Lodève
| Lodève | ||
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| region | Occitania | |
| Department | Herault | |
| Arrondissement | Lodève | |
| Canton | Lodève (main town) | |
| Community association | Lodévois and Larzac | |
| Coordinates | 43 ° 44 ′ N , 3 ° 19 ′ E | |
| height | 117-700 m | |
| surface | 23.17 km 2 | |
| Residents | 7,441 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 321 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 34700 | |
| INSEE code | 34142 | |
.jpg) Lodève - town view |
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Lodève is a small town in the south of France and a municipality (commune) with 7,441 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region . The National Council for Cities and Landscapes of History and Art (Conseil National des Villes et Pays d'Art et d'Histoire) gave the city of Lodève the official title of Ville d'art et d'histoire (“City of Art and of history ”).
Location and climate
The old town of Lodève lies between the Lergue and Soulondre rivers, at the foot of the Causse du Larzac plateau and the Montagne Noire at an altitude of around 165 m . The cities of Montpellier , Sète , Agde and Béziers , located in the coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea , are within a radius of approx. 55 to 65 km (driving distance). The predominant Mediterranean climate is mostly temperate and warm; Rain (approx. 690 mm / year) falls mainly in the winter half-year.
Population development
| year | 1800 | 1851 | 1901 | 1954 | 1999 | 2017 |
| Residents | 7449 | 11,238 | 8200 | 6626 | 6900 | 7441 |
The phylloxera crisis in viticulture and the decline of the textile industry were the main reasons for the population collapse in the early 20th century.
economy
In the 18th and 19th centuries - due to sheep farming on the Causses (Karst highlands) - textile production was the most important branch of business. The fabrics for Napoleon's armies were made here. In the 20th century, the Lodèver Basin was known for its rich uranium deposits . The dismantling has since stopped; today the city relies on future technologies. Viticulture is also represented in the area with quite good wines ( Coteaux du Languedoc , Montpeyroux , Saint-Saturnin , Clairette de Languedoc , Faugères ).
history
Lodève is a Celtic foundation. At the time of the Roman Provincia Narbonnensis the city was called Forum Neronis ; however, the name Luteva is probably older. In the late 4th century Lodève became the seat of a bishop (see List of Bishops of Lodève ). From 5th to 8th In the 17th century the city belonged to the Visigoth Empire . Between 725 and 745 the Arabs invaded ; later the area was incorporated into the Frankish Empire .
The castle site of Montbrun Castle above the city still testifies to the importance of the city as the seat of a vice count . This was in constant conflict with the bishops, who ruled the city early on; There were repeated (unsuccessful) attempts by the citizens to shake off episcopal rule, but in the High Middle Ages the vice-county passed over to the bishops.
In the High and Late Middle Ages, Lodève was an important stage destination on the Way of St. James , the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (to the alleged tomb of the apostle James ), namely on its southern branch, Via Arelatensis or Via Tolosana , that from Arles via Saint-Gilles , Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert , Lodève and Toulouse to the Somport Pass in the Pyrenees .
In the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) the city was ravaged by the mercenary troops of the "Black Prince" . During the religious wars of the 16th century ( Huguenot Wars ), the city suffered from violent clashes between Catholics and Protestants . The latter damaged, among other things, the cathedral St-Fulcran de Lodève , which was consecrated to St. Fulcran .
Attractions
- former cathedral and today's parish church of St. Fulcran
- Saint-Pierre-aux-Liens church from the mid-19th century
- Remains of the medieval city wall including the tower (Tour du Portalet)
- Bishop's Palace (Palais épiscopal) built in the middle of the 18th century , today the town hall
- market hall (hall) built in the 19th century
- City Museum (Musée de Lodève , formerly Hôtel de Fleury) with prehistoric, ancient and medieval finds and exhibitions of modern art
- several former city palaces
Personalities
- Florus of Lodève († around 389), first bishop of Lodève and saint
- Fulcran of Lodève (around 923–1006), bishop and saint
- André-Hercule Cardinal de Fleury (1653–1743), cardinal and statesman, Bishop of Fréjus , teacher of Louis XV. and de facto its prime minister
- Joseph Vallot (1854–1925), private scholar
- Paul Dardé (1888–1963), sculptor
- Georges Auric (1899–1983), composer
literature
- Ernest Martin: Histoire de la ville de Lodève , 2 volumes., Montpellier: Serre et Roumégous, 1900
- Andreas Curtius: The Cathedral of Lodève and the emergence of the Languedocic Gothic , Hildesheim: Olms, 2002, ISBN 3-487-11486-0 , 617 pp., 588 figs., 2 folding plates, source appendix, bibliography
