Castelsarrasin

Castelsarrasin
Castelsarrasin town hall Castelsarrasin town hall
Coat of arms of Castelsarrasin Coat of arms
Castelsarrasin
Location within Midi-Pyrénées region Castelsarrasin
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Tarn-et-Garonne
Arrondissement	Castelsarrasin
Canton	Castelsarrasin-1 and Castelsarrasin-2
Government
• Mayor (2001–2008)	Bernard Dagen
Area1	76.77 km2 (29.64 sq mi)
Population (2012)2	13,295
• Density	170/km2 (450/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	82033 / 82100
Elevation	61–97 m (200–318 ft) (avg. 84 m or 276 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Castelsarrasin (French pronunciation: ​[kastɛlsaʁasɛ̃]) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in Midi-Pyrénées region of France. The inhabitants are called Castelsarrasinois. It is the second most populous commune in Tarn-et-Garonne after Montauban.

History

The first certain evidence of the town dates from 961. The name, Castel Sarracenum, would indicate that the castle was built in the Saracen era. The early history of the city is marked by wars; against the English until the end of the 12th century, then the Albigensian Crusade during the first part of the 13th century, and then the Shepherd's Crusade of 1320 that resulted in the deaths of many Jews in the city. The region was much affected by the Hundred Years' War, and again, during the wars of religion of the 16th century, the city's largely Catholic population was in frequent conflict with the generally Protestant surrounding region.

The region is calmer during the following centuries, up to the time of the French Revolution.

Castelsarrasin was the finish of Stage 17 in the 2007 Tour de France.

Personalities

• Charles de Mazade, born in 1820.
• Pierre Perret, singer born on July 9th 1934.
• Caroline Costa, singer born in 1996
• Jean-Claude Perret, chef born in 1938

Monuments

• Église Saint-Sauveur

Administration

Castelsarrasin is the sub-prefecture of the department.

Bernard Dagen, pharmacist by profession, has been mayor since 1989.

See also

• Communes of the Tarn-et-Garonne department

References

• INSEE

External links

• Castelsarrasin official site (French)
• Castelsarrasin non official site since 2001 (in French)
• Self catering accommodation