Castelnaudary

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Coordinates: 43°19′2″N, 1°57′9″E

Commune of Castelnaudary

Location

Administration

Castelnaudary et Bassin lauraguais

Mayor

Patrick Maugard
(2001-2008)

Statistics

Elevation

145 m–215 m
(avg. 165 m)

Land area^¹

47.72 km²

Population^²
(1999)

10,851

- Density

243/km² (1999)

Miscellaneous

INSEE/Postal code

11076/ 11400

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

² Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once.

Canal du Midi in Castelnaudary

Castelnaudary is a commune in the Aude département in Languedoc-Roussillon in southwestern France.

1 Geography
2 Facts
3 History
4 Monuments and Landmarks
5 Notable People
6 Miscellaneous
7 References
8 External links

[edit] Geography

Castelnaudary is a market town, and the capital of the territory of Lauragais. The town is located 50km southeast of Toulouse, about midway along the route from that city to the Mediterranean. This route has been used since at least Roman times, and today carries road, motorway (A61), rail and canal links. Castelnaudary is the main port of the Canal du Midi to which it owed a period of prosperity in the 17th century when agricultural and manufactured produce became easier to export. The Grand Bassin in the town is at 7ha the largest open area of water in the canal, and is today its major pleasure port.

[edit] Facts

Name of inhabitants: Chauriens or Castelnaudariens
Market day: Monday

[edit] History

1103. First official mention of a settlement at Castelnaudary.
1211. During the Albigensian Crusade, Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester is besieged in Castelnaudary by the Count of Toulouse and the Count of Foix.
1235. Arrival of the Papal inquisition whose initial attempts to identify and persecute Cathars were unsuccessful due to the solidarity of the townsfolk.
31st October 1355. During the 100 Years War, the town is sacked by the Black Prince who travelling from Bordeaux, ravaged the weaker towns of Gascony and then the Lauragais as far as Narbonne. The town was pillaged and the inhabitants massacred. The town's walls were not rebuilt until 10 years later.
1477. The town becomes the capital of the comté of Lauragais under Louis XI of France.
1632. The capture of Henri II de Montmorency just outside the town leads to his execution at Toulouse on the orders of Cardinal Richelieu.
15th May 1681. Commissioning of the Canal du Midi.
1754. Construction of L'Ile de la Cybèle.
1814. Marshal Soult withdraws to the town after the Battle of Toulouse before signing a final surrender at Naurouze.

[edit] Monuments and Landmarks

Moulin de Cugarel

L'Apothicairerie de l'Hôpital
La Collégiale Saint-Michel
Les Ecluses Saint-Roch
Le Grand Bassin
La Halle aux Grains
L'Ile de la Cybèle.
Le Moulin de Cugarel
Le Présidial
La Chapelle Notre-Dame de Pitié

[edit] Notable People

Castelnaudary was the birthplace of:

Pierre de Castelnau d. 1208
Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil (1643 - 1725)
Antoine-François Andréossy (1761-1828)
Antoine Marfan (1858-1942), pediatrician
Georges Canguilhem (1904-1995), philosopher and member of the Académie française who specialized in the philosophy of science

[edit] Miscellaneous

The 4th Foreign Regiment of the French Foreign Legion has been based in Castelnaudary since 1976, and the base is open to the public on 30 April and at Christmas.

Castelnaudary is the self-proclaimed "World Capital of Cassoulet". The ingredients of this dish are a matter of debate. It generally includes haricot tarbais beans, duck confit, garlic sausage, pork hock or skin to season. It may contain the specialty sausage of Toulouse and either mutton or pork and has been known to contain partridge as well. Traditional peasant versions of the recipe can take two days or more to prepare. The traditional cooking vessel is an earthenware pot called a cassole for which the dish is named.

Rick Stein did an in-depth feature on the Castelnaudary cassoulet in an episode of Rick Stein's French Odyssey and the recipe he settled on as most authentic can be found on the BBC Food website[1].