Saint-Girons, Ariège

Saint-Girons (Gascon: Sent Gironç) is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region, southwestern France. It is the capital of the former French province of Couserans that forms the western part of Ariège.

Saint-Girons

Saint-Girons and Sourroque.jpg
View of Saint-Girons and the Sourroque mountain
Coat of arms of Saint-Girons
Administration
Country France
Region Midi-Pyrénées
Department Ariège
Arrondissement Saint-Girons
Canton Couserans Ouest
Intercommunality Couserans - Pyrénées
Mayor François Murillo[1]
(2014–2020)
Statistics
Elevation 387–1,200 m (1,270–3,937 ft)
(avg. 391 m/1,283 ft)
Land area1 19.13 km2 (7.39 sq mi)
Population2 6,284  (2014)
 - Density 328/km2 (850/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 09261/ 09200
Website www.ville-st-girons.fr
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

History

 
Confluence of the Lez and Salat rivers at Saint-Girons

Unlike its close neighbour Saint-Lizier, Saint-Girons is not an ancient city; there was however a lucus (a "sacred forest") on its present territory.

The city is named after Saint Girons, a saint from fifth-century Landes who evangelized in southwestern France. In the ninth century some of his relics were supposedly buried in Saint Girons' Church,[2] around which the city later developed.

Geography

Saint-Girons is in the center of a basin at the foot of the Pyrenees and at the confluence of the Salat with the Lez and Baup rivers, in the Ariège department, southern France. The commune is part of the Regional Natural Park Pyrenees Ariégeoises.

The commune has an area of 19.1 km2 (7.4 sq mi).[3] Its average altitude is 365 m (1,198 ft); at the city hall, the altitude is 390 m (1,280 ft).[4]

 

The commune of Saint-Girons is surrounded by the communes:

Climate

The climate of Saint-Girons, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers.[5]

Climate data for Saint-Girons
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 9.9
(49.8)
11.1
(52)
12.9
(55.2)
15.0
(59)
18.5
(65.3)
22.0
(71.6)
25.0
(77)
24.5
(76.1)
22.9
(73.2)
18.8
(65.8)
13.5
(56.3)
10.4
(50.7)
17
(63)
Daily mean °C (°F) 5.1
(41.2)
6.1
(43)
7.7
(45.9)
10.1
(50.2)
13.3
(55.9)
16.7
(62.1)
19.4
(66.9)
19.0
(66.2)
17.0
(62.6)
13.1
(55.6)
8.3
(46.9)
5.5
(41.9)
11.8
(53.2)
Average low °C (°F) 0.3
(32.5)
1.1
(34)
2.6
(36.7)
5.1
(41.2)
8.1
(46.6)
11.5
(52.7)
13.7
(56.7)
13.6
(56.5)
11.1
(52)
7.5
(45.5)
3.1
(37.6)
0.7
(33.3)
6.5
(43.7)
Precipitation mm (inches) 92.5
(3.642)
78.3
(3.083)
92.9
(3.657)
98.3
(3.87)
108.8
(4.283)
90.0
(3.543)
62.4
(2.457)
74.0
(2.913)
73.2
(2.882)
77.5
(3.051)
77.2
(3.039)
88.3
(3.476)
1,013.4
(39.898)
Source: Metereological data for Saint-Girons - Antichan from 1961 to 1990 July 2013

Population

 
St Girons' Church by the Salat river

The inhabitants of Saint-Girons are known, in French, as Saint-Gironnais or Gironnais (women: Saint-Gironnaises or Gironnaises).[6]

Saint-Girons has a population of 6,284 (2014),[7] and population density of 328 inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Saint-Girons

Saint-Girons forms, with other 3 communes, the urban area of Saint-Girons with a population of 9,652 inhabitants (2013) and an area of 39.1 km2 (15.1 sq mi).[8] This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Saint-Girons, formed by 39 communes with a population of 18,222 inhabitants (2013) and an area of 440.4 km2 (170.0 sq mi).[9]

Administration

Saint-Girons is a subprefecture of the Ariège department, the capital of the arrondissement of Saint-Girons and the administrative centre (French: chef-lieu) of the canton Couserans Ouest, with 10,686 inhabitants (2014).

It is part of the intercommunality Couserans - Pyrénées (French: Communauté de communes Couserans - Pyrénées).

Twinned and partner towns

Saint-Girons is twinned with:[10]

Sites of interest

Some important buildings are:

  • The Saint-Girons church
  • The Saint-Valier church
  • The Palais de Justice

Gallery

Saint-Girons, Ariège Media

Related pages

References

  1. "Le Maire et ses adjoints". Ville Saint-Girons. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  2. "Histoire et patrimoine". Ville Saint-Girons. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  3. "Commune de Saint-Girons (09261)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 23 March 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  4. "City of Saint-Girons". Map-France.com. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  5. "La ville de Saint-Girons". Annuaire-Mairie.fr (in French). Retrieved 14 June 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  6. "Saint-Girons (09200)" (in French). habitants.fr. Retrieved 14 June 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  7. "Régions, départements, arrondissements, cantons et communes" (PDF). Populations légales 2014 (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 13 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  8. "Unité urbaine de Saint-Girons (09203)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 23 March 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  9. "Aire urbaine de Saint-Girons (267)". Comparateur de territoire (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 23 March 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  10. "Jumelages". Ville Saint-Girons. Retrieved 14 June 2014.

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