Castelsarrasin Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Castelsarrasin

Subprefecture and commune

Castelsarrasin town hall

Coat of arms

Castelsarrasin

Location in France

Castelsarrasin

Location in Occitanie

Country

Castelsarrasin

Area

76.77 km² (29.64 sq mi)

Population

(2014)

13,765

• Density

179.302/km² (464.39/sq mi)

Castelsarrasinois

• Summer (DST)

INSEE/Postal code

82033 /82100

Elevation

61–97 m (200–318 ft)
(avg. 84 m or 276 ft)

Website

www.ville-castelsarrasin.fr

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Castelsarrasin (Occitan: Los Sarrasins) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region of France. It is the second city in Tarn-et-Garonne with more people living in it, after Montauban.

It is a subprefecture in the department and the capital of the Castelsarrasin arrondissement.

History
Geography
- Climate
Population
Administration
- Twin cities
Places of interest
Gallery
People from Castelsarrasin
Related pages
See also

History

The oldest written example of Castelsarrasin, as Castel Sarracenum, is from the year 961. It was written in the will of Raymond II of Rouergue where he gave the Saint-Sauveur church to the monastery of Moissac.

Castel Sarracenum ("Saracen Castle") was given that name because the castle was built in the Saracen era.

There were many wars during the early history of the city:

against the English until the end of the 12th century;
the Albigensian Crusade during the first part of the 13th century; and
the Shepherd's Crusade of 1320 when many Jews that lived in the city were killed.

Later, the Hundred Years' War affected the region. Most people that lived in the city were Catholics but many Protestants lived around the city. Fights were common here between those two groups during the French Wars of Religion in the 16th century.

The region was more calm during the following centuries, up to the time of the French Revolution.

From 1790 to 1795, Castelsarrasin was the capital of the District of Castelsarrasin in the Haute-Garonne department. In 1808, when the Tarn-et-Garonne department was created, the arrondissement of Castelsarrasin was made part of the new department.

Geography

Castelsarrasin is near the Garonne river, which runs through the southwest of the commune. The city is at 21 km (13 mi) to the west of Montauban, préfecture of the department.

It has an area of 76.77 km² (29.64 sq mi) and its average altitude is 79 m (259 ft); at the city hall, the altitude is 81 m (266 ft).

Castelsarrasin and its neighboring *communes*

The communes that are around Castelsarrasin are Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Grave, Moissac, Les Barthes, La Ville-Dieu-du-Temple, Saint-Porquier, Cordes-Tolosannes, Saint-Aignan, Castelferrus and Castelmayran.

Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Grave	Moissac	Les Barthes
Castelmayran		La Ville-Dieu-du-Temple
	Castelsarrasin

Saint-Aignan and Castelferrus	Cordes-Tolosannes	Saint-Porquier

Climate

The climate of Castelsarrasin, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers.

Population

The inhabitants of Castelsarrasin are known, in French, as Castelsarrasinois (women: Castelsarrasinoises).

With a population in 2014 of 13,765, Castelsarrasin has a population density of 179 inhabitants/km².

Evolution of the population in Castelsarrasin

Administration

Castelsarrasin is a subprefecture of the Tarn-et-Garonne department since 1809. It is also the capital of the arrondissement of Castelsarrasin and the administrative centre (French: chef-lieu) of the canton Castelsarrasin with 6 communes and 20,937 inhabitants in 2014.

It is part of the intercommunality Terres des confluences.

Twin cities

Castelsarrasin is a twin town of:

Fiume Veneto, Italy, since 2007

Places of interest

Some interesting places in Castelsarrasin are:

The Saint-Sauveur church, mentioned since 961; it was rebuilt in 1254.
The Saint-Jean church, mentioned since 1216; it was partially rebuilt in 1515.
The Notre-Dame d'Alem chapel.
The Jacques-Yves Cousteau port.