Villefranche-de-Lauragais
|
Villefranche-de-Lauragais Vilafranca de Lauragués |
||
|---|---|---|
.svg)
|
|
|
| region | Occitania | |
| Department | Haute-Garonne | |
| Arrondissement | Toulouse | |
| Canton | Revel | |
| Community association | Terres du Lauragais | |
| Coordinates | 43 ° 24 ' N , 1 ° 43' E | |
| height | 168-256 m | |
| surface | 10.35 km 2 | |
| Residents | 4,519 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 437 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 31290 | |
| INSEE code | 31582 | |
 Church Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption |
||
Villefranche-de-Lauragais ( Occitan : Vilafranca de Lauragués ) is a French commune with 4519 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Haute-Garonne department in the Occitania region .
location
Villefranche-de-Lauragais is located in the cultural landscape of the Lauragais , about 38 kilometers (driving distance) in a south-easterly direction from Toulouse . Another 24 kilometers to the southwest is Castelnaudary . All of the cities mentioned are located on the Canal du Midi and are linked by the A61 motorway and the Toulouse – Narbonne railway line.
Population development
| year | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 |
| Residents | 2,771 | 2,948 | 3.127 | 3,316 | 3,348 | 3,856 |
In the 19th and the first half of the 20th century, the population fluctuated between 2,000 and 3,000 inhabitants. The significant increase in population in recent decades is due to the proximity to Toulouse and the comparatively low rents and land prices.
economy
The steady increase in the population of Villefranche is an indicator of the positive economic development of the city. Due to the proximity to the city of Toulouse and comparatively low land prices, there is an industrial area ( zone industrial ) in the outskirts.
history
Villefranche was founded in 1252 by Alfons of Poitiers (1220–1271) on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela ( Via Tolosana ) as a bastide against the potential flare-up of the Albigensian movement (cf. Avignonet-Lauragais ). Alfonso von Poitiers was the younger brother of King Louis IX. (1214–1270) and through his brother's marriage to Johanna the Pious (1220–1271), the only heiress of the mighty county of Toulouse , the French king hoped to gain territorial and political power. In fact, the marriage remained childless and after the death of both spouses in 1271, the county of Toulouse fell to the French crown.
During the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) between England and France, Villefranche was set on fire by the troops of the 'Black Prince' ( Edward of Woodstock ) in 1355; the city walls were razed.
Attractions
- The Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption church, founded by Johanna the Pious and completed in 1263, is a three-aisled brick building in the Tolosan Gothic style - there is no natural stone in the Toulouse area and therefore had to be transported from far away, which is enormous Would have incurred costs. As a result, the use of sandstone was limited to the capitals inside the church. The monumental two-storey bell gable , which was added in 1364 and stabilized by two octagonal side turrets, above the otherwise completely unadorned western facade - with the exception of two wall niches and a jagged frieze made of sloping bricks - is a masterpiece of brick architecture and at the same time a bulwark of Catholicism against any form of heresy ; it doubles over the actual church building. The ringing consists of a total of six bells - three smaller (above) and three medium-sized (below). The bell tower of the church has been recognized as a monument historique since 1927 .
- The Château de Barelles dates back to the 18th century and is privately owned. It was recognized as a monument historique in 1990 .
- In the right-angled streets of the former bastide you can still find some old half-timbered buildings ( Maisons à colombage ), the compartments of which are filled with bricks.
- A market hall ( hall ) is located in the center of the small town not far from the church.
literature
- Société académique d'architecture: 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
- Le Patrimoine des Communes de la Haute-Garonne. Flohic Editions, Volume 2, Paris 2000, ISBN 2-84234-081-7 , pp. 1740-1742.
Web links
- Villefranche - Photos + Info (French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Église Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, Villefranche-de-Lauragais in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
- ↑ Château de Barelles, Villefranche-de-Lauragais in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)