Lavaur (; ) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern

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 ...

History

Lavaur was taken in 1211 by Simon de Montfort during the wars of the

Albigenses Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi-dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a her ...

, a monument marking the site where Dame Giraude de Laurac (Lady of Lavaur) was killed, being thrown down a well and stoned to death. The town was also taken several times during the religious wars of the 16th century.

Geography

Lavaur stands on the left bank of the

Agout The Agout or Agoût (; ) is a long river in south-western France. It is a left tributary of the Tarn. Its source is in the southern Massif Central, in the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park. It flows generally west through the following depar ...

, which is here crossed by a railway-bridge and a fine stone bridge of the 1770s. It lies 36 km southwest of

Albi Albi (; ) is a commune in France, commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department, on the river Tarn (river), Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ...

and 32 km east of

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

Demographics

Sights

* From 1317 till the French Revolution Lavaur was the seat of a bishopric; Lavaur Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Alan, was built for this purpose, dating from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, with an octagonal bell-tower. A second, smaller square tower contains a jaquemart (a statue which strikes the hours with a hammer) of the 16th century. In the bishops garden is the statue of Emmanuel, comte de Las Cases, one of the companions of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

Saint Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

Historical monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

since 1911. * Church of Saint-François. (XIV c.).

since 1996. * Tower of Rounds. (XIII c.)

since 1971. * Viaduc de Lavaur. 1884. Engineer

Paul Séjourné Paul Séjourné (21 December 1851; Orléans – 19 January 1939; Paris) was a French engineer who specialized in the construction of large bridges from masonry, a domain in which he made some important innovations. Biography Paul Séjourné grad ...

. * Pont de Lavaur. Stone masonry road bridge over the

. Built between 1773 and 1791. Designed for the

Estates of Languedoc The Estates of Languedoc was the provincial assembly for the province of Languedoc during the ancien regime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior ...

by Joseph-Marie de Saget, known as De Saget elder.

Economy

The town carries on distilling and flour-milling and the manufacture of brushes, plaster and wooden shoes.

Notable residents

* Pierre Fabre, founder of

Laboratoires Pierre Fabre Laboratoires Pierre Fabre () is a French multinational pharmaceutical and cosmetics company headquartered in the city of Castres, Midi-Pyrénées, France. History Founded in 1962 by Pierre Fabre (1926-2013), the company is present in over 13 ...

Étienne de Voisins-Lavernière Marius Étienne de Voisins-Lavernière (17 May 1813 – 20 January 1898) was a French landowner and politician. He was a Deputy of Tarn during the French Second Republic, then Senator of Tarn during the French Third Republic. Early years (1813– ...

(1813–1898), French deputy and then senator for Tarn

Miscellaneous

There is a subprefecture and a tribunal of first instance (a lower Court of Justice).

Climate

References

Communes of Tarn (department) Languedoc {{Tarn-geo-stub