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Balaguères

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Commune in Occitanie, France Commune in Occitania, France
Balaguères
Commune
Location of Balaguères
Balaguères is located in FranceBalaguèresBalaguèresShow map of FranceBalaguères is located in OccitanieBalaguèresBalaguèresShow map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 42°57′02″N 1°02′40″E / 42.9506°N 1.0444°E / 42.9506; 1.0444
CountryFrance
RegionOccitania
DepartmentAriège
ArrondissementSaint-Girons
CantonCouserans Ouest
IntercommunalityCouserans-Pyrénées
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean-Claude Roques
Area17.84 km (6.89 sq mi)
Population197
 • Density11/km (29/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code09035 /09800
Elevation467–1,253 m (1,532–4,111 ft)
(avg. 475 m or 1,558 ft)
French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Balaguères (French pronunciation: [balaɡɛʁ]; Occitan: Balaguèras) is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region of south-western France.

Geography

Balaguères is located some 4 km north-east of Audressein and 12 km south-west of Saint-Girons in the Parc naturel régional des Pyrénées ariégeoises. The north-west border of the commune is also the departmental border between Ariège and Haute-Garonne. Access to the commune is by the D618 road from Engomer in the east which passes through the south of the commune and continues south-west to Audressein. Access to the main village of Alas is by the D204A from Engomer and several local roads. The D204 goes north-west from the village through the hamlet of Agert to the hamlet of Balagué in the commune. The commune is farmland in the valley and forested on the mountain slopes.

The Lez river flows through the south of the commune and the village from south-west to east and continues east then north-east to join the Salat at Saint-Girons. The Ruisseau de Lachein flows from the north-west through the commune, gathering several tributaries, to join the Lez at the village.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Places adjacent to Balaguères
Fougaron Cazavet Montgauch
Buzan Balaguères Moulis
Arrout Cescau Engomer

History

Balagué, Agert, and Alas were all part of the lordship of Aspet in the 12th century together with Engomer, Montgauch, Bareilles, and Mauvezin de Prat. This lordship became a powerful Barony in the Middle Ages. On 12 December 1642 Guy d'Encausse, Lord of Labastide (near Rieucazé) purchased Alas-Balagué and gave it to Jean-Jacques de Solan. By decree in April 1667 King Louis XIV ordered the purchase of 18 parishes that had been committed in 1642 and 1643. They all returned to the Crown lands of France. Later, however, some were sold again (Castelbiague, Pointis-Inard, Alas-Agert-Balagué). Others remained in paréage with the king: Affis (His), Arbas, Ganties, Mauvezin, Montastruc, and Rouède. The rest remained permanently in the hands of the king as sole lord: Aspet, Chein, Escaich, Estadens, Montgauch-Bareilles, and Saleich.

Administration

List of Mayors

Mayors from the French Revolution to 1936
From To Name
1792 1793 François Antras
1793 1795 Joseph Anglade
1795 1798 Raymond Cheil
1798 1800 François Cazale
1800 1815 Joseph de Castet
1815 1818 Raymond Cheil
1818 1821 Raymond Roque
1821 1822 Joseph de Castet
1822 1830 Guillaume Joseph de Castet
1830 1835 Joseph Charles Arnaudi
1835 1837 Joseph Loze
1837 1840 Raymond Arasse
1840 1848 Antoine Cabau
1848 1853 Jean Saint-Martin
1853 1861 Raymond Roque
1861 1908 Maurice Morere
1908 1912 Raymond Anere
1912 1914 Henry Morere
1914 1919 François Gradit
1919 1920 Henry Morere
1920 1925 François Gradit
1925 1929 Pierre Lafont
1929 1936 Joseph Anglade
Mayors from 1936
From To Name
1936 1944 Jean Arasse
1944 1966 Pierre Founeau
1966 1977 Joseph Tignous
1977 2020 Henri Anrieu
2020 2026 Jean-Claude Roques

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Balaguérois or Balaguéroises in French.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 1,379—    
1800 731−8.67%
1806 919+3.89%
1821 955+0.26%
1831 1,289+3.04%
1836 1,295+0.09%
1841 1,271−0.37%
1846 1,296+0.39%
1851 1,308+0.18%
1856 1,224−1.32%
1861 1,134−1.52%
1866 1,199+1.12%
1872 1,097−1.47%
1876 1,077−0.46%
1881 1,119+0.77%
1886 1,056−1.15%
1891 984−1.40%
1896 985+0.02%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 895−1.90%
1906 805−2.10%
1911 779−0.65%
1921 643−1.90%
1926 632−0.34%
1931 565−2.22%
1936 474−3.45%
1946 425−1.09%
1954 361−2.02%
1962 314−1.73%
1968 314+0.00%
1975 267−2.29%
1982 223−2.54%
1990 209−0.81%
1999 192−0.94%
2007 195+0.19%
2012 200+0.51%
2017 197−0.30%
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.
Source: EHESS and INSEE

Culture and heritage

Cultural distinctions

Balaguères is one of the communes that have received the Esperanto Green Star, a distinction awarded to mayors of communes who identify with the speakers of the constructed language of Esperanto.

Balaguères was one of the filming locations for the film: The Return of Martin Guerre in 1982 with Nathalie Baye, Gérard Depardieu, and Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu.

Religious heritage

  • The Church of Agert contains two items that are registered as historical objects:
  • The Church of Alas contains four items that are registered as historical objects:
    • A Ciborium (17th century)
    • A Framed Painting: The Virgin and child donating a rosary to Saints Dominic and Catherine of Sienna (18th century)
    • A Chalice with Paten (17th century)
    • A Confessional (18th century)

Environmental heritage

  • The Réseau Paloume, a natural cavity at more than 750 m altitude.

See also

Notes

  1. A feudal contract between two or more lords giving them equal rights

References

  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ Google Maps
  4. List of Mayors of France (in French)
  5. Le nom des habitants du 09 - Ariège, habitants.fr
  6. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Balaguères, EHESS (in French).
  7. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  8. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000076 Ciborium (in French)
  9. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000075 Chalice (in French)
  10. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000074 Ciborium (in French)
  11. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000071 Framed Painting: The Virgin and child donating a rosary to Saints Dominic and Catherine of Sienna (in French)
  12. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000073 Chalice with Paten (in French)
  13. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000072 Confessional (in French)

External links

Communes of the Ariège department
Category: