Montferrand, Aude

Mont Ferrand is a southern French village with 505 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the Aude department in the Languedoc- Roussillon region.

Location

Mont Ferrand is located in the heart of the old cultural landscape of Lauragais at an altitude of about 240 meters above sea level. inst and about 58 km ( driving distance ) north- west of Carcassonne and about 13 kilometers northwest of Castelnaudary.

Demographics

In the 19th century the place had always 700-1000 inhabitants. The mechanization of agriculture and the associated loss of jobs since then led to a significant decline in population.

Economy

The surroundings of the town is still dominated by agriculture, which in the late Middle Ages and early modern times mainly on the cultivation of woad ( pastel) concentrated. The import of indigo led from the 18th century to a gradual economic decline and the farmers turned back to the 'normal' agriculture. In the late 20th century, tourism has been added in the form of apartment rentals ( gîtes ) as an economic factor.

History

Not much is known hilltop village - about the origins of - how many places in the Lauragais. However, excavated at the foot of the village Gallo Roman site and the small medieval church point to a long settlement period. About destructions during the Albigensian Crusades (1209-1229), the Hundred Years War (1337-1453) and the Wars of Religion (1562-1598) is not known.

Attractions

• The small Romanesque church ( Église Saint- Pierre ) with its bell tower is still surrounded by the cemetery. The single-nave church has a rectangular jacketed apse, which is recognized as a monument historique since 1948.
• From the formerly existing city walls only a rather nondescript gate has survived the ages.
• When Peyre Clouque said parcel remains of a Gallo-Roman estate (villa rustica ) or a settlement from the period have been uncovered with a basilica building and a spa resort in the 1950s. In the immediate vicinity there was a cemetery; some of the graves contained grave goods made ​​of silver. The site is classified as a monument historique. ()