Montjoi (; ) is a commune in the

Tarn-et-Garonne Tarn-et-Garonne (; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southern France. It is traversed by the rivers Tarn (river), Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its n ...

department in the Occitanie

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

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 ...

The inhabitants are called '' Montjoviens ''.

Geography

Situated between the valleys of the

Lot Lot, LOT, The Lot or similar may refer to: Common meanings Areas *Land lot, an area of land *Parking lot, for automobiles *Backlot, in movie production Sets of items *A great many of something, as in, "There are a lot of beetles," or "There are ...

and

Garonne The Garonne ( , ; Catalan language, Catalan, Basque language, Basque and , ; or ) is a river that flows in southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux � ...

rivers, Montjoi is an old

Bastide Bastides are fortified new towns built in medieval Languedoc, Gascony, Aquitaine, England and Wales during the 13th and 14th centuries, although some authorities count Mont-de-Marsan and Montauban, which was founded in 1144, as the first bastides ...

village founded in 1256–1257 with half-timbered houses made of Quercy limestone and red brick from the local area, located on a rocky outcrop offering views over the surrounding countryside.

Toponymy

The oldest form is "castri Montis Gaudii in 1255" then Montegaudii in 1272 to become Montis Jovis in 1326, then Montjoye in 1470. Some have seen a compound of the Latin montem (height) and the genitive of gaudium (joy). But in

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

Montjoi designates a place said to be located on frequented paths.

History

Perched on its rocky peak, a former castrum (Latin for Castle), Montjoi was founded in the 13th century by the Lord of Penne and

Alphonse de Poitiers Alphonse (11 November 122021 August 1271) was the Count of Poitou from 1225 and Count of Toulouse (as such called Alphonse II) from 1249. As count of Toulouse, he also governed the Marquisate of Provence. Birth and early life Born at Poissy, A ...

count of Toulouse The count of Toulouse (, ) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings, the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surrounding county from the late 9th century until 12 ...

, who made it a royal

bastide Bastides are fortified new towns built in medieval Languedoc, Gascony, Aquitaine, England and Wales during the 13th and 14th centuries, although some authorities count Mont-de-Marsan and Montauban, which was founded in 1144, as the first bastides ...

around 1255–1256. In 1287 it was ceded to Edward I of England. In 1337 the Hundred Years' War begins. It ends in 1475 (i.e. 138 years). It passed into the Beauville family in 1348. In 1622

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, 1st Duke of Richelieu (9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), commonly known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a Catholic Church in France, French Catholic prelate and statesman who had an outsized influence in civil and religi ...

ordered the destruction of the walls of all bastides.

Politics and administration

The Mayor is Christian Eurgal, elected to a 6-year term in 2020.

Demographics

The town had more than 700 inhabitants in the middle of the 18th century but has continued to decline to the present 166 in the commune.

Economy

The area economy is mainly agricultural with mixed farming including cereals, livestock, onions, strawberries, fruits, nuts, etc.

Local culture and heritage

Places and monuments

* A walkway around the village dominates the surrounding countryside and the

valley, passing through the 14th century

ogival An ogive ( ) is the roundly tapered end of a two- or three-dimensional object. Ogive curves and surfaces are used in engineering, architecture, woodworking, and ballistics. Etymology The French Orientalist Georges Séraphin Colin gives as ...

entrance door leading to the half-timbered and

corbel In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal keyed into and projecting from a wall to carry a wikt:superincumbent, bearing weight, a type of bracket (architecture), bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in t ...

led houses of the 14th and 15th centuries. * The first church in Montjoi was built during the creation of the bastide and dedicated to Notre Dame (Our lady), but was ruined during the

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (), is a war and conflict which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent ...

, it disappeared so well that we do not know its exact location. It belonged to the diocese of

Cahors Cahors (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Region. The capital and main city of t ...

but depended on the abbey of

Saint-Maurin Saint-Maurin (; ) is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France. The village lies on the road from Agen to Bourg-de-Visa in the valley of the Escornebœuf, a tributary of the Séoune. It is in the arrondissement of Age ...

which had made it one of its priories. The present Saint Martin's Church outside the village walls was rebuilt in the 2nd half of the 15th century. The bell tower and vaulting of the nave was rebuilt between 1857 and 1870, stained glass by Victor Gesta of Toulouse, dated by historical works. The main church is that of Saint Martin de Posicastels; It consists of a choir with 5 sides and a nave of three bays joined by six side chapels. The vault is made of prismatic ribs. The old steeple wall has been replaced by a square tower, built on the north side of the apse which is damped by a spire covered with slates. *

Lavoir A lavoir (, wash-house) is a public place set aside for the washing of clothes. Communal washing places were common in Europe until industrial washing was introduced, and this process in turn was replaced by domestic washing machines and by s ...

(the wash house) is still there, fed from a natural spring, where the women of the village would bring their clothes to wash. Situated behind the "Salle de Fêtes" just outside the entrance to the village. From the parking area go around the Salle de Fêtes to the right and down the hill along a path to the old lavoir.

Personalities linked to the municipality

Pierre Perret Pierre Perret (born 9 July 1934 in Castelsarrasin, Tarn-et-Garonne) is a French singer and composer. He lives in Nangis, France. Biography Perret spent much of his childhood in a café which his parents owned, where he learned to use jargon ...

came to summer camp in Montjoi in his youth. *

Jean-Michel Baylet Jean-Michel Baylet (born 17 November 1946 in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne) is a French politician, Senator, and former leader of the moderate center-left Radical Party of the Left. He is a RDSE Senator from the Tarn-et-Garonne department. He is al ...

, minister elected municipal councilor for Montjoi from 1995 to 2014. * Christian Eurgal, artist, elected mayor of the town in 2014. * Guilaume DESSAUX Retired cavalry officer of the imperial order who made 15 campaigns, the last for Napoleon 1st at Waterloo (1714–1843) was born in MONTJOI, a plaque in his memory appears on the house.

External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20120426011320/http://www.toulousevisit.com/descriptif/region/82/montjoi/montjoi.htm

History of the Bastide Towns

Where, when and why they were built. *
Musée des bastides, in Monflanquin, France
*
Site du Centre d'études des bastides

What is a bastide? - Short history in English centered around Cordes sur Ciel.

''About the bastides'', John Reps Bastides Collection, Cornell University Library

References

{{authority control Communes of Tarn-et-Garonne

Geography

See also

Location

Hydrography

Bordering municipalities