Castex-d'Armagnac

Castex-d'Armagnac
region	Occitania
Department	Gers
Arrondissement	Condom
Canton	Grand-Bas-Armagnac
Community association	Communes du Grand Armagnac
Coordinates	43 ° 52 ′ N , 0 ° 10 ′ W Coordinates: 43 ° 52 ′ N , 0 ° 10 ′ W
height	65-124 m
surface	12.26 km 2
Residents	112 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	9 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	32240
INSEE code	32087
Website	Castex-d'Armagnac
	; Mayor's office ( Mairie ), in the background the bell tower of the Sainte-Canne church

Castex-d'Armagnac is a French commune with 112 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Gers department in the Occitanie region (before 2016: Midi-Pyrénées ). The municipality belongs to the Arrondissement Condom and the canton Grand-Bas-Armagnac (until 2015: canton Cazaubon ).

The inhabitants are called Castelcanais and Castelcanaises .

geography

Castex-d'Armagnac is located about 34 kilometers southwest of Condom in the historic province of Armagnac on the western border with the neighboring Landes department .

Castex-d'Armagnac is surrounded by the eight neighboring municipalities:

Lannemaignan	Mauléon-d'Armagnac
Montégut (Landes)		Estang
Monguilhem	Toujouse	Maupas Monlezun-d'Armagnac

Castex-d'Armagnac lies in the catchment area of the Adour River .

The Midou crosses the area of the municipality together with its tributary, the Ruissueau de l'Estang.

history

The hamlet of L'Aiguillon was formerly a fortified village whose 19th century castle was built on the site of a medieval castle that protected the Midou valley and the village of Monguilhem. The village was protected by a city wall and ditches, the traces of which can still be seen today. In the middle of the 18th century the community was the destination of numerous pilgrimages . During the Second World War , the Monbel estate received the military governor of Paris and his staff . Subsequently, in the summer of 1944, it was used to temporarily house the Battalion d'Armagnac belonging to the Resistance .

Population development

After the records began, the number of inhabitants rose to a high of around 590 by the middle of the 19th century. In the period that followed, the size of the community fell to its lowest level of 95 inhabitants until the beginning of the 21st century.

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2011	2017
Residents	213	156	142	128	121	111	109	95	112

From 1962 official figures excluding residents with a second residence
Sources: EHESS / Cassini until 2006, INSEE from 2011

Attractions

Church of Sainte-Canne in Sainte-Canne

Its distinctive feature is its octagonal bell tower from the 14th century. Part of its transept dates from the 12th century. The right part was added in the 18th century when the church became too small for the growing population. A bust was found in the roof of the bell tower as a relic of St. Radegund. From then on it was the destination of pilgrimages. On the outside of the south wall there is a sarcophagus , the age or origin of which is unknown. Paintings on the interior walls and the vault have retained their beautiful colors. They are signed “Maître Campagné, 1760”.

Saint Martin Church in L'Aiguillon

It was rebuilt on what was left of the 14th century and was the parish church of the parish until the 20th century. Edward of Woodstock , known as the Black Prince, destroyed the previous building during the Hundred Years War . On May 17, 1842, the Archbishop of Auch inaugurated the church in honor of St. Martin . In 1872 the bell gable was replaced by the current bell tower. In earlier times the vestibule housed the mayor's office. On September 18, 1832, the Archbishop of Auch consecrated the church as a shrine , an icon of the Notre-Dame-du-Perpétuel-Secours (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) was henceforth the destination of an annual pilgrimage.

Barrau Castle

The property became better known through Antoine de Roquelaure, Marshal of France and loyal companion of the French King Henry IV . He was a protégé of Jeanne d'Albret , Queen of Navarre , and in 1611 married Suzanne de Bassabat, who brought the lands of Castex into marriage. His influence on Henry IV was great during the 36 years he spent with the king. He was in the same carriage when the king was murdered by François Ravaillac . The Gourgues family bought Castex 50 years later and kept the castle and fief for a century. In 1789, the Count d'Abadie de Barrau bought the property a few months before the start of the French Revolution . His descendants still inhabit the 500 hectares of farmed land and a breed of around 400 sheep. The oak trees on the property are used to make barrels in which the Armagnacs mature. Rooms in the castle can be booked for receptions and as guest rooms.