Revel (; ) is a
commune in the
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne (; , ; ''Upper Garonne'') is a department in the southwestern French region of Occitanie. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's fourth-largest. ...
department 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 ...
.
Geography
Location
Revel is situated 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 ...
. Other notable nearby towns are
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a French defensive wall, fortified city in the Departments of France, department of Aude, Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the department.
...
and
Castelnaudary
Castelnaudary (; ) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France. It is located in the former province of the Lauragais and famous for cassoulet of which it claims to be the world capital, and of which it ...
to the south,
Castres
Castres (; ''Castras'' in the Languedocian dialect, Languedocian dialect of Occitan language, Occitan) is the sole Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Tarn (department), Tarn Departments of France, department in the Occitania (adminis ...
to the east, and
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 ...
to the northeast.
Climate
Revel has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''Cfa''). The average annual temperature in Revel is . The average annual rainfall is with April as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Revel was on 17 June 2022; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 16 January 1985.
Population
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Revélois'' and ''Revéloises'' in French.
History
Revel was one of the last
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 ...
towns to be chartered. Founded as a royal bastide by the king's seneschal from Toulouse, Agot de Baux, on 8 June 1342, it was originally an open town on a featureless plain. During the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a conflict between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France and a civil war in France during the Late Middle Ages. It emerged from feudal disputes over the Duchy ...
, the townspeople successfully lobbied for the right to protect themselves and built a kilometre of ramparts six metres high and four gates at the points of the compass.
Sights
The most notable physical feature of Revel is its central square, partially covered by a 14th-century roof, supported by wooden pillars and topped by a distinctive bell-tower. Originally, the marketplace was erected in the fourteenth century. In 1829, a fire destroyed the building. Five years later, it was restored, accruing its recent form with the addition of the cupola and a clock.
Every Saturday morning, a market is held in the square and surrounding streets in which a variety of goods, but especially food and clothing, are for sale.
Another distinctive building is the large, Gothic-style town church of Notre-Dame, just south of the central square.
Just south of Revel, where the land begins to slope upwards into the
Montagne Noire
The Montagne Noire (; , known as the 'Black Mountain' in English) is a mountain range in central southern France. It is located at the southwestern end of the Massif Central at the juncture of the Tarn, Hérault and Aude departments. Its highe ...
regional park, is the
Lac de Saint-Ferréol
Lac may refer to:
Places Africa
* Lac Region, a district in Chad
* Lac Prefecture, a district in Chad
America
* Rivière du Lac, a tributary of the Montmorency River, in Capitale-Nationale, Quebec, Canada
Europe
* Laç, a city in Albania
* Lac, ...
, a man-made lake dating from the seventeenth century which is linked to and supplies water to the
Canal du Midi
The Canal du Midi (; ) is a long canal in Southern France (). Originally named the ''Canal Royal en Languedoc'' (Royal Canal in Languedoc) and renamed by French revolutionaries to ''Canal du Midi'' in 1789, the canal is considered one of the g ...
. For some time, the lake has been enjoyed by local residents and tourists as a place for walking, sunbathing, picnicking etc. A number of hotels, cafés, restaurants and private homes can be found close to the north shore of the lake.
Economy
Revel is arguably best known for two products: furniture, and a mint liqueur named
Get 27, which has been manufactured in the town since the 18th century. Cabinet-making is a specialty of the area, and many cabinet makers are trained at the local lycée, which specialises in technical training, and admits pupils from across the region on a residential (boarding) basis during the week. Furniture shops and warehouses are a feature of Revel and the surrounding area.
Revel's lycée is located on the east side of the town, on the Route de Sorèze, and is named after
Vincent Auriol
Vincent Jules Auriol (; 27 August 1884 – 1 January 1966) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1947 to 1954.
Early life and politics
Auriol was born in Revel, Haute-Garonne, as the only child of Jacques Antoine Aurio ...
(1884–1966), the socialist politician who was born in the town and who was the first President of the
Fourth Republic of
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 ...
between 1947 and 1954.
Transportation
Public transport to and from Revel is sparse. At one time, Revel was linked to Toulouse by rail, but the only remnant of this facility is the derelict railway station to the north-west of the town. The nearest town with a rail link (to Toulouse or the south coast) is
Castelnaudary
Castelnaudary (; ) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France. It is located in the former province of the Lauragais and famous for cassoulet of which it claims to be the world capital, and of which it ...
. A coach service between Revel and Toulouse runs on an infrequent basis.
Media
Eglise Notre-Dame de Revel.jpg, Church "Notre-Dame de Revel"
Eglise Notre-Dame de Revel - Interior.jpg, Interior
Eglise Notre-Dame de Revel - Interior - Pulpit.jpg, Pulpit
Eglise Notre-Dame de Revel - Decoration de la voute du choeur Henry Lefrai.jpg, Vault of choir
Eglise Notre-Dame de Revel - Orgue de tribune.jpg, Gallery organ
Beffroi halle detail revel 31250 france.jpg, Belfry detail
See also
*
Communes of the Haute-Garonne department
The following is a list of the 586 communes in the French department of Haute-Garonne.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2025):
References
{{authority control
Communes of Haute-Garonne
Languedoc