Massat
| Massat | ||
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| region | Occitania | |
| Department | Ariège | |
| Arrondissement | Saint-Girons | |
| Canton | Couserans Est | |
| Community association | Couserans-Pyrénées | |
| Coordinates | 42 ° 53 ' N , 1 ° 21' E | |
| height | 598-1,941 m | |
| surface | 44.71 km 2 | |
| Residents | 659 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 15 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 09320 | |
| INSEE code | 09182 | |
.jpg) Ave Maria Chapel in Massat |
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Massat is a French commune in the arrondissement of Saint-Girons in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region in the foothills of the Pyrenees . It has 659 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017).
geography
The place Massat is located in the Regional Natural Park Pyrénées Ariégeoises (French: Parc naturel régional des Pyrénées Ariégeoises ). Massat is bounded by the neighboring municipalities of Boussenac in the north, Saurat in the east, Rabat-les-Trois-Seigneurs in the southeast, Le Port in the south, Ercé in the southwest and Biert in the west.
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2010 | 2017 |
| Residents | 849 | 746 | 711 | 598 | 624 | 589 | 693 | 659 |
| Sources: Cassini and INSEE | ||||||||
Grotto you ker
In the Grotte du Ker de Massat (also called La Campagnole ), you can see Franco-Cantabrian cave art from the Upper Paleolithic . Like many picture caves in the Central Pyrenees, this one is located high on the mountain, while there was a camp site in the valley. 81 engravings from the younger Magdalenian were found in several rooms: horses, cervids , chamois, ibex, bison. The cave is particularly noteworthy because of the numerous grimacing depictions of people, which resemble caricatures, including those with thick noses, etc. There are also numerous signs. Some of the engravings were made with fingers in clay. Among other things, a perforated rod sculpture with a bear's head was found. The very important site was discovered by Édouard Lartet in 1860 .
