Bram () 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 Aude (; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it "Ca ...

department in the

Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Bram is part of the old province of

Lauragais The Lauragais () is an area of the south-west of France that is south-east of Toulouse. The Lauragais, a former county in the south-west of France, takes its name from the town of Laurac and has a large area. It covers both sides of the Canal ...

, and is 790 km from

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. Bram station has rail connections to Toulouse, Carcassonne and Narbonne.

History

The CD33 road to the village follows the Roman road, the Romans settling in the area because of a climate which balanced the warmth of the Mediterranean with the freshness of the Atlantic. In 60BCE, they began construction of Bram and called it Eburomagus. Roman remains suggest the town was less round than the current town. Eburomagus disappeared. The modern town was born in the 12th century, built around its fortress church. The only way into the village was by a gate to the east. Bram was a centre of

Cathar Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. Follow ...

belief. Their difference from Rome brought the intervention of

Simon de Montfort Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ( – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the ...

who, following a Spanish monk who became St Dominic, besieged the town in 1210. He succeeded in three days and took revenge on resistants by cutting off the top lip of all his prisoners and gouging out the eyes of all but one. For the last he gouged out only one eye so that he could lead the others out of the town to the château of Lastours. During the

Saintonge War The Saintonge War was a feudal dynastic conflict that occurred between 1242 and 1243. It opposed House of Capet, Capetian forces supportive of Louis IX of France, King Louis IX's brother Alphonse, Count of Poitiers and those of Hugh X of Lusigna ...

, Count

Raymond VII of Toulouse Raymond VII (July 1197 – 27 September 1249) was Count of Toulouse, Duke of Narbonne and Marquis of Provence from 1222 until his death. Family and marriages Raymond was born at the Château de Beaucaire, the son of Raymond VI of Toulouse ...

surrendered Bram to

Imbert de Beaujeu Imbert may refer to: People *Antonio Imbert Barrera (1920–2016), Dominican military figure and politician, President of the Dominican Republic in 1965 *Barthélemy Imbert (1747-1790), French playwright, poet and novelist *Carmen Imbert Brugal (bor ...

and

Hugh of La Tour-du-Pin Hugh of La Tour-du-Pin (1197/1198 – December 1249) was the bishop of Clermont from 1227 until his death. Hugh was a son of Albert, lord of La Tour-du-Pin, and Marie d'Auvergne. He is called '' magister'', showing that he had a formal education. ...

, royal agents, in 1242. By the 17th century Bram had outgrown its walls and expanded in concentric circles. In the 20th century Bram was the site of a camp housing

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

escapees from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

at the end of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

. Unlike most such camps it was a hutted camp and reserved for the old who had survived. It was one of the few relatively good camps and even had an 80-bed sanatorium. Spanish photographer,

Agustí Centelles Agustí Centelles Ossó (1909 in Valencia – 1 December 1985 in Barcelona) was a Catalan photographer, working on the Republican side of the Spanish Civil War. As a refugee from Francoist Spain he was interned in France where he recorded life in ...

, was imprisoned in various camps in France, managing to save his negatives and cameras. He set up a small photography lab in the camp at Bram thanks to a press card issued by the French authorities and documented life in the camp in a diary and over 600 photographs. In 1939 he got special permission to temporarily leave the camp and work on the harvest. When he got a job at a photography studio the permit became final.

Population

Personalities

Albert Sarraut Albert-Pierre Sarraut (; 28 July 1872 – 26 November 1962) was a French Radical politician, twice Prime Minister during the Third Republic. Biography Sarraut was born on 28 July 1872 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France. On 14 March 1907 Sarraut, ...

, two time Prime Minister of France * Jean Cau, writer and

Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward o ...

winner * The Spanghero family, famous

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

players

References

Communes of Aude {{Aude-geo-stub

History

Population

Personalities

See also

References