Castres (; ''Castras'' in the

Languedocian Languedocien (French name, ), Languedocian or Lengadocian (), is an Occitan dialect spoken in rural parts of southern France such as Languedoc, Rouergue, Quercy, Agenais and Southern Périgord. It is sometimes also called Languedocien-Guyenna ...

dialect of

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

) is the sole subprefecture of the Tarn

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

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

Southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...

. It lies in the former province of Languedoc, although not in the former region of Languedoc-Roussillon. In 2018, the commune had a population of 41,795. Castres is the fourth-largest industrial centre of the predominantly rural former Midi-Pyrénées region after Toulouse, Tarbes and Albi, as well as the largest in the part of Languedoc lying between Toulouse and

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

. It is noted for being the birthplace of the famous socialist leader Jean Jaurès (1859–1914) and home to the important

Goya Museum The Goya Museum (in French: Musée Goya) is an art museum located in Castres, France.Goya Museum
< ...

of Spanish painting.

Demographics

In 1831, the population of Castres was 12,032, making it the largest town of the department of Tarn. One of the few industrial towns in the region of

Albigeois Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, on the river Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ''Albigensians'' (french: Albigeois, Albigeoise(s), oc, albig ...

, the population of the commune proper grew to 19,483 in 1901, and 34,126 by 1954. However, with the decline of its industries, population growth diminished. Albi surpassed Castres as the most populous metropolitan area of Tarn. The population of Castres reached its peak in 1975, after that it has been decreasing slowly. Castres is the centre of a functional urban area with 104,695 inhabitants (2019).

Geography

Castres is located at an altitude of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. It is located south-southeast of Albi, the '' préfecture'' (capital) of Tarn, and east of Toulouse, the capital of

Occitania Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the historical region in Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe where the Occitan language, Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This ...

. Castres is intersected from north to south by the rivers Agout and

Durenque Durenque is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Aveyron department The following is a list of the 285 communes of the Aveyron department of France. The communes cooperate in the ...

. The

Thoré The Thoré () is a river in the Hérault and Tarn departments in southern France. Its source is in the northern part of Rieussec. It flows generally northwest. It is a left tributary of the Agout, into which it flows between Navès and Castr ...

forms most of the commune's south-eastern border, then flows into the Agout, which forms part of its western border.

Administration

Between 1790 and 1797 Castres was the prefecture of Tarn. Since 2001, the mayor of Castres has been

Pascal Bugis Pascal, Pascal's or PASCAL may refer to: People and fictional characters * Pascal (given name), including a list of people with the name * Pascal (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** Blaise Pascal, Frenc ...

(right, member of UMP), who defeated the then socialist mayor in the 2001 election after a campaign focused on the bad records of the socialist mayor on fighting crime, and the high level of insecurity in the town. Castres has teamed up with the nearby town of Mazamet ( southeast of Castres) and the independent suburbs and villages in between to create the ''

communauté d'agglomération An agglomeration community (french: communauté d'agglomération) is a government structure in France, created by the Chevènement Law of 1999. It is one of four forms of intercommunality, less integrated than a métropole or a communauté urb ...

de Castres Mazamet'', which was established in December 1999.CA de Castres Mazamet (N° SIREN : 248100430)
BANATIC, retrieved 23 June 2022. The ''communauté d'agglomération'' groups 14 independent communes (including Castres and Mazamet), with a total population of 78,101 inhabitants (2018), 54% of these living in the commune of Castres proper, 13% in the commune of Mazamet, and the rest in the communes in between. The ''communauté d'agglomération'' was created in order to better coordinate transport, infrastructure, housing, and economic policies between the communes of the area. The current president of the ''communauté d'agglomération'' is Pascal Bugis, mayor of Castres.

History

The name of the town comes from Latin '' castrum'', and means "fortified place". Castres grew up round the Benedictine abbey of Saint Benoît, which is believed to have been founded in AD 647, possibly on the site of an old Roman fort (''castrum''). Castres became an important stop on the international pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela in Spain because its abbey-church, built in the 9th century, was keeping the

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

s of Saint Vincent, the renowned martyr of Spain. It was a place of some importance as early as the 12th century, and ranked as the second town of the

behind Albi. Despite the decline of its abbey, which in 1074 came under the authority of Saint Victor abbey in Marseille, Castres was granted a liberal charter in the 12th century by the famous Trencavel family, viscounts of Albi. Resulting from the charter, Castres was ruled by a college of consuls. During the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade (; 1209–1229) was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown ...

it surrendered of its own accord to Simon de Montfort, and thus entered into the kingdom of France in 1229. In 1317,

Pope John XXII Pope John XXII ( la, Ioannes PP. XXII; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by ...

established the

bishopric of Castres The Catholic Diocese of Castres, in Southern France, was created in 1317 from the diocese of Albi. It was suppressed at the time of the French Revolution, under the Concordat of 1801.John II of France. However, the town greatly suffered from the

Black Plague The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

in 1347-1348, then from the Black Prince of England and the Free Companies (bands of lawless mercenaries) who laid waste the country during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

. Consequently, by the late 14th century Castres entered a period of sharp decline. In 1375, there were only 4,000 inhabitants left in town, only half the figure from a century before. Following the confiscation of the possessions of

Jacques d'Armagnac Jacques d'Armagnac (4 August 1477), duke of Nemours, was the son of Bernard d'Armagnac, count of Pardiac, and Eleanor of Bourbon-La Marche. As the Count of Castres, Jacques served under Charles VII of France in Normandy in 1449 and 1450, and af ...

, duke of Nemours, to which the countship of Castres had passed, it was bestowed in 1476 by King Louis XI on

Boffille de Juge Boffille de Juge (died 1502), French-Italian adventurer and statesman, belonged to the family of del Giudice, which came from Amalfi, and followed the fortunes of the Angevin dynasty. When John of Anjou, duke of Calabria, was conquered in Italy (14 ...

(Boffillo del Giudice), an Italian nobleman and adventurer serving as a diplomat for Louis XI, but the appointment led to so much disagreement (family feud between Boffille de Juge, his only daughter, and his brother-in-law) that the countship was united to the crown by King

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

in 1519. Around 1560, the majority of the population of Castres converted to Protestantism. In the wars of the latter part of the 16th century the inhabitants sided with the Protestant party, fortified the town, and established an independent republic. Castres was one of the largest Protestant strongholds in southern France, along with Montauban and La Rochelle. Henry of Navarre, leader of the Protestant party, who later became King Henry IV of France, stayed in Castres in 1585. The Protestants of Castres were brought to terms, however, by King Louis XIII in 1629, and

Richelieu Richelieu (, ; ) may refer to: People * Cardinal Richelieu (Armand-Jean du Plessis, 1585–1642), Louis XIII's chief minister * Alphonse-Louis du Plessis de Richelieu (1582–1653), French Carthusian bishop and Cardinal * Louis François Armand ...

came himself to Castres to have its fortifications dismantled. Nonetheless, after these religious wars, the town, now in peace, enjoyed a period of rapid expansion. Business and traditional commercial activities revived, in particular fur and leather-dressing, tanning, and above all wool trade. Culture flourished anew, with the founding of the Academy of Castres in 1648. Castres was turned by the Catholic Church into an active center of

Counter-Reformation The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...

, with the establishments of several convents in town, and the building of a renowned bishop's palace by Mgr. Tubœuf, still the most famous monument in town today. A new cathedral was also built, after the destructions of the religious wars. Perhaps even more important, Castres was made the seat of the ''Chambre de l'Édit'' of the Parliament of Toulouse, a court of justice detached from the Parliament of Toulouse and in charge of dealing with the cases involving the Protestants of Languedoc, a measure of protection granted to them by the Edict of Nantes. This court attracted much business to Castres. In 1665, there were 7,000 inhabitants in Castres, 4,000 of whom Catholic, and 3,000 Protestant. In 1670 however, the ''Chambre de l'Édit'' was transferred to Castelnaudary, much to the discontent of even the catholic citizens of Castres, who lost a major source of business and revenue with the departure of the lawyers and the plaintiffs. The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes soon followed, and Castres suffered greatly when many Protestants chose to go into exile. Then came the plague of 1720-1721 and the fire of 1724. Last but not least, Castres lost its liberal charter in 1758. In the 1760s, a few years after the famous

Calas Affair Jean Calas (1698 – 10 March 1762) was a merchant living in Toulouse, France, who was tried, tortured and executed for the murder of his son, despite his protestations of innocence. Calas was a Protestant in an officially Catholic society. Dou ...

in Toulouse, Castres made the headlines nationwide: Pierre-Paul Sirven and his wife, both Protestants, were wrongly accused of having murdered their daughter in order to prevent her from converting to Catholicism. Tried and sentenced to death ''in absentia'' on March 29, 1764, they were defended by Voltaire, and eventually exonerated in 1771. The outbreak of the French Revolution was generally welcomed in Castres, particularly among the local Protestant merchants and entrepreneurs, but the majority of the population remained moderate during the whole period. In 1793 for instance, Protestant pastor Alba La Source, Castres' representative at the

Convention Convention may refer to: * Convention (norm), a custom or tradition, a standard of presentation or conduct ** Treaty, an agreement in international law * Convention (meeting), meeting of a (usually large) group of individuals and/or companies in a ...

in Paris, opposed the deportation of "non-juror" Catholic priests to French Guiana, where death in the horrid jungle was certain (see Civil Constitution of the Clergy). "Non-juror" priests were by far the majority in the region of Castres. Accused of being a moderate, Alba La Source was guillotined in October 1793. Suspected of being lukewarm toward the revolution, Castres was duly chastised. The bishopric which had been established by

in 1317 was abolished, Castres later becoming part of the

bishopric of Albi The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Albi (–Castres–Lavaur) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Albiensis (–Castrensis–Vauriensis)''; French: ''Archidiocèse d'Albi (–Castres–Lavaur)''), usually referred to simply as the Archdiocese of Albi, is a n ...

. Capital of the ' of Tarn in 1790, the town was downgraded to capital of an arrondissement in 1797, Albi being made the capital of the '. Despite these setbacks, in the 19th century the economy of Castres developed greatly, and the town grew outside of its old medieval center. As early as 1815, the first mechanized wool mill was set up in town. Originally specialized in luxury cloth, the Castres textile industry then turned toward more ordinary types of cloth, whose markets were considerably larger. Around 1860, there were 50 wool mills in town, employing 3,000 people. In the end of the 19th century, mechanical engineering industries appeared beside the textile industry, which led to Castres becoming a major arsenal for the French army during the First World War. Castres was linked to the French railway network in 1865. At the end of the 19th century, Castres was the largest town in the ' of Tarn, with 5,000 more inhabitants than Albi. However, in the 20th century the town entered a new period of decline. Although Castres emerged from the two world wars unscathed, no military operations or combats taking place in southwest France, the local economy has been hard hit by change. Like so many towns and cities of Europe which had benefited most from the Industrial Revolution, Castres is experiencing a difficult restructuring of its industrial base. Textile has particularly suffered. Castres is also crippled by its geographical location, isolated in a dead end at the foot of the Massif Central mountains, away from the main exchange and transport routes. Castres is still not connected to the motorway (freeway) network of France, the only town of that size in France not yet connected. The creation of the

Greater Castres-Mazamet Council Greater may refer to: *Greatness, the state of being great *Greater than, in inequality * ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film *Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record * "Greater" (song), by MercyMe, 2014 *Greater Bank, an Australian ...

in 2000 was expected to deal with the transport problem, and to work on attracting new industries. The good fortune of Castres is to be located only away from the very dynamic Toulouse. The long-promised motorway link with Toulouse is due to be completed soon, and Castres hopes to benefit from its proximity with the big Occitan city.

Economy

The principal industries are mechanical and electrical engineering, machine tools, wooden furniture, granite, textile, fur and leather-dressing, tanning, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and selective breeding of cows. Traditional and polluting industries such as textile, tanning, fur and leather-dressing, or chemicals, are in sharp decline. However, a multinational pharmaceutical group (

Pierre Fabre Group Laboratoires Pierre Fabre is a French multinational pharmaceutical and cosmetics company. The company had a consolidated turnover of 1.978 billion euros in 2012 (including 54% international). It is headquartered in the city of Castres, Midi-Pyrén ...

) emerged in the town in the 1960s, and it has kept its headquarters and R&D division in the metropolitan area, helping to counterbalance the general decline in industry. Some now accuse its founder and president, Pierre Fabre, of being the real "master" of Castres, making and designating Castres' mayors at will.

Transport

The

Gare de Castres Castres is a railway station in Castres, Occitanie, France. It is on the Toulouse–Mazamet railway line. The station is served by TER (local) services operated by the SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as ...

railway station is served by regional trains to Mazamet and Toulouse.

People

Castres is the hometown of socialist politician and newspaper publisher Jean Jaurès (1859–1914), who was murdered in Paris the day before the start of the First World War. Mathematician Pierre de Fermat died in Castres in 1665, while attending a session of the ''Chambre de l'Édit'' there. French writer

Roger Peyrefitte Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

was born into a wealthy family of Castres in 1907. Former French

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

er Claude Puel was also born in Castres. Other people born in the city include: *

Guilhabert de Castres Guilhabert de Castres (about 1165 – 1240) was a prominent Cathar theologian. Born in Castres, he became a Cathar Perfect and, between 1223 and 1226, Bishop of Toulouse in the Cathar Church. In the theological debates in the early 13th century betw ...

- Cathar bishop * Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult - Politician and marshal during the Napoleonic wars *

André Dacier André Dacier ( la, Andreas Dacerius; 6 April 165118 September 1722) was a French classical scholar and editor of texts. He began his career with an edition and commentary of Festus' ''De verborum significatione'', and was the first to produce a ...

- Scholar * John Ligonier, 1st Earl Ligonier - British general *

Paul de Rapin Paul de Rapin (25 March 1661 – 25 April 1725), sieur of Thoyras (and therefore styled de Rapin de Thoyras), was a Huguenot historian writing under English patronage. His ''History of England'', written and first published in French in 1724– ...

- Historian *

- Diplomat and author * Claude Puel - Football player and manager * Charles Blanc - Art critic * Yannick Jauzion - Rugby union player *

Clément Poitrenaud Clément Poitrenaud (born 20 May 1982 in Castres, Tarn) is a former French rugby union footballer. His usual position is at fullback but he also plays at centre. He most recently played for South African side the in Super Rugby, having represen ...

- Rugby union player *

Pierre Camara Pierre Camara (born 15 September 1965) is a retired French triple jumper, best known for his triple jump gold medal at the 1993 World Indoor Championships. In the triple jump final of those championships, he jumped 17.59 m, which was a new champio ...

- Athlete * Pierre-Paul Sirven - philosopher *

Maryline Salvetat Maryline Salvetat (born 12 February 1974) is a French cyclist born in Castres. She participates in road cycling as well as in cyclo-cross and mountain biking. In 2002, 2004, and 2005 she became French national champion in cyclo-cross. In 2004, s ...

-cyclist. *

Guillaume Borne Guillaume Borne (born 12 February 1988) is a retired French association football, footballer who played as a right-back. External linksProfile
at footballdatabase.eu * * 1988 births Living people People from Castres Sportspeople from Tarn ...

- footballer * Maurice Gabolde - Minister of Justice in the Vichy regime of Philippe Petain * Lore Baudrit - ice hockey player Residents of Castres include: *

Paul Pellisson Paul Pellisson (30 October 1624 – 7 February 1693) was a French author. Pellisson was born in Béziers, of a distinguished Calvinist family. He studied law at Toulouse, and practised at the bar of Castres. Going to Paris with letters of intr ...

- Author *

Anne Lefèvre Anne Le Fèvre Dacier (1647 – 17 August 1720), better known during her lifetime as Madame Dacier, was a French scholar, translator, commentator and editor of the classics, including the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey''. She sought to champion a ...

- Scholar *

Jean Bon Saint-André Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

- Politician during the Revolution era *

Bernardo Gui Bernard Gui (), also known as Bernardo Gui or Bernardus Guidonis (c. 1261/62 – 30 December 1331), was a Dominican friar, Bishop of Lodève, and a papal inquisitor during the later stages of the Medieval Inquisition. Due to his fictionalise ...

- Inquisitor *

Philip of Montfort, Lord of Castres Philip ΙΙ of Montfort (died 24 September 1270) was a French nobleman, Count of Squillace in Italy from 1266/68, then Lord of Castres in 1270. He was the son of Philip I of Monfort, Lord of Tyre and Eleonore of Courtenay. His coat-of-arms was ''G ...

- Nobleman *

- Statesman *

Vincent Baron Vincent Baron (17 May 1604 – 21 January 1674) was a French Dominican theologian and preacher. Biography He was born at Martres, in the département of the Haute-Garonne, France, 17 May 1604, and died in Paris on 21 January 1674. At the age of ...

- Theologian * Pierre de Fermat - Mathematician * Kees Meeuws - Rugby union player *

Christophe Farnaud Christophe may refer to: People * Christophe (given name), list of people with this name * Christophe (singer) (1945–2020), French singer * Cristophe (hairstylist) (born 1958), Belgian hairstylist * Georges Colomb (1856–1945), French comic ...

- French ambassador to Greece * Hans Bellmer - Artist

Main sights

Castres is intersected from north to south by the river Agout. The river is fringed by old houses the upper stories of which project over its waters. Cathedrale de Castres

The church of Saint Benoît, once the cathedral of Castres, and the most important of the churches of Castres today, dates only from the 17th and 18th centuries. The city hall occupies the former bishop's palace, designed in the 17th century by

Jules Hardouin-Mansart Jules Hardouin-Mansart (; 16 April 1646 – 11 May 1708) was a French Baroque architect and builder whose major work included the Place des Victoires (1684–1690); Place Vendôme (1690); the domed chapel of Les Invalides (1690), and the Grand T ...

(the architect of Versailles), and with gardens designed by

André Le Nôtre André Le Nôtre (; 12 March 1613 – 15 September 1700), originally rendered as André Le Nostre, was a French landscape architect and the principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France. He was the landscape architect who designed the gar ...

(the designer of the gardens in Versailles). The Romanesque tower beside it (''Tour Saint Benoît'') is the only survival of the old Benedictine abbey. The town possesses some old mansions from the 16th and 17th century, including the ''Hôtel de Nayrac'', of the Renaissance. Castres possesses the renowned Goya Museum, created in 1840, which contains the largest collection of Spanish paintings in France. A Jaurès Museum was also opened in 1954 in the house where Jean Jaurès was born in 1859. The Jardin botanique Pierre Fabre "La Michonne" is a private botanical garden and conservatory that can be visited.

Sports

As one might expect of a town of western

nicknamed ''Ovalie'', the main sport in Castres is rugby union, followed religiously by many locals. The local professional club is ''

Castres Olympique Castres Olympique () is a French rugby union club located in the Occitanian city of Castres and is currently competing in the top level of the French league system. Founded in 1898, the club took its current name in 1906. They play at the Sta ...

'', who are five-time champions of France (in 1949, 1950, 1993, 2013 and 2018). ''Castres Olympique'' is the property of local tycoon Pierre Fabre, founder and president of

. The finish of Stage 12 of the

2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 to 29 July. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain. It was ...

was in Castres.

Education

Jean-François Champollion University Center for Teaching and Research The National University Institute Jean-Francois Champollion (''Institut National Universitaire Jean-François Champollion''), formerly known as Jean-Francois Champollion University Center for Teaching and Research (''Centre universitaire de form ...

Cinema

Castres is the place where a short film festival occurs each year.

Medias

The city happened to see the birth of its first student radio ( RADIOM) in 2007.The student radio RADIOM
/ref>

Twin towns

Castres is twinned with: * Linares, Spain * Wakefield, England * Butare,

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

References

External links

City Hall of Castres official website

Greater Castres-Mazamet Council official website

Photographe maternité mariage Castres

Chamber of Commerce of Castres-Mazamet

Castres Olympique Rugby Club website

See pictures from Antonio Mucherino's web site
{{authority control Communes of Tarn (department) Subprefectures in France Languedoc