Barbazan (; oc, Barbasan) 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

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 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 south-western

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 ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Barbazanais'' or ''Barbazanaises''.

Geography

Barbazan is a

Spa town A spa town is a resort town based on a mineral spa (a developed mineral spring). Patrons visit spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. Thomas Guidott set up a medical practice in the English town of Bath in 1668. H ...

in 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 ...

region located some 13 km south-west of Saint-Gaudens and 12 km north of

Cierp-Gaud Cierp-Gaud is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories i ...

. The western border of the commune is also the departmental border between

and

Hautes-Pyrénées Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs es, Altos Pirineos; ca, Alts Pirineus alts piɾiˈneʊs English: Upper Pyrenees) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. ...

. Access to the commune is by

Route nationale A ''route nationale'', or simply ''nationale'', is a class of trunk road in France. They are important roads of national significance which cross broad portions of the French territory, in contrast to departmental or communal roads which serve m ...

N125 which comes from the end of the A645 autoroute and passes down the western side of the commune south to

Ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit.Encyclopædia Britannica. "Ore". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 7 April 2 ...

. The D26E road comes from Labroquère in the north-west and passes through the north of the commune ending in the village. The D26 comes from Valcabrère in the west and passes through the village continuing to Sauveterre-de-Comminges in the east. The D33D and the D33L go south from the village to join the N125. The commune has extensive forests in the east with some farmland in the west.Google Maps
/ref> The

Garonne The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux – a ...

river forms most of the western border of the commune as it flows north, passing through

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 ...

, to eventually join the

Dordogne Dordogne ( , or ; ; oc, Dordonha ) is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named af ...

to form the

Gironde estuary The Gironde estuary ( , US usually ; french: estuaire de la Gironde, ; oc, estuari de aGironda, ) is a navigable estuary (though often referred to as a river) in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Gar ...

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

. Lake Barbazan, north-west of the village at 452 m above sea level, is of glacial origin. It is surrounded by

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

deposits: sub-glacial moraine from Cumania and rocky outcrops of moraine west of the Lake. The ''Ruisseau de Corp'' flows west from the lake to join the Garonne.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...

;

from 1937

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 490 inhabitants. However, in 2018, the commune had 492 inhabitants.

Sites and monuments

Barbazan has two sites that are registered as historical monuments: *The Chateau of Bagen (1544) *The Flower Garden in the Chateau of Bagen on the D26 roadMinistry of Culture, Mérimée ;Other sites of interest *The

Thermal bath A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneothe ...

s *The Lake *The Church of Saint-Michel

Notable people linked to the commune

*Jacques-Marie d'Astorg (1752-1822), Count of Astorg and Roquépine, Baron of Montégut, French soldier in the 18th and 19th centuries.

References

External links

Barbazan official website

Barbazan on the Community of Communes of Haut-Comminges website

Barbazan on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Barbazan'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control Communes of Haute-Garonne

Geography

Neighbouring communes and villages

Heraldry

Administration

Demography

Sites and monuments

Notable people linked to the commune

See also

References

External links