Moissac
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| Commune of Moissac | |
| Location | |
| Longitude | 01° 05' 10" E |
| Latitude | 44° 06' 20" N |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Midi-Pyrénées |
| Department | Tarn-et-Garonne |
| Arrondissement | Castelsarrasin |
| Canton | Moissac |
| Mayor | Jean-Paul Nunzi (PS) (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Altitude | 59–199 (avg. 76) |
| Land area¹ | 85.95 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
12,326 |
| - Density (1999) | 143/km² |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 82112/ 82200 |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 mi² or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| ² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel). | |
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Moissac is a town and commune of the Tarn-et-Garonne département, in southwestern France. It is on the route of Santiago de Compostela. It is mostly world-widely famous for the artistic heritage handed down by the ancient Saint-Peter's abbey.
Contents |
[edit] Monuments
The Saint-Pierre abbey in Moissac has a 12th century tympanum, and a 15th century cloister. There is also a Centre of Romanesque Art with important documents on medieval sculpture, illumination and wall-paintings. The abbey-church Saint-Pierre and cloister are listed among the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.
[edit] History
From legend, the abbey was founded by Clovis (the Frankish king), but from historical information it was founded by Saint Didier, bishop of Cahors in the middle of the 7th century. The monastery establishment was difficult because of Moors' and Norsemen raids. The 11th and 12th centuries witnessed a first golden age, the consequence of Moissac being affiliated to the Burgundy abbey of Cluny and its accepting the famous Reformation, under the drive of Durand de Bredons who was both the Abbot of Moissac and the bishop of Toulouse. This outstanding era witnessed the major abbots Dom Hunaud de Gavarret, and Dom Ansquitil; who had the doorway and tympanum built. In the 13th century, Raymond de Montpezat and then Bertrand de Montaigut, abbots and builders, ruled the abbey. Aymeric de Peyrac, writing his Chronicle in the 15th century in the castle of Saint Nicolas de la Grave reveals us those events.
The 15th century saw a new golden age with abbots Pierre and Antoine de Caraman who erected works, and especially the Gothic part of the abbey-church. The 1626 secularization of the abbey caused the Benedictine monks to leave the cloister after nearly 1000 years of Benedictine life. They were replaced by Augustinian canons, under commendary abbots: well-known cardinals such as Mazarin and de Brienne. In 1793, the French Revolution put an end to religious life. In the middle of the 19th century, the laying of a railway-track threatened the cloister but it was saved, listed as a historic monument. Even if the side buildings have suffered a lot and the abbey changed in aspect, this inheritance is nowadays the object of intense care as the tympanum, renowned amongst the greatest, and the most beautiful cloister in the world can still be admired.
[edit] Waterways
There are important waterways in Moissac: the Tarn River flows through the centre of town as does the Canal du Midi. The latter is sometimes known as the canal des deux mers (lit. canal of two seas) as it connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea.
[edit] External links
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