Saint-Blancard

Saint-Blancard

Bicycle. One of the art objects in the village
Saint-Blancard

Coordinates: 43°20′42″N 0°38′51″E / 43.345°N 0.6475°E / 43.345; 0.6475Coordinates: 43°20′42″N 0°38′51″E / 43.345°N 0.6475°E / 43.345; 0.6475
Country France
Region Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Department Gers
Arrondissement Mirande
Canton Masseube
Intercommunality Hautes Vallées
Government
  Mayor (20082014) Georges Barthe
Area1 14.87 km2 (5.74 sq mi)
Population (2008)2 334
  Density 22/km2 (58/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 32365 / 32140
Elevation 227–357 m (745–1,171 ft)
(avg. 356 m or 1,168 ft)

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.

Saint-Blancard (Gascon: Sent Blancat) is a commune in the Gers department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southwestern France.

Geography

Auch is at 40 km, Toulouse at 80 km and Tarbes at 60 km from Saint-Blancard.

The church and the castle
Inside the church.
Small lake near the village.
Remains of the windmill.

History

Castle residents

In the village is the Château de Saint-Blancard (Castle of Saint-Blancard). Among the barons and marquesses that lived in the castle were:

The current village

Saint-Blancard is located on the ridge between the valley of the Gimone in the east and the valley of the Arrats in the west . The D228 crosses the D576 in the village. The most striking building in town is the castle. The 15th century church Saint-Pancrare is build next to the castle. At the junktion west of the castle is a monument to a former Count Armand who was also mayor of the village. In a pasture north of the castle stand on a hill, the remains of the windmill (moulin à vent fr) from Saint-Blancard.[2] That place is called Chez Baptiste. In front of the castle is a monument to the fallen, a cross and a statue of Mary. Between these statues is a boules alley with lights located. The village has a rehabilitation center. There are also homes for rehabilitation treatment. In the middle of the village stands a cross aging from 1895 in memory of the famille (family) Furgatte. In the east of the village stands a twelve-foot-high wooden cross back from the seventeenth century. The Arrats the devant runs in the w4est of the communi. South of the village is a small lake for the farmers. There is a privately owned watermill (moulin à eau fr). To the southeast lies a 6 km long reservoir with a surface area of 263 hectares, Lac de la Gimone. The lake forms the border between Gers and Haute-Garonne. It was created by the placement of a dam on the river Gimone. The commune has a system of streams and small lakes that serve the agriculture.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1962273    
1968255−6.6%
1975217−14.9%
1982229+5.5%
1990205−10.5%
1999257+25.4%
2008334+30.0%

The inhabitants are called Saint Blancardais.

Services

With a small shop, the village is still self-supporting. At the store is a gas depot. There is a hairdresser and a post office in Saint-Blancard. The municipality encourages the middle class by counting low rents for buildings. In a former convent school is now a hotel / pub / restaurant next to the town hall. There is a school. There are Bed & Breakfast and there are cottages. There is a football field. In the village is radio Coteaux, 97.7 and 104.5 FM located . At the lake is a nautical center. There is a swimming facility. There is a field for motorized paragliding. The office of nine communes united under the name Les Hautes Vallees,[3] is located in the village.

See also

References

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