Espas

Espas
region	Occitania
Department	Gers
Arrondissement	Condom
Canton	Grand-Bas-Armagnac
Community association	Communes du Bas Armagnac
Coordinates	43 ° 47 ' N , 0 ° 4' E Coordinates: 43 ° 47 ' N , 0 ° 4' E
height	119-221 m
surface	15.13 km 2
Residents	123 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	8 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	32370
INSEE code	32125
Website	Espas
	; Mayor's Office ( Mairie ) of Espas

Espas is a French commune with 123 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Gers department in the Occitanie region (before 2016: Midi-Pyrénées ). The community belongs to Arrondissement Condom and Canton Grand Bas-Armagnac (2015: Canton Nogaro ).

The inhabitants are called Espasiens and Espasiennes .

geography

Espas is located about 31 kilometers southwest of Condom in the historic province of Armagnac on the western edge of the department.

Espas is surrounded by the five neighboring communities:

	Manciet	Bascous
		Demu
Avéron-Bergelle	Séailles

Waters

Espas is located in the catchment areas of the Adour and Garonne rivers .

Most of the Douze flows along the border with the neighboring municipality of Avéron-Bergelle to the southwest. The Ruisseau du Pesqué, the Ruisseau du Soucaret and the Ruisseau du Loc, tributaries of the Douze, cross the territory of the municipality.

Espas is also irrigated by the Ruisseau des Garrinquets and the Tuzon, tributaries of the Gélise .

Population development

After the records began, the number of inhabitants rose to a high of around 620 by the first half of the 19th century. In the period that followed, the size of the community fell to around 120 inhabitants by the first decade, with intermittent recovery phases.

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2011	2017
Residents	231	188	183	151	132	124	119	117	123

From 1962 official figures excluding residents with a second residence
Sources: EHESS / Cassini until 1999, INSEE from 2006

Attractions

Espas Castle

Its origins go back to the 12th century, when the Duke of Armagnac had it built on an artificial mound. It has a rectangular floor plan with a keep and four square towers at the corners. Ornaments are completely absent and underline the mainly military function and storage of the complex. At the top of the walls there are also no traces of battlements or machiculi to be seen. The only facility that was probably added to the main building in the 17th century was a small house. The only habitable rooms are to him. Cardinal Richelieu finally had the castle razed and is now privately owned. It has been classified as a Monument historique since May 2, 1979 .