Saint-Gaudens (; oc, Sent-Gaudenç) 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 ...

and a sub-prefecture of the

Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's ...

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 southwestern

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 ...

. Saint-Gaudens lies at an altitude of on a ledge overlooking the valley of the Garonne. It faces the Pyrenees and is a natural crossroads for routes between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and between

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 the

Val d'Aran Aran (; ; ) (previously officially called in Occitan Val d'Aran, Catalan: ''Vall d'Aran'', Spanish: ''Valle de Arán'') is an administrative entity (formerly considered a comarca) in Lleida, Catalonia, Spain, consisting of the Aran Valley, in ar ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

. Saint-Gaudens station has rail connections to Toulouse, Bayonne, Pau and Tarbes.

History

Saint-Gaudens has been inhabited since ancient times (traces of the Iron Age and of Roman occupation) and was originally called Mas-Saint-Pierre, before taking the name of the young shepherd, Gaudens, martyred by the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...

at the end of the 5th century for refusing to renounce his faith. The town later developed around the 11th century Romanesque church. It was granted its city charter in 1202 and became the capital of the

Nébouzan Nébouzan (; Gascon: ''Nebosan'' ) was a small province of France located in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, in the southwest of France. It was not a contiguous province, but it was made up of several detached territories, approximately ...

area, protected by solid ramparts. As an important regional marketplace, Saint-Gaudens became the economic capital of the

Comminges The Comminges (; Occitan/ Gascon: ''Comenge'') is an ancient region of southern France in the foothills of the Pyrenees, corresponding closely to the arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens in the department of Haute-Garonne. This natural region is norma ...

. The town was damaged by Protestant forces under Montgomery in 1569, and became the seat of the Nébouzan Assembly after coming under the control of the French crown in 1607. The name was changed briefly to "Mont-Unité" during the Revolution and the area later became part of the Haute-Garonne départment.

Population

Sights

Collégiale Saint-Pierre et Saint-Gaudens

The Collegiate Church of St. Peter and St. Gaudens, with its cloister and chapter house, this was one of the most important religious buildings in the Comminges. It was home to a college of canons ordinary, a community founded by Bishop Bertrand. The 11th century romanesque church, built on the typical Pyrenean plan as a basilica with a nave and two aisles, stands on the site of an earlier construction. It was extended in the 12th and 13th centuries with the construction of the cloister and chapter house. The lateral north door was added in the 16th century. Several tall buildings are reminders of the city's medieval period, with plain façades to which balconies were added at the end of the 19th century. Other buildings, including some town houses, date back to the 18th century, and are decorated with stone carvings. Some buildings have façades with pediments, friezes and cornices, mouldings, and gabled dormer windows. On Boulevard Bepmale the façades that face the Sun, with a view of the Pyrenees, have balconies and galleries up to their very top floors.

Sport

St Gaudens has a Rugby League (Rugby XIII) team playing in the

French Championship The French rugby league championship (french: Le Championnat de France de Rugby à XIII) has been the major rugby league tournament for semi-professional and professional clubs in France since the sport was introduced to the country in the 1930s. ...

, the

Saint-Gaudens Bears The Saint-Gaudens Bears are a professional rugby league club based in the town of Saint-Gaudens, in the Haute-Garonne region of south-western France. They play in the Elite One Championship. The club was formed in 1958. They have won the Fren ...

. St Gaudens also hosts a popular rugby union team (Rugby XV) SSGL (Stade Saint-Gaudinois Luchonnais XV). The

Open International Féminin Midi-Pyrénées Saint-Gaudens Comminges The Edge Open Saint-Gaudens Occitanie is a tournament for professional female tennis players played on clay courts. The event is classified as a $60,000 ITF Women's Circuit The ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, previously known as the ITF Women's ...

, an

ITF Women's Circuit The ITF Women's World Tennis Tour, previously known as the ITF Women's Circuit, is a series of professional tennis tournaments run by the International Tennis Federation for female professional tennis players. History It serves as a developmental ...

tennis tournament, is held in Saint-Gaudens. The

2014 Tour de France The 2014 Tour de France was the 101st edition of the race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race included 21 stages, starting in Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, on 5 July and finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 27 July. The race al ...

cycle race began stage 17 in Saint Gaudens, with a route to Saint-Lary.

International relations

Saint-Gaudens is twinned with: *

Avranches Avranches (; nrf, Avraunches) is a commune in the Manche department, and the region of Normandy, northwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. The inhabitants are called ''Avranchinais''. History By the end of the Roman period, t ...

Barbastro Barbastro (Latin: ''Barbastrum'' or ''Civitas Barbastrensis'', Aragonese: ''Balbastro'') is a city in the Somontano county, province of Huesca, Spain. The city (also known originally as Barbastra or Bergiduna) is at the junction of the rivers Cinc ...

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 ...

Vielha e Mijaran Vielha e Mijaran (; ca, Viella – Mitg-Aran ) is a municipality in Aran, Lleida, Spain. It was created in 1970 by the merger of the municipalities of Arròs e Vila, Betlan, Escunhau, Gausac, Vielha and Vilac: some of the former municipalities re ...

Notable people

Christophe Avezac Christophe Avezac (born March 12, 1977, in Saint-Gaudens, France) is a French former midfielder currently coaching for Comminges Saint-Gaudens Foot. Career Avezac previously played for Toulouse FC and FC Metz in Ligue 1 and Dijon FCO and AC ...

(born 1977), footballer *

Yves Giraud-Cabantous Marius Aristide Yves Giraud-Cabantous (8 October 1904 – 30 March 1973) was a racing driver from France. He drove in Formula One from to , participating in 13 World Championship Grands Prix, plus numerous non-Championship Formula One and Formu ...

(1904–1973), racing driver *

Maelle Millet }Maelle Millet (born 22 August 2004) is a French rhythmic gymnast. Personal life Maelle took up rhythmic gymnastics at age six after a demonstration near her home. She now trains for 26 hours per week at the national youth training hub (Pole E ...