Bize-Minervois is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Aude department in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Geography

Located on the edge of the Haut-Minervois in the Cesse valley, Bize lies between the fertile sedimentary plain of

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...

and the

causses The Causses () are a group of limestone plateaus (700–1,200 m) in the Massif Central. They are bordered to the north-west by the Limousin (région), Limousin and the Périgord uplands, and to the east by the Aubrac and the Cévennes. Large river ...

of the Minervois and the Montagne Noire. Bize is situated approximately 3 km north of the D5 between

Olonzac Olonzac (; oc, Lonzac) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is known as the "capital of the Minervois".Olonzac, http://www.mairie-olonzac.fr/vp/index.php Village life A market is held in the ...

and Capestang. Bize is a small village with a population approximately 1,000 where a quarter of the houses are second homes.

History

Bize is first mentioned in 911 in the will of man named Walcharius who left the lands of the parish of Saint-Saturnin of Bizan to the

Archbishop of Narbonne The former Catholic diocese of Narbonne existed from early Christian times until the French Revolution. It was an archdiocese, with its see at Narbonne, from the year 445, and its influence ran over much of south-western France and into Catalon ...

. During the religious wars of the 16th century Bize changed hands many times and in 1573 was fortified as a

protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

stronghold against the

catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Bishops of Narbonne.

Population

Sights

*Caves Las Fonts (Moulin) - Paleolithic caves, now a classified monument where prehistoric remains were discovered in 1827 by French archaeologist and scientist Paul Tournal, founder of the Narbonne Museum. *La Porte Saint Michel 1236 - the main gate in to the village coming from the direction of Narbonne. A second gate, La Porte St Croix - the entrance from the direction Argeliers, Minerve and Saint-Pons - was demolished in the 19th century to allow easier passage for carts. *The church of Saint-Michel (18th century)

Events

* 'Fete d l'olivier' - Festival of Olives is held annually in JulyLe Minervois : historic region in the Languedoc
* General market every Wednesday morning throughout the year

Amenities

Bize has two bakers, two general stores, a post office, hairdressers, a pharmacy, and a

wine cave Wine caves are subterranean structures for the storage and the aging of wine. They are an integral component of the wine industry worldwide. The design and construction of wine caves represents a unique application of underground construction ...

. There is also a bar and several restaurants. Sporting facilities include a boulodrome, football pitches (home of Bize FC),

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

courts and in the summer the Cesse is dammed to create a freshwater

swimming hole A swimming hole is a place in a river, stream, creek, spring, or similar natural body of water, which is large enough and deep enough for a person to swim in. Common usage usually refers to fresh, moving water and thus not to oceans or lakes. ...

References

External links

The official website of Bize-Minervois
Communes of Aude {{Aude-geo-stub