Mazères (Ariège)
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Mazères Maseras |
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| region | Occitania | |
| Department | Ariège | |
| Arrondissement | Pamiers | |
| Canton | Portes d'Ariège | |
| Community association | Portes d'Ariège Pyrénées | |
| Coordinates | 43 ° 15 ′ N , 1 ° 41 ′ E | |
| height | 218-333 m | |
| surface | 44.04 km 2 | |
| Residents | 3,877 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 88 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 09270 | |
| INSEE code | 09185 | |
 Mazères (Ariège) - Church and covered market |
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Mazères ( Occitan : Maseras ) is a French commune with 3877 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Ariège department in the Occitania region of southern France .
location
Mazères is located on the south bank of the river Hers-Vif (also Grand Hers ) about 18 kilometers (driving distance) north of Pamiers . Saverdun , the capital of the canton, is about ten kilometers to the southwest.
Population development
| year | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2192 | 2071 | 2355 | 2519 | 2616 | 3127 | 3854 |
economy
For centuries, Mazères lived mainly from the agricultural production of the surrounding villages and acted as their trade and service center. In the Middle Ages and early modern times it profited from the trade in woad ( pastel ), the main growing areas of which were in neighboring Lauragais .
Since the 1970s, four industrial areas ( zones industrielles ) with a total area of 400 hectares have been gradually designated in the outskirts of the city , in which various craft businesses and smaller industrial companies have settled. This created new jobs, which has had a positive effect on the community's population growth.
history
Neolithic, Roman and early medieval finds were made in the area of Mazères and are exhibited in the town museum (see below). The foundation of the medieval bastide goes back to a joint act ( paréage ) of the Counts of Foix and the Benedictines - only three kilometers to the south -, from 1150 Cistercian Abbey of Boulbonne from 1253. The abbey was founded in the Huguenot Wars ( 1562–1598) completely destroyed. Gaston III built in the 14th century . de Foix-Béarn (also called Gaston Phoebus ) a castle on the outskirts of today's city - also destroyed in the Wars of Religion. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Mazères was a stronghold of Protestantism in southwest France; this changed fundamentally after the repeal of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV (1685).
Attractions
- The Église Saint Abdon et Saint Sennen was rebuilt after the Protestants were driven out in the late 17th century and enlarged in the 18th and 19th centuries. The eight-sided tower dates from 1830, the top of the helm from 1885. The facade shows a baroque structure with an interesting change of stone (brick and sandstone). The single-aisled interior with several side chapels - as is usual in the Midi - contains several items of equipment from the destroyed Boulbonne Abbey - above all the altar and the choir stalls ( stalles ) are to be mentioned in this context.
- The immediately adjacent market hall ( hall ) was also not built until the 19th century (1846–1850). The wooden roof truss resting on brick pillars with round arches is remarkable.
- The surrounding square ( place de l'eglise ) is lined with several beautiful half-timbered houses ( maisons à colombages ) from different eras. The ground floor of most of the houses has been stepped back, so that arcades towards the square determine the picture.
- The Hôtel d'Ardouin dates back to 1580 and is the former residence of a rich pastel dealer. The whole building is made of brick, only the rectangular Renaissance windows with their crosses and the beautiful frames are made of light limestone. A spiral staircase ( vis ) leads to a small observation tower or watchtower ( échauguette ). Nowadays the building serves as a city museum.
- The Domaine des Oiseaux , located about three kilometers northwest of the village on a lake, is used for bird protection and bird watching.
literature
- Les bastides du Lauragais et du pays de Foix: Carcassonne, Chalabre, Mazères, Mirepoix, Montgeard, Revel, Roquefixade, Saint-Félix-Lauragais, Villefranche-de-Lauragais. Diagram, Toulouse 1991
