Saint-Hilaire, Aude
Encyclopedia
Saint-Hilaire is a commune
in the Aude
department in the Languedoc-Roussillon
region
in southern France
.
and Carcassonne
in the region of the Carcassès. It is mostly covered by the forest of Crausse-Rabassié. The river Lauquet borders it to the north. It is crossed by the Meridian of Paris
, otherwise known as the Green Meridian.
. In the eighth century, the abbey was built under the name of Saint Saturnin
and then Saint Hilaire, Bishop of Carcassonne in the sixth century. Over the course of centuries, the village grew to surround the abbey.
The abbots built fortifications around the village to protect it from the troubles of the Hundred Years War. A document of 1386 regulates the care of the keys of the village gates. In 1574, the village was burned and partly destroyed by the Protestants of the Lord of Villar
.
During the French Revolution
, Saint-Hilaire experienced some troubles. In 1792, troops had to be sent to maintain public order.
This ancient and fortified Benedictine abbey was founded at the end of the eighth century and dedicated to Saint Saturnin. In the tenth century, in obedience to the will of the Count of Carcassonne, the abbey changed its name and was dedicated to Saint Hilaire, the first Bishop of Carcassonne in the sixth century.
The monastery enjoyed a certain prosperity until the thirteenth century, but at the time of the Hundred Years War it suffered the devastations of war, the ravages of the Black Death
and periods of famine.
After a long period of decline, the abbey closed in 1748.
In 1531, the monks of Saint-Hilaire discovered the first effervescent wine in the world, now known as Blanquette de Limoux.
Today it is possible to explore the ancient monastic buildings by guided visit.
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 the Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
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...
.
Geography
The commune of Saint-Hilaire is situated in the Aude department, mid way between LimouxLimoux
Limoux is a commune and subprefecture in the Aude department, a part of the ancient Languedoc province and the present-day Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France...
and Carcassonne
Carcassonne
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 region of the Carcassès. It is mostly covered by the forest of Crausse-Rabassié. The river Lauquet borders it to the north. It is crossed by the Meridian of Paris
Paris Meridian
The Paris Meridian is a meridian line running through the Paris Observatory in Paris, France—now longitude 2°20′14.025″ east. It was a long-standing rival to Greenwich as the prime meridian of the world, as was the Meridian of Antwerp in Antwerp, Belgium....
, otherwise known as the Green Meridian.
History
The history of Saint-Hilaire is closely linked with that of the abbey. It begins in the Roman era but the most important remains date from the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. In the eighth century, the abbey was built under the name of Saint Saturnin
Saturnin
Saint Saturnin of Toulouse , with a feast day entered for November 29, was one of the "Apostles to the Gauls" sent out during the consulate of Decius and Gratus to Christianize Gaul after the persecutions under Emperor Decius had all but dissolved the small Christian communities...
and then Saint Hilaire, Bishop of Carcassonne in the sixth century. Over the course of centuries, the village grew to surround the abbey.
The abbots built fortifications around the village to protect it from the troubles of the Hundred Years War. A document of 1386 regulates the care of the keys of the village gates. In 1574, the village was burned and partly destroyed by the Protestants of the Lord of Villar
Villar
Villar can refer to:* Villar-en-Val, a town in the Aude département, FranceThe name of several places in Italy:* Villar Dora, a town in the province of Turin in Piedmont* Villar Focchiardo, a town in the province of Turin in Piedmont...
.
During the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, Saint-Hilaire experienced some troubles. In 1792, troops had to be sent to maintain public order.
Population
Its inhabitants are known as Saint-Hilairois.Abbey of Saint-Hilaire
The monastery enjoyed a certain prosperity until the thirteenth century, but at the time of the Hundred Years War it suffered the devastations of war, the ravages of the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
and periods of famine.
After a long period of decline, the abbey closed in 1748.
In 1531, the monks of Saint-Hilaire discovered the first effervescent wine in the world, now known as Blanquette de Limoux.
Today it is possible to explore the ancient monastic buildings by guided visit.