Lavaur (Tarn)

Lavaur ; La Vaur
region	Occitania
Department	Camouflage
Arrondissement	Castres
Canton	Lavaur Cocagne (main town)
Community association	Stealth agout
Coordinates	43 ° 42 ' N , 1 ° 49' E Coordinates: 43 ° 42 ' N , 1 ° 49' E
height	105-274 m
surface	62.83 km 2
Residents	10,811 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	172 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	81500
INSEE code	81140
Website	www.ville-lavaur.fr
	; Aerial view of Lavaur

Lavaur ( Latin Pulchravallis ; Occitan La Vaur ) is a southern French municipality with 10,811 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Tarn department in the Occitania region . It belongs to the Arrondissement Castres and the canton Lavaur Cocagne (until 2015: capital of the canton Lavaur ).

location

The city is on the orographic left, i.e. H. western, river side of the Agout about halfway between Toulouse (42 kilometers southwest) and Castres (41 kilometers east). The medieval Bastide Lisle-sur-Tarn is about 21 kilometers to the north , and the wine village of Gaillac is another 10 kilometers to the northeast .

Population development

year	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2017
Residents	7665	7897	7972	8148	8537	9860	10,811

When the French population was first counted in 1793, Lavaur had 5,500 inhabitants. The small town grew steadily until the middle of the 19th century, but as a result of the phylloxera crisis and the mechanization of agriculture , the population fell below the value of 1793 by 1921. Continuous growth has been recorded again since 1936.

economy

Lavaur still belongs to the landscape of the Lauragais and describes itself as the capital of the Pays de la Cocagne ('Cockaigne'), which was of great importance and enormous in the late Middle Ages and in the early modern period through the cultivation of woad ( pastel ) as well as its processing and export Has achieved prosperity. In the 17th and. In the 18th century the cultivation of pastel declined more and more compared to the cheaper and more intensely colored dye indigo , which was imported from the American colonies. In the 18th century a royal silk factory was set up in the city , but it was closed again during the French Revolution .

In the meantime, smaller industrial companies (textile manufacturing, printing etc.) have settled in the industrial zones around Lavaur. In addition, the city plays an important role as a craft and service center for the surrounding smaller villages, which mainly live from agriculture.

history

The fortified settlement ( castrum ), first mentioned in a document in 1025 , acquired supraregional importance when a Catholic army besieged the city in 1181 to fight the Cathar heresy. After the release of two alleged Cathar 'perfect' ( parfaits ), the place got off lightly. As part of the Albigensian Crusade (1209–1229), the city was besieged again in 1211 - this time with terrible consequences: After Simon de Montfort took the city , Mistress Guiraude was thrown into a well and killed by a hail of stones; 80 Cathar knights, including Aimery de Montréal , were hanged or - after the gallows collapsed - killed by the sword; another 300 to 400 people were at the stake ( bûcher burned).

After the death of Simon de Montfort in 1218 Lavaur was taken by the future Count of Toulouse Raymond VII in 1220 . Louis VIII made a stop here on his journey through the south of France ( Occitania ) in 1226. Three years later, after the accession of the Midi to the French crown ( Domaine royal ) was decided in the Treaty of Paris (1229) , the fortifications ( remparts ) of the city were razed.

In 1317 Lavaur was taken over by Pope John XXII. the bishopric raised and remained there until the French Revolution. In the course of the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) the inhabitants of the city forced the English troops under John Chandos to retreat (1369/70). In 1468 Lavaur was made a county, but only 15 years later it reverted to the French crown.

In 1540 a meeting took place in Lavaur at which a canal project from the Mediterranean to the Garonne - later the Canal du Midi - was debated. Right at the beginning of the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598), some Franciscans were massacred by a Protestant mob and the monastery buildings, with the exception of the church, were destroyed.

Attractions

Former Saint-Alain Cathedral

The former cathedral has been recognized as a monument historique since 1911 .

Pont de Lavaur

The bridge has been recognized as a monument historique since 1960 .

Viaduc de Lavaur

Others

The formerly circular - with a central square - system of the bastide-like settlement can be seen very well on aerial photographs .

The church of the Franciscans ( Église des Cordeliers ) from the 14th and 15th / 16th centuries, built entirely of bricks . The century is based in some details on its great model - the Franciscan church in Toulouse . The rib-vaulted Gothic nave is accompanied by side chapels, which also contribute to the static stabilization of the building. The building houses many pieces of equipment from the 19th century, including a large organ (1866) from the workshop of the Puget family, well-known in France . The church has been recognized as a monument historique since 1996 .

On its south side there is a pigeon house ( pigeonnier ).

The round tower ( Tour des rondes ) built in alternating layers of brick and natural stone in the lower area is the last remnant of the medieval city fortifications. It was largely rebuilt in 1627 after being destroyed during the Wars of Religion and has been recognized as a Monument historique since 1971 .

After the destruction in the time of the French Revolution , nothing remains of the former convent of the Poor Clares , founded in the 17th century . The current chapel dates from 1837.

The building of the former Hôpital de Lavaur , built around 1700 , was converted into a silk factory before the Revolution .

Today's town hall ( mairie ) with its obvious external staircase was originally (1860) built as the seat of a sub-prefecture ( sous-préfecture ) for the Tarn department. It also served as a courthouse ( Palais de justice ) for years .

The Episcopal Gardens ( Jardins de l'Évêché ), an English-style park, are located on the site of the Episcopal Palace that was destroyed in the French Revolution.

A museum ( Musée municipal du Pays Vaurais ) shows exhibits on the history of the city and its surroundings.

Two privately owned castles from the 17th / 18th centuries Century in the surroundings of Lavaur ( Château de Mirabel-Laval and Château de Reyniès ) have also been recognized as Monuments historiques since 1990 and 1993 respectively .