Saint-Affrique
Encyclopedia
Saint-Affrique is a commune
in the Aveyron
department in southern France
.
of St. Africain, bishop of Comminges. In the 12th century a fortress was built on the neighboring rock of Caylus
. The possession of Saint-Affrique was vigorously contested during the French Wars of Religion
. It was eventually occupied by the Huguenots until 1629, when it was seized and dismantled by a royal army.
, flows through the commune and crosses the town. The Dourdou de Camarès flows northwestward through the western part of the commune and forms part of its northwestern border.
over the Sorgue and some megalith
s in the neighborhood, especially, the dolmen
of Tiergues, are of antiquarian interest.
Some prize winners: Daniel du Janerand
, Maurice Boitel
.
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 Aveyron
Aveyron
Aveyron is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.- History :Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790....
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...
.
History
Saint-Affrique grew in the 6th century around the tombTomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
of St. Africain, bishop of Comminges. In the 12th century a fortress was built on the neighboring rock of Caylus
Caylus, Tarn-et-Garonne
Caylus is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France.-References:*...
. The possession of Saint-Affrique was vigorously contested during the French Wars of Religion
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
. It was eventually occupied by the Huguenots until 1629, when it was seized and dismantled by a royal army.
Geography
The Sorgues, a tributary of the Dourdou de CamarèsDourdou de Camarès
The Dourdou de Camarès is an long river in the Tarn, Hérault and Aveyron départements, southern France. Its source is in the Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc, in the commune of Murat-sur-Vèbre, southeast of the village. It flows generally northwest...
, flows through the commune and crosses the town. The Dourdou de Camarès flows northwestward through the western part of the commune and forms part of its northwestern border.
Population
Sights
An old bridgeBridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
over the Sorgue and some megalith
Megalith
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. Megalithic describes structures made of such large stones, utilizing an interlocking system without the use of mortar or cement.The word 'megalith' comes from the Ancient...
s in the neighborhood, especially, the dolmen
Dolmen
A dolmen—also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, dolmain , cromlech , anta , Hünengrab/Hünenbett , Adamra , Ispun , Hunebed , dös , goindol or quoit—is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of...
of Tiergues, are of antiquarian interest.
Personalities
Saint-Affrique was the birthplace of :- Pierre-Auguste SarrusPierre-Auguste SarrusPierre-Auguste Sarrus was a French musician and inventor.* He joined the army at the age of 23....
(1813–1876), musicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and inventor - Émile BorelÉmile BorelFélix Édouard Justin Émile Borel was a French mathematician and politician.Borel was born in Saint-Affrique, Aveyron. Along with René-Louis Baire and Henri Lebesgue, he was among the pioneers of measure theory and its application to probability theory. The concept of a Borel set is named in his...
(1871–1956), mathematicianMathematicianA mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. - Stephane DiaganaStéphane DiaganaStéphane Diagana is a former French athlete who won the gold medal at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics in Athens over 400 metres hurdles. In 2002 he won the gold medal at the European Championships in Athletics in Munich in the same event. Diagana also set the European record of 47.37...
,athlete
Twin towns
- The town is twinned with DriffieldDriffieldDriffield, also known as Great Driffield, is a market town and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The civil parish is formed by the town of Driffield and the village of Little Driffield....
, in the East Riding of YorkshireEast Riding of YorkshireThe East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Saint-Affrique prize
Saint-Affrique prize was awarded to notorious Parisian painter artists during the second part of the 20th century. It consisted in a stay of one month in the hotel of famous cook François Decucq during which the painters could visit and paint one of the most beautiful county of France.Some prize winners: Daniel du Janerand
Daniel du Janerand
Daniel du Janerand was a French painter artistborn in the "Marais", center of Paris, on 18 July 1919.-Artistic life:*École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris;*Member founder of the Salon "Comparaisons";...
, Maurice Boitel
Maurice Boitel
Maurice Boitel Maurice Boitel Maurice Boitel (July 31, 1919 – August 11, 2007 in Audresselles (Pas-de-Calais), was a French painter.-Artistic life:Maurice Boitel belonged to the art movement called "La Jeune Peinture" ("Young Picture") of the School of Paris, with painters like Bernard Buffet, Yves...
.
External links
- Town council website (in French)
- Unofficial website about Saint-Affrique (in French)