Tarn
Encyclopedia
Tarn is a department of 5,758 km2 in the Midi-Pyrénées
region
in the southwest of France, named after the Tarn River
. It was formed in 1790 of the three dioceses of Albi, Castres
and Lavaur
, belonging to the province of Languedoc
. In 1906, the population was 330,533. In 1999, it stood at 343,402.
Of particular note in the department are Albi (the capital), Castres
, Gaillac
, Lavaur
, Mazamet
and Cordes
.
Other places of interest are:
on 4 March 1790, through application of the Law of 22 December 1789. It was created from part of the former province
of Languedoc
, and comprised the dioceses of Albi
and Castres (which found themselves merged in 1817).
By the law of 28 Pluviôse
, Year 5
, the departments of Hérault
and of Tarn exchanged the canton of Anglès
(which had been part of the diocese of Saint-Pons
, but which has remained in Tarn) for that of Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare
(which had been part of the diocese of Castres, but which today remains in Hérault ).
, the Sidobre
, and the Montagne Noire
, belonging to the Cevennes. The stony and wind-blown slopes of the firstnamed are used for pasture
. The highest point of the range and of the department is the Pic de Montalet (about 4150 ft.); several other summits are not much short of this. The granite strewn plateaux of the Sidobre
, from 1600 to 2000 ft high, separate the valley of the river Agout
from that of its western tributary, the river Thoré
. The Montagne Noire
, on the southern border of the department, derives its name from the forests on its northern slope, and some of its peaks are from 3000 to 3500 ft high.
The limestone
and sandstone
foot-hills are clothed with vine
s and fruit trees, and are broken by deep alluvial valleys of particular fertility. With the exception of a small portion of the Montagne Noire
, which drains into the river Aude
, the whole department belongs to the basin of the Garonne
. The eastern portion of the department has the climate of Auvergne
, the severest in France, but that of the plain is Girondin.
Tarn is bounded north and east by Aveyron
, southeast by Hérault
, south by Aude
, southwest and west by Haute-Garonne
, northwest by Tarn-et-Garonne
. The slope of the department is from east to west, and its general character is mountainous or hilly.
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region of metropolitan France by area, larger than the Netherlands or Denmark.Midi-Pyrénées has no historical or geographical unity...
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 the southwest of France, named after the Tarn River
Tarn River
The Tarn is a long river in southern France , right tributary of the Garonne.The Tarn runs in a roughly westerly direction, from its source at an altitude of 1,550 m on Mont Lozère in the Cévennes mountains , through the deep gorges and canyons of the Gorges du Tarn The Tarn is a long...
. It was formed in 1790 of the three dioceses of Albi, Castres
Castres
Castres is a commune, and arrondissement capital in the Tarn department and Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It lies in the former French province of Languedoc....
and Lavaur
Lavaur
Lavaur is the name of several communes in France:* Lavaur, Dordogne, in the Dordogne département* Lavaur, Tarn, in the Tarn département...
, belonging to the province of Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
. In 1906, the population was 330,533. In 1999, it stood at 343,402.
Of particular note in the department are Albi (the capital), Castres
Castres
Castres is a commune, and arrondissement capital in the Tarn department and Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It lies in the former French province of Languedoc....
, Gaillac
Gaillac
Gaillac is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-Geography of Gaillac:Gaillac is a town situated between Toulouse, Albi and Monatauban. It has gained a large amount of recognition due to the wines that bear the towns name. The Tarn river runs along the border of the town by the...
, Lavaur
Lavaur
Lavaur is the name of several communes in France:* Lavaur, Dordogne, in the Dordogne département* Lavaur, Tarn, in the Tarn département...
, Mazamet
Mazamet
Mazamet is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.It is the second-largest component of the Castres-Mazamet metropolitan area.-Geography:...
and Cordes
Cordes-sur-Ciel
Cordes-sur-Ciel is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.The fortified town was built in 1222 by Raimon VII, the Count of Toulouse, who, though not a Cathar himself, tolerated the heresy. The village is now a popular tourist spot...
.
Other places of interest are:
- BurlatsBurlatsBurlats ) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.- Population:-Remarkable Monuments:* the Adelaide Pavilion, a unique showcase of Roman civil architecture that cradled the birth of l’Amour courtois...
, which has ruins of an old church and chateauChâteauA château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions... - Lisle-sur-TarnLisle-sur-TarnLisle-sur-Tarn is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-Geography:The city is located halfway between Toulouse and Albi on the A68 motorway, in the Gaillac vineyard, on the banks of the Tarn. Historically speaking, it is also located on one of the ancient Ways of St...
, a bastide with a church of the 14th century - PennePenne, TarnPenne feather) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-Prehistory:The first traces of activity date back to the Bronze Age...
which has ruins of a fine medieval châteauChâteauA château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...
.
History
Tarn is one of the original 83 departments created during the French RevolutionFrench 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...
on 4 March 1790, through application of the Law of 22 December 1789. It was created from part of the former 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 Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
, and comprised the dioceses of Albi
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Albi
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Albi-Castres-Lavour , usually referred to simply as the Archdiocese of Albi, is a non-metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in southern France...
and Castres (which found themselves merged in 1817).
By the law of 28 Pluviôse
Pluviôse
Pluviôse was the fifth month in the French Republican Calendar. The month was named after the Latin word pluviosus, which means rainy....
, Year 5
French Republican Calendar
The French Republican Calendar or French Revolutionary Calendar was a calendar created and implemented during the French Revolution, and used by the French government for about 12 years from late 1793 to 1805, and for 18 days by the Paris Commune in 1871...
, the departments of Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
and of Tarn exchanged the canton of Anglès
Anglès, Tarn
Anglès is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-References:*...
(which had been part of the diocese of Saint-Pons
Ancient Diocese of Saint-Pons-de-Thomières
The former French Catholic diocese of Saint-Pons-de-Thomières existed from 1317 until the French Revolution. Its see at Saint-Pons-de-Thomières in southern France is in the modern department of Hérault...
, but which has remained in Tarn) for that of Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare
Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare
Saint-Gervais-sur-Mare is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-References:*...
(which had been part of the diocese of Castres, but which today remains in Hérault ).
Landscapes
Tarn's three principal ranges lying to the south-east are: the Mountains of LacauneLacaune
Lacaune is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-References:*...
, the Sidobre
Sidobre
The Sidobre is a mountainous area located in the south of the Massif central, in central France. It is a 15.3 km long, 6.6 km wide plateau made of granite, covered with forests...
, and the Montagne Noire
Montagne Noire
* Not to be confused with the Montagnes Noires in Brittany.The Montagne Noire is a mountain range in central southern France. It is located at the southwestern end of the Massif Central in the border area of the Tarn, Hérault and Aude departments...
, belonging to the Cevennes. The stony and wind-blown slopes of the firstnamed are used for pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
. The highest point of the range and of the department is the Pic de Montalet (about 4150 ft.); several other summits are not much short of this. The granite strewn plateaux of the Sidobre
Sidobre
The Sidobre is a mountainous area located in the south of the Massif central, in central France. It is a 15.3 km long, 6.6 km wide plateau made of granite, covered with forests...
, from 1600 to 2000 ft high, separate the valley of the river Agout
Agout
The Agout is a 195 km long river in south-western France, left tributary of the Tarn River. Its source is in the southern Massif Central, in the Parc naturel régional du Haut-Languedoc...
from that of its western tributary, the river Thoré
Thoré
The Thoré is a long river in the Hérault and Tarn départements, southwestern France. Its source is in the northern part of Rieussec. It flows generally northwest...
. The Montagne Noire
Montagne Noire
* Not to be confused with the Montagnes Noires in Brittany.The Montagne Noire is a mountain range in central southern France. It is located at the southwestern end of the Massif Central in the border area of the Tarn, Hérault and Aude departments...
, on the southern border of the department, derives its name from the forests on its northern slope, and some of its peaks are from 3000 to 3500 ft high.
The limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
foot-hills are clothed with vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
s and fruit trees, and are broken by deep alluvial valleys of particular fertility. With the exception of a small portion of the Montagne Noire
Montagne Noire
* Not to be confused with the Montagnes Noires in Brittany.The Montagne Noire is a mountain range in central southern France. It is located at the southwestern end of the Massif Central in the border area of the Tarn, Hérault and Aude departments...
, which drains into the river Aude
Aude River
The Aude River is a river of southwestern France. Its source is in the Pyrenees mountains and it then runs to Carcassonne and turns, reaching the Mediterranean Sea near Narbonne...
, the whole department belongs to the basin of the Garonne
Garonne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
. The eastern portion of the department has the climate of Auvergne
Auvergne (région)
Auvergne is one of the 27 administrative regions of France. It comprises the 4 departments of Allier, Puy de Dome, Cantal and Haute Loire.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not...
, the severest in France, but that of the plain is Girondin.
Tarn is bounded north and east by 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....
, southeast by Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, south by 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...
, southwest and west by 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...
, northwest by Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne
Tarn-et-Garonne is a French department in the southwest of France. It is traversed by the Rivers Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its name.-History:...
. The slope of the department is from east to west, and its general character is mountainous or hilly.
See also
- Cantons of the Tarn department
- Communes of the Tarn department
- Arrondissements of the Tarn department
- Tourism in TarnTourism in TarnFrom the Gaillac Vineyard to the Sidobre, the Montagne Noire and the stunning Gorges du Tarn, the Tarn department, in the southwest of France, offers a great range of sights and tourist attractions.-Statistics:In 2009, there were :...