Mirepoix, Ariège
| Mirepoix | ||
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| Commune | ||
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A general view of Mirepoix
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 Mirepoix
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Location within Occitanie region
Mirepoix
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| Coordinates: 43°05′23″N 1°52′28″E / 43.0897°N 1.8744°ECoordinates: 43°05′23″N 1°52′28″E / 43.0897°N 1.8744°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Occitanie | |
| Department | Ariège | |
| Arrondissement | Pamiers | |
| Canton | Mirepoix | |
| Intercommunality | Pays de Mirepoix | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2008–2014) | Nicole Quillien | |
| Area1 | 47.28 km2 (18.25 sq mi) | |
| Population (2008)2 | 3,123 | |
| • Density | 66/km2 (170/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 09194 /09500 | |
| Elevation | 276–462 m (906–1,516 ft) (avg. 308 m or 1,010 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Mirepoix (Occitan: Mirapeis, supposedly from mire peis, meaning see the fish) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France.
Mirepoix is situated in the Hers valley between Carcassonne and Pamiers.
Mirepoix was captured in 1209 by Simon V de Montfort and given to one of his lieutenants, Guy de Lévis. The town, originally on the right bank of the Hers-Vif, was destroyed by a violent flood in 1289. It was rebuilt by Jean de Lévisin 1290, on an elevated natural terrace on the other side of the river. The layout of the town center has not changed since the 13th century.
Mirepoix Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Maurice de Mirepoix), a former Roman Catholic cathedral and national monument of France, was the seat of a bishopric until 1801.
The inhabitants are called Mirapiciens.
At the heart of Mirepoix is one of the finest surviving arcaded market squares - Les Couverts- in France. The square is bordered by houses dating from the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries.
The mediaeval Maison des Consuls (council house) has rafter-ends carved with dozens of images of animals and monsters, and caricatures of mediaeval professions and social groups.
The cathedral of St-Maurice has the second widest Gothic arch in Europe (after Gerona in Spain). The foundation stone was laid by Jean de Lévis on the 6th May 1298. Construction continued, with interruptions, over the next six centuries. The cathedral was restored in 1858 and 1859 by Prosper Mérimée, and Eugène Viollet-le-Duc.
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Wikipedia