Les Matelles
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Les Matelles Las Matèlas |
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| region | Occitania | |
| Department | Herault | |
| Arrondissement | Lodève | |
| Canton | Saint-Gély-du-Fesc | |
| Community association | Grand Pic Saint Loup | |
| Coordinates | 43 ° 44 ′ N , 3 ° 49 ′ E | |
| height | 60-300 m | |
| surface | 16.81 km 2 | |
| Residents | 2,003 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 119 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 34270 | |
| INSEE code | 34153 | |
| Website | Les Matelles | |
 Les Matelles - stone houses |
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Les Matelles ( Occitan : Las Matèlas ) is a place and a municipality with 2,003 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Hérault department in the Occitania region in southern France .
location
The village of Les Matelles is located on a hill about 4 km (as the crow flies) south of the Pic Saint-Loup on the Lirou river and is about 16 km (driving distance) north of Montpellier . The Mediterranean beaches at Palavas-les-Flots are about 40 km south.
Population development
| year | 1800 | 1851 | 1901 | 1954 | 1975 | 1999 | 2017 |
| Residents | 331 | 501 | 485 | 357 | 434 | 1429 | 2003 |
As a result of its relative proximity to Montpellier and the comparatively low property prices, Les Matelles has seen a significant increase in population over the past few decades.
economy
For centuries, the inhabitants of the community lived from agriculture as self-sufficiency (grain, wine, vegetables); the city of Montpellier came into question as a market place for vegetables because of its short distance . Since the 1960s, tourism has played an increasingly important role in the local economy.
history
The history of the place is little explored. The Romanesque church indicates a medieval settlement; he experienced a heyday in the 15th / 16th. Century.
Attractions
- Parts of the medieval city wall ( remparts ) including two gates ( Porte du Pont Levis and Porte du Clocher ) have been preserved in good condition.
- The alleys, some of which are lined with quarry stone houses , are delightfully lined with green plants and sometimes even built over or covered by flying buttresses .
- The originally Romanesque parish church of Sainte-Marie was remodeled in the 14th or 15th century. In 1715 the vault collapsed one year later, and two years later the bell tower , which was replaced by a two-part bell gable ( clocher mur ) when the church was rebuilt. Curiously enough, a new bell tower was built over a city gate in the immediate vicinity. The nave is barrel vaulted .
Personalities
The French writer Albertine Sarrazin , born in Algiers, given up as a foundling and adopted by an elderly couple, lived in Les Matelles for a few months shortly before her death in 1967.
