Comminges
Encyclopedia
The Comminges is an ancient region of southern France in the foothills of the Pyrenees
, corresponding closely to the arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens
in the department of Haute-Garonne
. The region is normally associated with the former domain of the Counts of Comminges, although an alternate definition is based on the ancient diocese of Comminges
which appeared to include more of what is now Spanish territory.
who wrote of the persecution suffered by the bishops of Comminges at the hands of the Arian Goths in the 5th century. The earliest known Bishop of Comminges is Suavis, who assisted at the Council of Agde
in 506. The bishops of Comminges had their seat at Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges
.
The Comminges was originally part of Gascony
. In 836 García I Galíndez, Count of Aragon, was made Viscount of Comminges and Viscount of Couserans
. Around 940, Comminges was divided between the descendants of Aznar II, until reunited in 1012 under Bernard of Comminges. Over the next centuries, the size of the county varied, stretching to Toulouse
at times.
The small, discontinuous province
of Nébouzan
was partly contained within the Comminges and its viscounts were vassals of the counts of Comminges.
Although the county became the property of the French crown in 1498, it retained its identity. With the reorganisation of the regions into departments in 1790, Comminges wanted to join its eastern neighbour, the county of Couserans, to form a department but this broke down over arguments about where the prefecture would be located. Eventually Couserans joined with the county of Foix
, leaving the Comminges to be joined with the larger county of Toulouse to form the Haute-Garonne. At the same time the diocese of Comminges was abolished and replaced with a larger diocese aligned with the new department.
The region still identifies itself as the Comminges and Saint-Gaudens
, its largest town, calls itself the "capital of the Comminges".
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
, corresponding closely to the arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens
Arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens
The arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens is an arrondissement of France, located in the Haute-Garonne département, in the Midi-Pyrénées région...
in the department of Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Garonne river. Its main city is Toulouse.-History:Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.The...
. The region is normally associated with the former domain of the Counts of Comminges, although an alternate definition is based on the ancient diocese of Comminges
Ancient Diocese of Comminges
The former French Catholic diocese of Comminges existed at least from the sixth century, to the French Revolution. Its see was at Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, now no more than a village, in the modern department of Haute-Garonne in south-west France...
which appeared to include more of what is now Spanish territory.
History
The earliest record is from Sidonius ApollinarisSidonius Apollinaris
Gaius Sollius Apollinaris Sidonius or Saint Sidonius Apollinaris was a poet, diplomat, and bishop. Sidonius is "the single most important surviving author from fifth-century Gaul" according to Eric Goldberg...
who wrote of the persecution suffered by the bishops of Comminges at the hands of the Arian Goths in the 5th century. The earliest known Bishop of Comminges is Suavis, who assisted at the Council of Agde
Council of Agde
In the history of Roman Catholicism in France, the Council of Agde was held 10 September 506 at Agatha or Agde in Languedoc, under the presidency of Caesarius of Arles. It was attended by thirty-five bishops, and its forty-seven genuine canons deal "with ecclesiastical discipline"...
in 506. The bishops of Comminges had their seat at Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges
Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges
Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. It is a member of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association.-History:...
.
The Comminges was originally part of Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
. In 836 García I Galíndez, Count of Aragon, was made Viscount of Comminges and Viscount of Couserans
Couserans
Couserans is a small former province of France located in the Pyrenees mountains. Today Couserans makes up the western half of the Ariège département, around the towns of Saint-Girons and Saint-Lizier. A small part of Couserans is also in the extreme south of Haute-Garonne, just across the border...
. Around 940, Comminges was divided between the descendants of Aznar II, until reunited in 1012 under Bernard of Comminges. Over the next centuries, the size of the county varied, stretching to Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
at times.
The small, discontinuous province
Provinces of France
The Kingdom of France was organised into provinces until March 4, 1790, when the establishment of the département system superseded provinces. The provinces of France were roughly equivalent to the historic counties of England...
of Nébouzan
Nébouzan
Nébouzan was a small province of France located in the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, in the southwest of France. It was not a contiguous province, but it was made up of several detached territories, approximately half of them around the town of Saint-Gaudens in the south of the present-day...
was partly contained within the Comminges and its viscounts were vassals of the counts of Comminges.
Although the county became the property of the French crown in 1498, it retained its identity. With the reorganisation of the regions into departments in 1790, Comminges wanted to join its eastern neighbour, the county of Couserans, to form a department but this broke down over arguments about where the prefecture would be located. Eventually Couserans joined with the county of Foix
County of Foix
The County of Foix was an independent medieval fief in southern France, and later a province of France, whose territory corresponded roughly the eastern part of the modern département of Ariège ....
, leaving the Comminges to be joined with the larger county of Toulouse to form the Haute-Garonne. At the same time the diocese of Comminges was abolished and replaced with a larger diocese aligned with the new department.
The region still identifies itself as the Comminges and Saint-Gaudens
Saint-Gaudens
Saint-Gaudens is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.Saint-Gaudens lies at an altitude of 405 m on a ledge overlooking the valley of the Garonne...
, its largest town, calls itself the "capital of the Comminges".