Haut , is a southern French municipality with 1105 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Lot department in the Occitania region (before 2016 Midi-Pyrénées ). The place is one of the " Most Beautiful Villages in France ".

location

Capdenac is located in the Quercy landscape on a hill over 100 meters high above the Lot River in the southwestern foothills of the Massif Central, about seven kilometers (driving distance) in a southeastern direction from Figeac .

Population development

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006
Residents	873	966	1,076	1,027	932	994	1,062

In the middle of the 19th century the place had over 1,600 inhabitants. As a result of the phylloxera crisis and the mechanization of agriculture , the population decreased continuously in the late 19th century and in the first half of the 20th century. After the low in 1962, however, a slight increase can be observed again.

economy

On the hillside you can still see some vegetable gardens, but the income from tourism (hotels, restaurants) now plays the largest role in the economic life of the community. However, the small, somewhat remote place is rarely overcrowded.

history

Nearby were Neolithic and Bronze Age discoveries made, including in 1973 a Neolithic female figure ( " Goddess of Capdenac "). In 1866, when a small rock cave was excavated in the garden of the mayor at the time, a Celtic coin find with over 3,000 individual pieces in a clay vessel was made - most of the coins were sold and later melted down; only a few specimens are in the coin cabinet of the Paris National Library . The altitude, which fell steeply on three sides, was easy to defend and so it is not surprising that a Celtic hilltop settlement ( oppidum ) existed near Capdenac , which some researchers identify with the ancient Uxellodunum , which Caesar had in 51 BC. As the last Gallic city to be conquered. Roman finds ( fibulae, etc.) were also discovered. From 477 to 530 the hill of Capdenac was under Visigothic control until they were driven out by the Franks . The 8th century saw the advance of the Saracens and the resistance of the Carolingians . Legend has it that Gerald , the founder of the abbey of Aurillac , famous in the Middle Ages , performed a miracle in the castle of Capdenac around the year 900. During the Albigensian Crusades (1209-1229) Capdenac was besieged twice (1209 and 1214) by the troops of Simon de Montfort . In the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) the place was besieged by the English. In the early 16th century, the Barony of Capdenac belonged to Galiot de Genouillac ; At the end of the 16th century, many residents sympathized with Protestantism .

Capdenac - stone cross

Attractions

• With a few exceptions (city gates, corner stones, window and door frames), the entire place is built from largely unprocessed rubble stones .
• The traditional fortifications ( remparts ) of Capdenac, which mostly date from the 15th century, together with a mighty crenellated defensive tower ( donjon ) were recognized as Monument historique as early as 1911 .
• A spring outlet, probably already carved into the rock in ancient times, has been recognized as a monument historique since 2003 .
• A somewhat 'primitive' looking monolithic stone cross with crucifix from 1667 has also been registered as Monument historique since 1911 .
• The current single-nave parish church ( Église Saint-Jean Baptiste ) dates from the 18th century.

literature

• Michel Labrousse:  CAPDENAC Lot, France . In: Richard Stillwell et al. a. (Ed.): The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 1976, ISBN 0-691-03542-3 .

Web links

Commons : Capdenac  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Capdenac - photos + brief information (French)
• Capdenac - photos + brief information (French)
• Capdenac photos

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Capdenac-le-Haut on Les plus Beaux Villages de France (French)
2. ↑ Fortifications, Capdenac in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
3. ^ Fontaine troglodytique dite Fontaine des Anglais, Capdenac in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
4. ↑ Croix en pierre, Capdenac in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)