Condom (; ), also known as Condom-en-Armagnac, is a
commune in southwestern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
in the
department of
Gers
Gers (; or , ) is a departments of France, department in the regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southwestern France. Gers is bordered by the departments of Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques to ...
, of which it is a
subprefecture
A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province.
Albania
There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...
.
Geography
Localisation
The town of Condom is located in the northern part of the
department of
Gers
Gers (; or , ) is a departments of France, department in the regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southwestern France. Gers is bordered by the departments of Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques to ...
, halfway between
Mont-de-Marsan
Mont-de-Marsan (; Gascon dialect, Occitan: ''Lo Mont de Marçan'') is a communes of France, commune and capital of the Landes (department), Landes Departments of France, department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France.
Population
Milit ...
(to the west) and
Montauban
Montauban (, ; ) is a commune in the southern French department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, and the sixth most populated of Oc ...
(to the east), and north of
Auch
Auch (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in southwestern France. Located in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie, it is the capital of the Gers Departments of France, department.
Geography
Localiza ...
.
Roads and transports
;Way of St. James
Condom is a town on the
Via Podiensis, one of the three major French arms of the pilgrimage route, the
Way of St. James.
This particular route begins in
Le Puy and ends in
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...
in northwest
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
.
Pilgrim
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star.
Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...
s arrive at Condom after
Miradoux and continue on to
Larressingle.
Toponymy
The
toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...
''Condom'' comes from the
Gaulish
Gaulish is an extinct Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, ...
words ''condate'' and ''magos'' combined into ''Condatomagos'', which means "
market
Market is a term used to describe concepts such as:
*Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand
*Market economy
*Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market
*Marketing, the act of sat ...
or field, of the
confluence
In geography, a confluence (also ''conflux'') occurs where two or more watercourses join to form a single channel (geography), channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main ...
".
''Condatómagos'' evolved into ''Condatóm'' and then into ''Conddóm''. ''Condom'' was first recorded in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
in the 10th century as ' or '. It is where the river
Gèle flows into the river
Baïse
The Baïse (; ) is a long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Garonne. Its source is in the foothills of the Pyrenees, near Lannemezan. It flows north through the following ''département in France, départements'' and towns:
* Ha ...
.
Although the French word for a ''condom'' is ', in 1995 the town's mayor, taking advantage of the incidental relationship between the town's name and the English word, opened a museum of contraceptives. It operated until 2005.
Politics and administration
Mayors
Twin towns
*
Grünberg,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
– since 1973
*
Toro
Toro may refer to:
Places
*Toro, Molise, a ''comune'' in the Province of Campobasso, Italy
*Toro, Nigeria, a Local Government Area of Bauchi State, Nigeria
*Toro, Shizuoka, an archaeological site in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan
*Toro, Zamora, a ''m ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
Population
Tourism
Condom is the site of two castles, the
Château de Mothes and the Château de Pouypardin, both started in the 13th century. In total, 19 sites in Condom are listed as ''
monuments historiques'' by the
French Ministry of Culture
The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...
, including the
cathedral
A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...
, churches and houses.
Condom is known for the production of
Armagnac
Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac (region), Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni ...
, an international music festival of "bandas", an international chess tournament and an international chess marathon. It is also known for its tourism with farm campings and boating on waterways. It is also home to a museum about Armagnac.
A statue of
The Three Musketeers
''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...
and
d'Artagnan
Charles de Batz de Castelmore (), also known as d'Artagnan and later Count d'Artagnan ( 1611 – 25 June 1673), was a French Musketeer who served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard. He died at the siege of Maastricht in the Fr ...
stands beside the cathedral and was created in 2010 by
Zurab Tsereteli.
Notable people
*
Blaise de Montluc, marshal of France, buried in Condom
*
Scipion Dupleix (1569–1661)
*
Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet
Jacques-Bénigne Lignel Bossuet (; 27 September 1627 – 12 April 1704) was a French Bishop (Catholic Church), bishop and theology, theologian. Renowned for his sermons, addresses and literary works, he is regarded as a brilliant orator and lit ...
(1627–1704)
*
Jean-Charles Persil (1785–1870)
*
Narcisse-Achille de Salvandy
Narcisse-Achille, comte de Salvandy (; 11June 179516December 1856) was a French politician.
He was born at Condom, Gers of a poor family of Irish extraction. He joined the army in 1813, and in the following year joined the household troops of L ...
(1795–1856)
*
Sarah Maldoror (1929–2020)
*
Samuel Marques, (1988–) Portuguese rugby union player, born in Condom
*
Stéphane Abrial (1954–), French general born in Condom
*
Siouxsie Sioux (1957–), English singer and songwriter, moved to Condom in 1992 and left in 2015.
*
Budgie (1957-), English drummer and songwriter, arrived in Condom in 1992 and left in 2005
*
Grégory Alldritt (1997–), French Rugby Union player
*
Jean-Louis Palladin (1946–2001), French/American Chef
*
Larry L'Estrange (1934–2007), British soldier and rugby player, retired in Condom
See also
*
Bishop of Condom
*
Place names considered unusual
Place names considered unusual can include those which are also Profanity, offensive words, inadvertently humorous (especially if mispronounced) or highly charged words, as well as toponymy, place names of unorthodox spelling and pronunciation, ...
*
Communes of the Gers department
The following is a list of the 458 communes of the Gers department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2025):
References
External links
*
*
Pictures of Condom
Le bonheur est dans le pré(Internet Movie Database)
{{authority control
Communes of Gers
Subprefectures in France
Gers communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia