Gimont

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Gimont
Gimont coat of arms
Gimont (France)
Gimont
region Occitania
Department Gers
Arrondissement Also
Canton Gimone-Arrats (main town)
Community association Coteaux Arrats Gimone
Coordinates 43 ° 38 '  N , 0 ° 53'  E Coordinates: 43 ° 38 '  N , 0 ° 53'  E
height 144-232 m
surface 27.58 km 2
Residents 3,032 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 110 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 32200
INSEE code 32147

Gimont Bridge over the Gimone River

Gimont is a municipality with 3,032 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Gers department in the Occitania region of southern France . Historically, the place belongs to the former province of Gascogne and the former vice-county of Gimois, the eastern part of the Armagnac region . The municipality is the capital of the canton of Gimone-Arrats and was the capital of the canton of Gimont until 2015 .

location

Gimont is about 50 kilometers (driving distance) west of Toulouse . Also , the capital of the Gers department, is another 28 kilometers to the west. The two rivers Gimone and Marcaoue flow through the municipality .

Population development

year 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2007 2017
Residents 2878 2867 2950 2819 2734 2906 3032

Already in the late Middle Ages Gimont was an important city with over 2000 inhabitants.

economy

The stuffing of geese ( oies ) and ducks ( canards ) was part of the agricultural production methods in Périgord and Gascony for centuries . Since the increasing popularity of maize in the 19th century, this agricultural plant - originally from Central America - has also been used for animal fattening and is accordingly frequently cultivated. The foie gras ( pâté de foie gras ) is only rarely fresh, but mostly preserved in jars or cans. Every Wednesday and Sunday in Gimont there is a market with local products.

history

On January 25, 1265, in a contract ( acte de paréage ) between the abbot of the Cistercian abbey Planselve (→ Gimont Monastery ) and Alphonse de Beaumarchais, the Seneschal Alfons of Poitiers ', brother of the French King Louis IX. and since 1249 Count of Toulouse , the establishment of a bastide agreed. Planselve Abbey, only about two kilometers to the southwest, provided the site and retained religious and financial control over the churches to be built, while the secular partner had to provide the necessary start-up funding and - after a waiting period - also that Taxes and levies collected. In the event of non-population of the bastide, the return of the property to the abbey was stipulated.

However, the operation went so well that there were three churches in Gimont in the 14th century, of which only one still exists today, and the place also expanded beyond the slopes of the hill on which it was located. The fact that Gimont was on the Via Tolosana , one of the four historic " routes of the pilgrims in France " to Santiago de Compostela , also contributed to the city's success .

Nothing is known of the destruction during the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) and the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598).

Attractions

Notre-Dame church
Former market hall
Notre-Dame de Cahuzac chapel
  • The construction of the Église Notre-Dame began in 1292; The year 1331 is carved on the facade - probably the year of completion. It is a church built mostly of bricks in the style of the southern French Gothic ( gothique méridional ); the octagonal tower was only built in the 16th and 17th centuries and resembles the steeples of Toulouse. The single-nave interior with side chapels is impressive because of its dimensions (width approx. 16 meters; height approx. 18 meters with a length of only about 30 meters). Most of the furnishings come from the Planselve Abbey, which was dissolved and destroyed during the French Revolution - this includes the marble main altar, a triptych (16th century) and probably the organ.
  • The roof structure of the market hall , which is now used as a covered parking lot, dates back to the 14th century; however, some bars have been replaced over the centuries.
  • The Palais des évêques de Lombez is a remarkable building in the Renaissance style with a hexagonal stair tower.
  • The Musée de l'Oie et du Canard provides information on the history and technology of goose and duck fattening.
  • The Château de Larroque from 1804 is built entirely in the style of the pre-revolutionary period; it is about one and a half kilometers east of Gimont and is used as a hotel / restaurant.
  • The richly decorated pilgrimage church of Chapelle Notre Dame de Cahuzac is located about one kilometer northwest of Gimont and is a scaled-down image of the parish church. Its origin (1515–1524) can be traced back to the miraculous discovery of a statue of Our Lady by a shepherd in 1513. The chapel is one of the oldest and most important pilgrimage sites in Gascony.
  • Hardly anything has survived from the former Cistercian Abbey of Planselve ( Gimont Monastery ).

Web links

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