Lagrasse
Encyclopedia
Lagrasse is a commune
in the Aude
department in southern France
.
Lagrasse is part of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
association ("The most beautiful villages of France").
, in the Aude department of Languedoc-Roussillon. Lagrasse is found in the valley of the River Orbieu
, at the foothills of the Pyrenees
.
in 783.
wine region, the largest wine-producing region in France.
The village is now home to numerous pottery workers and artists.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Aude
Aude
Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Lagrasse is part of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France is an independent association, created in 1982, which aims to promote assets of small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage...
association ("The most beautiful villages of France").
Geography
Lagrasse is about 30 km (18.6 mi) south-east of CarcassonneCarcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
, in the Aude department of Languedoc-Roussillon. Lagrasse is found in the valley of the River Orbieu
Orbieu
The Orbieu is a long river in the Aude département, in south central France. Its source is at Fourtou, in the Corbières. It flows generally northeast...
, at the foothills of the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
.
History
Lagrasse dates from the time the abbey was built. Permission for the construction was given by CharlemagneCharlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
in 783.
Population
Main sights
The two highlights of the village are the eponymous Abbey and the bridges, although the narrow medieval streets of the village itself are also very attractive, and remains of the town walls can still be seen.Economy
The region is renowned for the wine produced in the surrounding hills - this is the CorbièresCorbières AOC
Corbières is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for wine in the Languedoc-Roussillon, and it is this region's largest AOC, responsible for 46 per cent of the region's AOC wine production in 2005. Red wine dominates the production in Corbières with almost 95 per cent, with 3.5 per cent rosé wine...
wine region, the largest wine-producing region in France.
The village is now home to numerous pottery workers and artists.