Lagrasse

Lagrasse
region	Occitania
Department	Aude
Arrondissement	Narbonne
Canton	Les Corbières
Community association	Région Lézignanaise, Corbières et Minervois
Coordinates	43 ° 6 ′ N , 2 ° 37 ′ E Coordinates: 43 ° 6 ′ N , 2 ° 37 ′ E
height	82-586 m
surface	32.2 km 2
Residents	545 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	17 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	11220
INSEE code	11185
Website	www.lagrasse.fr
	; Village view

Lagrasse is a French commune of the department of Aude in the region Occitania . It is assigned to the canton of Les Corbières and the Arrondissement of Narbonne .

The place is classified as one of the Plus beaux villages de France ( Most Beautiful Villages in France ). With the abbey and old town, it is one of the sights in the Cathar country .

geography

The southern French village with 545 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) is located in the Corbières mountains and is about 35 kilometers west of Narbonne and 30 kilometers southeast of Carcassonne in a valley floor of the Orbieu . The climate is Mediterranean .

history

The place name is derived from the Occitan grassa ("fertile").

The early history of the village is closely linked to that of the Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse Abbey . The monastery is mentioned for the first time in a charter of Charlemagne , which dates from the year 778. The first abbot was Nebridius (778-813). The monastery experienced its heyday in the early and high Middle Ages . The abbey played an important mediating role in the war against the Cathars .

In the High Middle Ages, the place was expanded to a "fortified village with market rights" with the characteristics of a bastide .

In the course of the French Revolution , the monastery was confiscated by the state in 1792, divided into two construction lots of different sizes and sold as a national property. In principle, this separation still exists today. The smaller part is used by the General Council of the Département Aude and in the larger part, religious sisters of the Canon Regulars have moved in for several years after this part of the building in the 19th century a. A. had served as a hospital .

Population development

year	1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2009	2016
Residents	622	665	623	696	704	615	598	546

Attractions

The abbey of Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse is located on the Orbieu and overlooks the village. It has been a French cultural monument (Monument historique) since 1923 .
The Gothic parish church of Saint-Michel has been a French cultural monument since 1925 .
The Pont de l'Abbaye (French pont , dt. Bridge), also called Pont-Vieux , originally from 1303, was renovated in the 17th and 19th centuries and has been a French cultural monument since 1907.
The old market hall has been a French cultural monument since 1930.
The Tour Plaisance (French tour , German tower) has been a French cultural monument since 1930.
A house on Rue Foy has been a French cultural monument since 1937.
The Maison du Patrimoin with medieval ceiling paintings and decors.
The Maison Lautier (French maison , German house) on Rue des Mazels has been a French cultural monument since 1948.
The Maison Maynard has been a French cultural monument since 1931.
The Maison Castel on Rue des Écoles has been a French cultural monument since 1948.
The Maison presbytérale has been a French cultural monument since 1954.
The Pont de l'Alsou spans the Sou (formerly Alsou ) river and has been a French cultural monument since 1948.
The Maison des sœurs de Nevers on Place Bouquerie has been a French cultural monument since 1948.
The ruins of Prieuré de Saint-Michel de Nahuze (French Prieuré , German Priorat) on the slopes of the Montagne d'Alaric mountain range , where some viticulture is practiced for local consumption (→ Corbières (wine-growing region) ), has been a since 1948 French cultural monument.
The ruins of the city gate, the Porte de l'Eau , have been a French cultural monument since 1948.
The Prieuré de Mirailles has been a French cultural monument since 1948.