Saint-Gaudens, Haute-Garonne
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Expand French|Saint-Gaudens|date=July 2014|topic=geo}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name = Saint-Gaudens
|commune status = Subprefecture and commune
|image = Collégiale Saint-Pierre et Saint-Gaudens.jpg
|caption = Collégiale
|arrondissement = Saint-Gaudens
|canton = Saint-Gaudens
|INSEE = 31483
|postal code = 31800
|term = 2020–2026
|intercommunality = Cœur et Coteaux du Comminges
|coordinates = {{coord|43.1089|0.7242|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m = 372
|elevation min m = 338
|image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Gaudens (Haute-Garonne).svg
|elevation max m = 558
|area km2 = 27.35
|population = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}
Saint-Gaudens ({{IPA|fr|sɛ̃ ɡodɛ̃s}}; {{langx|oc|Sent-Gaudenç}}) is a commune and a sub-prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.
Saint-Gaudens lies at an altitude of {{cvt|405|m}} on a ledge overlooking the valley of the Garonne. It faces the Pyrenees and is a natural crossroads for routes between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean and between Toulouse and the Val d'Aran in Catalonia. Saint-Gaudens station has rail connections to Toulouse, Bayonne, Pau and Tarbes.
History
Saint-Gaudens has been inhabited since ancient times (traces of the Iron Age and of Roman occupation) and was originally called Mas-Saint-Pierre, before taking the name of the young shepherd, Gaudens, martyred by the Visigoths at the end of the 5th century for refusing to renounce his faith.
The town later developed around the 11th century Romanesque church. It was granted its city charter in 1202 and became the capital of the Nébouzan area, protected by solid ramparts. As an important regional marketplace, Saint-Gaudens became the economic capital of the Comminges.
The town was damaged by Protestant forces under Montgomery in 1569, and became the seat of the Nébouzan Assembly after coming under the control of the French crown in 1607. The name was changed briefly to "Mont-Unité" during the Revolution and the area later became part of the Haute-Garonne department. In 1974 it absorbed the former commune Lieoux,[https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/jo/id/JORFCONT000000021467 Modifications aux circonscriptions administratives territoriales (fusion de communes)], Journal officiel de la République française n° 0153, 30 June 1974, p. 6900. which was re-established as a separate commune in 2008.[https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/eli/arrete/2008/2/1/IOCB0803808A/jo/texte Arrêté du 1er février 2008 portant modification aux circonscriptions administratives territoriales], Légifrance].
Population
{{Historical populations
|align = none
|cols = 2
|percentages = pagr
|source = EHESS{{Cassini-Ehess|31835|Saint-Gaudens}} and INSEE (1968-2017)[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-31483#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE
|graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |4000
|1800 |4155
|1806 |5054
|1821 |5428
|1831 |6179
|1836 |6020
|1841 |5459
|1846 |5056
|1851 |4692
|1856 |4905
|1861 |4975
|1866 |5166
|1872 |5669
|1876 |5955
|1881 |6312
|1886 |6602
|1891 |7007
|1896 |6651
|1901 |7277
|1906 |7120
|1911 |7127
|1921 |6429
|1926 |6516
|1931 |6392
|1936 |6385
|1946 |7944
|1954 |8023
|1962 |10581
|1968 |11682
|1975 |12148
|1982 |11644
|1990 |11266
|1999 |10845
|2007 |11152
|2012 |11199
|2017 |11517
}}
Sights
File:Collégiale Saint-Pierre et Saint-Gaudens.jpg
The Collegiate Church of St. Peter and St. Gaudens, with its cloister and chapter house, this was one of the most important religious buildings in the Comminges.
It was home to a college of canons ordinary, a community founded by Bishop Bertrand.
The 11th century romanesque church, built on the typical Pyrenean plan as a basilica with a nave and two aisles, stands on the site of an earlier construction.
It was extended in the 12th and 13th centuries with the construction of the cloister and chapter house. The lateral north door was added in the 16th century.
Several tall buildings are reminders of the city's medieval period, with plain façades to which balconies were added at the end of the 19th century. Other buildings, including some town houses, date back to the 18th century, and are decorated with stone carvings. Some buildings have façades with pediments, friezes and cornices, mouldings, and gabled dormer windows. On Boulevard Bepmale the façades that face the Sun, with a view of the Pyrenees, have balconies and galleries up to their very top floors.
Sport
St Gaudens has a Rugby League (Rugby XIII) team playing in the French Championship, the Saint-Gaudens Bears.
St Gaudens also hosts a popular rugby union team (Rugby XV) SSGL (Stade Saint-Gaudinois Luchonnais XV).
The Open International Féminin Midi-Pyrénées Saint-Gaudens Comminges, an ITF Women's Circuit tennis tournament, is held in Saint-Gaudens.
The 2014 Tour de France cycle race began stage 17 in Saint Gaudens, with a {{convert|124.5|km|mi}} route to Saint-Lary.
International relations
Notable people
- Christophe Avezac (born 1977), footballer
- Yves Giraud-Cabantous (1904–1973), racing driver
- Maelle Millet (born 2004), rhythmic gymnast
Climate
{{Weather box|width=auto
|location = Saint-Gaudens (Clarac), elevation {{convert|401|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1994−present)
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|collapsed= Y
|Jan record high C = 22.8
|Feb record high C = 24.4
|Mar record high C = 26.5
|Apr record high C = 29.0
|May record high C = 31.4
|Jun record high C = 37.3
|Jul record high C = 39.3
|Aug record high C = 39.4
|Sep record high C = 34.6
|Oct record high C = 31.7
|Nov record high C = 26.1
|Dec record high C = 23.4
|Jan record low C = -12.3
|Feb record low C = -11.6
|Mar record low C = -9.5
|Apr record low C = -3.5
|May record low C = -0.9
|Jun record low C = 1.7
|Jul record low C = 6.0
|Aug record low C = 4.8
|Sep record low C = 1.3
|Oct record low C = -3.6
|Nov record low C = -8.8
|Dec record low C = -12.5
|Jan high C = 10.3
|Feb high C = 11.5
|Mar high C = 14.6
|Apr high C = 16.9
|May high C = 20.0
|Jun high C = 23.7
|Jul high C = 26.0
|Aug high C = 26.3
|Sep high C = 23.4
|Oct high C = 19.7
|Nov high C = 13.7
|Dec high C = 11.1
|year high C = 18.1
|Jan mean C = 5.2
|Feb mean C = 6.0
|Mar mean C = 8.6
|Apr mean C = 11.1
|May mean C = 14.5
|Jun mean C = 18.2
|Jul mean C = 20.4
|Aug mean C = 20.4
|Sep mean C = 17.3
|Oct mean C = 13.8
|Nov mean C = 8.4
|Dec mean C = 5.8
|year mean C = 12.5
|Jan low C = 0.1
|Feb low C = 0.6
|Mar low C = 2.7
|Apr low C = 5.3
|May low C = 9.0
|Jun low C = 12.7
|Jul low C = 14.7
|Aug low C = 14.5
|Sep low C = 11.2
|Oct low C = 7.9
|Nov low C = 3.1
|Dec low C = 0.6
|year low C = 6.9
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 77.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 59.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 69.1
|Apr precipitation mm = 81.3
|May precipitation mm = 91.2
|Jun precipitation mm = 61.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 54.4
|Aug precipitation mm = 49.1
|Sep precipitation mm = 53.5
|Oct precipitation mm = 55.5
|Nov precipitation mm = 86.7
|Dec precipitation mm = 66.2
|year precipitation mm = 804.9
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 10.4
|Feb precipitation days = 9.1
|Mar precipitation days = 10.3
|Apr precipitation days = 11.0
|May precipitation days = 11.2
|Jun precipitation days = 8.0
|Jul precipitation days = 6.6
|Aug precipitation days = 7.6
|Sep precipitation days = 7.7
|Oct precipitation days = 8.7
|Nov precipitation days = 11.0
|Dec precipitation days = 9.7
|year precipitation days = 111.3
|source 1 = Météo-France{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_31147001.pdf
|title=Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records
| publisher = Météo-France
| access-date = August 21, 2022}}}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category|Saint-Gaudens}}
- [http://www.stgaudens.com/ Official website] {{in lang|fr}}
- [http://www.tourisme-stgaudens.com/web/en/3-home.php/ Saint-Gaudens Tourist Office website] {{in lang|en}}
{{Haute-Garonne communes}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saintgaudens}}
Category:Communes of Haute-Garonne
Category:Subprefectures in France
Category:Haute-Garonne communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia