Castelnau-de-Montmiral
Encyclopedia
Castelnau-de-Montmiral is a commune
in the Tarn department in southern France
.
such as dolmens and oppidums can be seen in the nearby forest La Grésigne, the village was founded as an albigensian bastide in 1222 by Raymond VII, count of Toulouse, under the name “Castellum Novum Montis Mirabilis”.
During the subsequent years, the village remained an impressive stronghold. In 1345, during the Hundred Years' War
, when Edward the Black Prince
invaded the Albigeois, he reportedly left without besieging the village… Later, it served as a shelter for catholics who were fleeing from Gaillac
because of the Wars of Religion.
King Louis XIII visited Castelnau in June 1622, and stayed in the “Tonnac” house.
“One evening, a small, jolting, overcrowded bus took us to Castelnau-de-Montmiral ; it was raining ; as we got out on the square surrounded by corbel vaults, Sartre abruptly told that he was fed up with being mad.” ("Un soir, un petit autobus cahotant et bondé nous amena à Castelnau de Montmiral ; il pleuvait ; en descendant sur la place entourée d’arcades, Sartre me dit abruptement qu’il en avait assez d’être fou.")
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Tarn department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Demography
History
While traces of activities dating back to the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
such as dolmens and oppidums can be seen in the nearby forest La Grésigne, the village was founded as an albigensian bastide in 1222 by Raymond VII, count of Toulouse, under the name “Castellum Novum Montis Mirabilis”.
During the subsequent years, the village remained an impressive stronghold. In 1345, during the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
, when Edward the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
invaded the Albigeois, he reportedly left without besieging the village… Later, it served as a shelter for catholics who were fleeing from Gaillac
Gaillac
Gaillac is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-Geography of Gaillac:Gaillac is a town situated between Toulouse, Albi and Monatauban. It has gained a large amount of recognition due to the wines that bear the towns name. The Tarn river runs along the border of the town by the...
because of the Wars of Religion.
King Louis XIII visited Castelnau in June 1622, and stayed in the “Tonnac” house.
Remarkable sites and monuments
Remarkable sites and monuments in Castelnau-de-Montmiral include :- the village itself, listed among «Les Plus Beaux Villages de FranceLes Plus Beaux Villages de FranceLes Plus Beaux Villages de France is an independent association, created in 1982, which aims to promote assets of small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage...
» - the central square surrounded by corbel vaults, with the ancient pilori
- the Notre Dame de l’Assomption church, with a 16th-century bell
- ancient stone houses and half-timbered houses
- the ramparts
- the Reliquary cross, created in 1341 by a goldsmith in Albi
- the nearby forest La Grésigne
Cultural references
- Intellectuals Jean-Paul SartreJean-Paul SartreJean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
and Simone de BeauvoirSimone de BeauvoirSimone-Ernestine-Lucie-Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir, often shortened to Simone de Beauvoir , was a French existentialist philosopher, public intellectual, and social theorist. She wrote novels, essays, biographies, an autobiography in several volumes, and monographs on philosophy, politics, and...
once visited the village. Here is her comments :
“One evening, a small, jolting, overcrowded bus took us to Castelnau-de-Montmiral ; it was raining ; as we got out on the square surrounded by corbel vaults, Sartre abruptly told that he was fed up with being mad.” ("Un soir, un petit autobus cahotant et bondé nous amena à Castelnau de Montmiral ; il pleuvait ; en descendant sur la place entourée d’arcades, Sartre me dit abruptement qu’il en avait assez d’être fou.")
- In the American TV series SmallvilleSmallvilleSmallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
, Lana LangLana Lang (Smallville)Lana Lang is a fictional character on the television series Smallville. She has been a series regular since the pilot episode, and has been played continuously by Kristin Kreuk, with two other actresses having portrayed Lana Lang as a child and as an elderly woman...
’s family comes from Castelnau-de-Montmiral.