House Of Foix
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Foix (; oc, Fois ; ca, Foix ) 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 ...
, the former capital of the
County of Foix The County of Foix (french: Comté de Foix, ; oc, Comtat de Fois) was an independent medieval fief in southern France, and later a province of France, whose territory corresponded roughly the eastern part of the modern ''département'' of Ariè ...
. It is the capital of the department of Ariège as it is the seat of the
Préfecture In France, a prefecture (french: préfecture) may be: * the ''chef-lieu de département'', the commune in which the administration of a department is located; * the ''chef-lieu de région'', the commune in which the administration of a region is ...
of that
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, ...
. Foix is located 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 of southwestern France. It is the second least populous French departmental capital, the least populous being
Privas Privas (; oc, Privàs , also ) is a city located in France, in the department of Ardèche. With its 8,465 inhabitants (2019), it is the least populated prefecture (capital of a department). It was the location of the 1629 Siege of Priva ...
. Foix lies south of
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
, close to the borders with Spain and
Andorra , image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg , symbol_type = Coat of arms , national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...
. As of 2019, the city had a population of 9,493. It is only the second biggest town in Ariège, the biggest being
Pamiers Pamiers (; oc, Pàmias ) is a commune and largest city in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the most populous commune in the Ariège department, although it ...
, which is one of the two sub-prefectures, the other being St Girons. Foix is twinned with the English cathedral city of
Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...
, with the Spanish towns of Sarroca de Lleida and Lerida and the Andorran capital Andorre-la-Vieille.


History

The Romans built a fort on the steep rock from which Foix castle now dominates the town. The town of Foix probably owes its origin to an oratory founded by
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
, which afterwards became the
Abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...
of Saint Volusianus in 849. The founding, in 849, of the Abbey Saint-Volusien allowed the development of urban living in the tenth century to the twelfth century. The city reached its peak in the fourteenth century. The castle, whose foundations date back to the early tenth century, was a strong fortress that withstood the repeated attacks of Simon de Montfort IV between 1211 and 1217, 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 ...
. In 1272, when the Count of Foix refused to recognize the sovereignty of the king of France, Philip the Bold personally took the leadership of an expedition against the city, subsequently the count surrendered. In 1290, at a meeting of the Béarn region and the county of Foix, the city was practically abandoned by the Counts.
Gaston Phoebus Gaston Fébus (also spelt Phoebus) (30 April 1331 – 1391) was the eleventh count of Foix (as Gaston III) and twenty-fourth viscount of Béarn (as Gaston X) from 1343 until his death. Early life Gaston was born either in Orthez or Foix, the e ...
was the last to have lived in the castle, and by the sixteenth century the castle had lost its military purpose. The castle was then used as a prison until 1864. In 1536 began the first Reformation preaching in Foix, and in 1579 the church of Montgauzy was destroyed. The same fate awaited the abbey and its church in 1581. The following year, Foix was retaken by Catholics, and in 1589 the Count of Foix, Henry of Navarre, was crowned King of France and became Henry IV.


Geography

Foix is situated at the confluence of the Ariège and Arget rivers in the foothills of the Pyrenees. It can be accessed by car from the Route Nationale 20 (N20). Trains run north from
Foix station Foix is a railway station in Foix, Occitanie, France. The station is on the Portet-Saint-Simon–Puigcerdà railway. The station is served by TER (local) and Intercités de nuit (night trains) services operated by the SNCF The Société nati ...
to
Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
and south to l'Hospitalet station that serves ndorra terminating at Letour de Carol station, near the Spanish border, where there is a direct connection with the Barcelona regional train service and the scenic
Ligne de Cerdagne The ''Ligne de Cerdagne'', usually referred to as ''Le Petit Train Jaune'' ( en, Little Yellow Train, ca, Tren Groc), is a gauge railway that runs from Villefranche-de-Conflent to Latour-de-Carol- Enveitg in the French Pyrenees. Construction s ...
(Little Yellow Train (Petit train jaune)). There is also a direct sleeper train service from Foix station to Paris.


Politics and administration


Municipal

In accordance with the General Code of Territorial Collectives - Article L2121-2, the number of council members is fixed in relation to the size of the population. For Foix, this is twenty nine. The last municipal elections were held in March 2020, when retired teacher, Norbert Meler, was re-elected Mayor.


Administration and electoral relationships

The town of Foix was the seat of the Commune of Foix, which has now merged with the various other communes to form the commune of the Pays Foix-Varilhes to which thewithin the Department of Ariège. As such, it hosts several administrative bodies, namely the Education Inspectorate, Departmental Territories Directorate, Departmental Directorate for Social Cohesion and Protection of the Population, the local branches of the Family Allowance Fund (CAF, and of the Primary Health Insurance Fund (CPAM), as well as the local branch of the Agricultural Social Mutual Fund (MSA).


Education


Primary education

* Lucien Goron Group 1 elementary school * Parmentier Nursery School * Cadirac Nursery and Primary School * Groupe Paul Bert Primary School * Cardié Primary School * Bruilhols Primary School * Nelson Mandela Madiba Primary School


Secondary education

* College Lakanal (Middle school) * Gabriel Fauré General and Technical
Lycée In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...
* Jean Durroux Vocational Lycée


Higher education

* The University of Toulouse - Jean Jaurès, Ariège University Centre. This University Centre houses the departments of Teacher training; Tourism, hotel and catering management; Geography, development and environment.


Population

The population growth is documented in the censuses of the commune dating back to 1793. Since 2006, the official population of communes is published annually by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE). The census is now based on an annual information gathering in all municipal areas over a period of five years. For municipalities with populations of under 10,000, a census of the entire population is conducted every five years, the official population of intervening years being estimated by interpolation or extrapolation. For the municipality of Foix, the first comprehensive census under the new framework was carried out in 2008. In 2016, the municipality had 9,613 inhabitants, down 1.73% from 2011.


Heraldry

The
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
used by the commune has the blazon ''D'or à trois pals de gueules'' (gold with three red bars). This is replicated on the flag, and on the arms of the ''département''. It originates from the arms of the
Counts of Foix The Count of Foix ruled the independent County of Foix, in what is now Southern France, during the Middle Ages. The House of Foix eventually extended its power across the Pyrenees mountain range, joining the House of Bearn and moving their court ...
and dates back to medieval times. It resembles the
coat of arms of Catalonia A coat typically is an outer garment for the upper body as worn by either gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners, toggles, a ...
and of
Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...
, both of which are featured in the
coat of arms of Andorra The coat of arms of Andorra (Catalan: ''Escut d'Andorra'') is the heraldic device consisting of a shield divided quarterly by the arms of the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix – who have historically been the two co-princes of Andorra – i ...
.


Culture


Philately

In 1955 the post office issued a postage stamp with a face value of 50 cents, coloured black, green, yellow and red representing the Arms of County of Foix, reference YT 1044. It is part of the eighth century series of Provincial Coat of Arms. In 1958, the post office issued a postage stamp with a face value of 15 f., coloured ultramarine, grey, brown and green representing the Château de Foix, reference YT 11759.


Markets and fairs

There are two weekly markets in the town. On Tuesdays, between 7.30 am and 1.30 pm, there is a small market for local food producers at the main covered market, the Halle aux Grains. The main market on Fridays sells local agricultural produce, food, craft and various other products. It occupies the wide central reservation of the main thoroughfare, the Allees de Vilotte, the neighbouring Halle aux Grains, and has a mainly organic produce section a couple of hundred yards away, at the Square of Saint-Volusien, where there is a smaller covered market.


Arts

The Estive arts centre in Foix, houses an Art et Essai cinema and is the local branch of the Scène National theatre, which hosts musical and theatrical performances of international standard. It supports more than 40 events in and around the town, including the Résistances annual film festival. Foix also has an annual Jazz festival, an annual African Arts festival and market "Ingénieuse Afrique", and a medieval festival. There is an open-air theatre that puts on various performances during the summer, including historical plays, son et lumière events and equestrian displays.


International relations

Foix is twinned with the following places: *
Lleida Lleida (, ; Spanish: Lérida ) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as ...
(Spain) since 1962 *
Andorra la Vella Andorra la Vella french: Andorre-la-Vieille is the capital (political), capital of the Andorra, Principality of Andorra. It is located high in the east Pyrenees, between France and Spain. It is also the name of the parishes of Andorra, parish ...
(Andorra) *
Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...
(United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)


Personalities

* , abbot of Saint-Volusien * Frédéric Soulié (1800–1847), novelist, dramatist, critic and journalist. *
Charles de Freycinet Charles Louis de Saulces de Freycinet (; 14 November 1828 – 14 May 1923) was a French statesman and four times Prime Minister during the Third Republic. He also served an important term as Minister of War (1888–1893). He belonged to the Opp ...
(1828–1923), statesman and prime minister. *
Louise Sarazin Louise Sarazin, Louise Sarazin-Levassor, (November 6, 1847, Foix, † 16 October 1916, Paris), played a significant role in early automotive history having been party to its beginnings in France and Germany. She was the wife of Edouard Sarazin, ...
, 1847–1916, (née Cayrol) played a significant role in early automotive history having been party to its beginnings in France and Germany. *
Louis Pailhas Louis Pailhas (2 March 1926 – 6 February 2021) was a French public servant. From December 1967 to 1982, he was the director-general of the ''École nationale de l'aviation civile'' (French civil aviation university). Biography Pailhas was ...
(born 1926), director of the National School of Civil Aviation from 1967 to 1982 * (born 1927), surrealist painter * , MP under the Third Republic, the Socialist Party activist and Democratic Socialist Party *
Eric Carrière Eric Gérard Carrière (born 24 May 1973) is a French former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Nantes, Lyon, Lens, and Dijon. Club career Carrière started his professional career at FC Nantes with whom he won his first Lig ...
, footballer *
Jean Clottes Jean Clottes is a prominent French prehistorian. He was born in the French Pyrenees in 1933"Jean C ...
(1933-), world-renowned prehistorian * , (born 1952), writer *
Jean-Yves Ferri Jean-Yves Ferri () (born 20 April 1959) is a French writer, designer, and colourist of comics. On 25 July 2011, he was chosen as the writer for the next installment of the Asterix series created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. Uderzo person ...
(born 1959), author of comics *
Chloé Mortaud Chloè Mortaud (born 19 September 1989, Lisieux, Calvados) is a French actress and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss France 2009. She represented the Albigeois Midi Pyrénées, a southwest region of France, and became the first winner of ...
, Miss France *
Joseph Delteil Joseph Delteil (20 April 1894 – 16 April 1978) was a 20th-century French writer and poet. Biography Joseph Delteil was born in the farm of La Pradeille, from a woodcutter-charcoal father and a "buissonnière" mother. Joseph Delteil spent ...
(1909–1979), speleologist, died in Foix


Sport


L'Ayroule Sports Complex

These playing fields comprise 3 football pitches; 3 rugby pitches; a white water canoe and kayak course on the Ariege river, which has hosted international junior kayak competitions; a 250m velodrome; 4 open-air and 2 covered tennis courts. Across the Boulevard François Mitterrand is the Jean Noel Fondere football and athletics stadium, renovated in 2010, it includes a 400-metre 6-lane running track with facilities for high jump; long jump; shot put; hammer, discus and javelin throwing and pole vaulting. The synthetic surface provides a high-quality all-weather facility. This is classified by the French Athletics Federation as a regional-level facility. The athletics stadium is home to U.S.F Union Sportive Fuxéenne rugby union club. Across the athletics stadium car park there is a martial arts centre, the Dojo de Foix.


Aquatic Centre

The Aquatic Centre, with two indoor pools, outdoor pools, Jacuzzi and sauna serves the population of the Commune of the Pays Foix-Varilhes.


Tour de France

Hosting History: * On 19 July 2022, Foix hosted the arrival of Stage 16 (Carcassonne - Foix) of the 2022 Tour de France. * On Bastille Day, 14 July 2017, Foix hosted the arrival of Stage 13 (St Girons - Foix) of the 2017 Tour de France. * In 2012, Foix hosted the arrival of Stage 14 (Limoux - Foix) of the Tour de France. * Foix hosted the arrival of Stage 11 (Lannemezan - Foix) of the 2008 Tour de France. * Foix hosted the departure of Stage 15 (Foix - Loudenvielle-Le-Louron) of the 2007 Tour de France.


Places of local interest


Botanical Garden

The botanical garden, '' Les Épines de Lespinet'', has a collection of
cacti A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
and
succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...
s, as well as citrus trees, banana plants, and Mediterranean vegetation.


Halle aux Grains

The Halle aux Grains covered market, dating from 1870, is in the style of
Victor Baltard Victor Baltard (9 June 180513 January 1874) was a French architect famed for work in Paris including designing Les Halles market and the Saint-Augustin church. Life Victor was born in Paris, son of architect Louis-Pierre Baltard and attended Lyc ...
.


Castle

The castle stands on a rocky outcrop that dominates the town. The castle rock is geologically part of Mount Saint Sauveur, to the North West of the town and was separated from it due to erosion by the river Arget. Most of the present building dates from the 12th to 14th centuries. The Arget tower to the North was covered by a slate roof at the end of the nineteenth century, and is certainly the oldest dating to the 11th and 12th centuries. The middle, square tower, built in the 13th century, was completely renovated in the 14th century. It has beautiful architectural features such as sculpted heads and coats of arms on the keystones. The round tower is of Gothic architecture with large bays illuminating beautiful hexagonal vaulted halls.


Saint-Volusien Abbey

In 1104, the regular canons of St Augustine took possession of an abbey housing the relics of St Volusien. It was then that the construction of a large church with three naves and a transept was undertaken. In the 14th century, the Romanesque apse was replaced by a new polygonal chancel. The building was destroyed during the religious wars and the relics were burned. Reconstruction work was begun in 1609 and completed in 1670. The portal and the base of the walls of the nave are the main remnants of the medieval church. There is a very fine organ of 40
stops Stop may refer to: Places *Stop, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States * Stop (Rogatica), a village in Rogatica, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina Facilities * Bus stop * Truck stop, a type of rest stop for truck dri ...
, built by Fermis in 1869 and restored in 2007.


Old Town

This still retains its medieval character as reflected in the narrow streets (Rue des Marchands, the Rue des Chapeliers), and some half-timbered houses.


Chapel and area of Montgauzy

Nothing remains of the primitive Romanesque church and the 13th century church. The present church dates partly from 1628, and retains the Romanesque layout and a portal that copies the Romanesque style. The history of the chapel of Montgauzy is eclectic. Its foundation commemorates the victory of
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...
over the Moors in 778, and the chapel then became a place of pilgrimage. In 1340, the
Bishop of Pamiers The Roman Catholic Diocese of Pamiers, Couserans, and Mirepoix (Latin: ''Dioecesis Apamiensis, Couseranensis, et Mirapicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Pamiers, Mirepoix, et Couserans'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church ...
, Arnaud Villemur, had to intervene against the bad behaviour of some of the increasing numbers of pilgrims (there were reports of noisy evening events). On 4 January 1562 the chapel was one of the many targets of the Reformation, and in 1579 the governor of the castle of Foix demolished it. It was rebuilt in 1628 and pilgrimages recommenced. Following the revolution, having been rebuilt, it was sold in 1791. This, now private, property fell into ruin due to lack of maintenance. It was then purchased by the department in 1840. An École Normale was established in the area and, in 1843, the chapel was once more made fit for worship. It was closed again in 1883, and the furniture was scattered. After repairs in 1943, it was again reopened for worship.


The Allées de Villote

The "Villote" (small town), in the Middle Ages, was an area outside the city walls and was built in 1330. Executions sometimes took place there. After the destruction of the city walls, tree planting and urban landscaping works, including a fountain and bandstand, made it a popular venue for promenading by the townspeople. The plane-tree-lined central reservation of the Allées de Villote contains the town war memorial as well as a car park and is currently a main site for festive occasions and for the Friday market. The street is lined by shops, cafés and restaurants and public buildings as well as a monument to the resistance to and deportees of the 2nd World War Nazi occupation.


Bibliography

* Claudine Pailhès, ''Le comté de Foix: un pays et des hommes : regards sur un comté pyrénéen au moyen âge'' (Louve, 2006) ,


See also

* Castle of Foix * List of Co-Princes of Andorra *
Communes of the Ariège department The following is a list of the 327 Communes of France, communes of the Ariège (department), Ariège Departments of France, department of France. The communes cooperate in the following Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunalities (a ...


References


External links


Medieval History of Navarre

Official website






{{Authority control Communes of Ariège (department) Prefectures in France Ariège communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia