Lavaur, Tarn
Encyclopedia
Lavaur is a commune
in the Tarn department in southern France
.
It lies 37 km southeast of Montauban
by rail.
during the wars of the Albigenses, a monument marking the site where Dame Giraude de Laurac (Lady of Lavaur) was killed, being thrown down a well and stoned to death. The town was also taken several times during the religious wars of the 16th century.
, which is here crossed by a railway-bridge and a fine stone bridge of the late 18th century.
From 1317 till the French Revolution
Lavaur was the seat of a bishopric; Lavaur Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Alan
, was built for this purpose, dating from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, with an octagonal bell-tower. A second, smaller square tower contains a jaquemart
(a statue which strikes the hours with a hammer) of the 16th century. In the bishops garden is the statue of Emmanuel, comte de Las Cases
, one of the companions of Napoleon
at Saint Helena
.
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...
.
It lies 37 km southeast of Montauban
Montauban
Montauban is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse....
by rail.
History
Lavaur was taken in 1211 by Simon de MontfortSimon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester
Simon IV de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, 5th Earl of Leicester , also known as Simon de Montfort the elder, was a French nobleman who took part in the Fourth Crusade and was a prominent leader of the Albigensian Crusade...
during the wars of the Albigenses, a monument marking the site where Dame Giraude de Laurac (Lady of Lavaur) was killed, being thrown down a well and stoned to death. The town was also taken several times during the religious wars of the 16th century.
Geography
Lavaur stands on the left bank of the AgoutAgout
The Agout is a 195 km long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Tarn River. Its source is in the southern Massif Central, in the Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc...
, which is here crossed by a railway-bridge and a fine stone bridge of the late 18th century.
Demographics
Population:- 1906: town 4069; commune 6388
- 1999: commune 8537
- 2006: commune 10,369
Sights
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
Lavaur was the seat of a bishopric; Lavaur Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Alan
Alan of Lavaur
Saint Alan of Lavaur is the saint to whom Lavaur Cathedral is dedicated.His feast day is 25 November....
, was built for this purpose, dating from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, with an octagonal bell-tower. A second, smaller square tower contains a jaquemart
Jacquemart (bellstriker)
A jacquemart is a automaton, an animated, mechanised figure of a person, usually made from wood or metal, which strikes the hours on a bell with a hammer. Jacquemarts are usually part of clocks or clocktowers, and are often near or at the top of the construction...
(a statue which strikes the hours with a hammer) of the 16th century. In the bishops garden is the statue of Emmanuel, comte de Las Cases
Emmanuel, comte de Las Cases
Emmanuel-Augustin-Dieudonné-Joseph, comte de Las Cases was a French atlas-maker and author, famed for an admiring book on Napoleon....
, one of the companions of Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
at Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
.