Balaguères

Balaguères (French pronunciation: [balaɡɛʁ]; Occitan: Balaguèras) is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region of south-western France.

Balaguères
Commune
Location of Balaguères
Balaguères Balaguères
Coordinates: 42°57′02″N 1°02′40″E
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Ariège
Arrondissement	Saint-Girons
Canton	Couserans Ouest
Intercommunality	Couserans-Pyrénées
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Jean-Claude Roques
Area 1	17.84 km2 (6.89 sq mi)
Population  (2021)	197
• Density	11/km2 (29/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	09035 /09800
Elevation	467–1,253 m (1,532–4,111 ft) (avg. 475 m or 1,558 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Balaguères is located some 4 km north-east of Audressein and 12 km south-west of Saint-Girons in the Parc naturel régional des Pyrénées ariégeoises. The north-west border of the commune is also the departmental border between Ariège and Haute-Garonne. Access to the commune is by the D618 road from Engomer in the east which passes through the south of the commune and continues south-west to Audressein. Access to the main village of Alas is by the D204A from Engomer and several local roads. The D204 goes north-west from the village through the hamlet of Agert to the hamlet of Balagué in the commune. The commune is farmland in the valley and forested on the mountain slopes.

The Lez river flows through the south of the commune and the village from south-west to east and continues east then north-east to join the Salat at Saint-Girons. The Ruisseau de Lachein flows from the north-west through the commune, gathering several tributaries, to join the Lez at the village.

History

Balagué, Agert, and Alas were all part of the lordship of Aspet in the 12th century together with Engomer, Montgauch, Bareilles, and Mauvezin de Prat. This lordship became a powerful Barony in the Middle Ages. On 12 December 1642 Guy d'Encausse, Lord of Labastide (near Rieucazé) purchased Alas-Balagué and gave it to Jean-Jacques de Solan. By decree in April 1667 King Louis XIV ordered the purchase of 18 parishes that had been committed in 1642 and 1643. They all returned to the Crown lands of France. Later, however, some were sold again (Castelbiague, Pointis-Inard, Alas-Agert-Balagué). Others remained in paréage with the king: Affis (His), Arbas, Ganties, Mauvezin, Montastruc, and Rouède. The rest remained permanently in the hands of the king as sole lord: Aspet, Chein, Escaich, Estadens, Montgauch-Bareilles, and Saleich.

Administration

List of Mayors

Mayors from the French Revolution to 1936

From	To	Name
1792	1793	François Antras
1793	1795	Joseph Anglade
1795	1798	Raymond Cheil
1798	1800	François Cazale
1800	1815	Joseph de Castet
1815	1818	Raymond Cheil
1818	1821	Raymond Roque
1821	1822	Joseph de Castet
1822	1830	Guillaume Joseph de Castet
1830	1835	Joseph Charles Arnaudi
1835	1837	Joseph Loze
1837	1840	Raymond Arasse
1840	1848	Antoine Cabau
1848	1853	Jean Saint-Martin
1853	1861	Raymond Roque
1861	1908	Maurice Morere
1908	1912	Raymond Anere
1912	1914	Henry Morere
1914	1919	François Gradit
1919	1920	Henry Morere
1920	1925	François Gradit
1925	1929	Pierre Lafont
1929	1936	Joseph Anglade

Mayors from 1936

From	To	Name
1936	1944	Jean Arasse
1944	1966	Pierre Founeau
1966	1977	Joseph Tignous
1977	2020	Henri Anrieu
2020	2026	Jean-Claude Roques

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Balaguérois or Balaguéroises in French.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 1,379 —     1800 731 −8.67% 1806 919 +3.89% 1821 955 +0.26% 1831 1,289 +3.04% 1836 1,295 +0.09% 1841 1,271 −0.37% 1846 1,296 +0.39% 1851 1,308 +0.18% 1856 1,224 −1.32% 1861 1,134 −1.52% 1866 1,199 +1.12% 1872 1,097 −1.47% 1876 1,077 −0.46% 1881 1,119 +0.77% 1886 1,056 −1.15% 1891 984 −1.40% 1896 985 +0.02%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 895 −1.90% 1906 805 −2.10% 1911 779 −0.65% 1921 643 −1.90% 1926 632 −0.34% 1931 565 −2.22% 1936 474 −3.45% 1946 425 −1.09% 1954 361 −2.02% 1962 314 −1.73% 1968 314 +0.00% 1975 267 −2.29% 1982 223 −2.54% 1990 209 −0.81% 1999 192 −0.94% 2007 195 +0.19% 2012 200 +0.51% 2017 197 −0.30%
Source: EHESS and INSEE

Culture and heritage

Cultural distinctions

Balaguères is one of the communes that have received the Esperanto Green Star, a distinction awarded to mayors of communes who identify with the speakers of the constructed language of Esperanto.

Balaguères was one of the filming locations for the film: The Return of Martin Guerre in 1982 with Nathalie Baye, Gérard Depardieu, and Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu.

Religious heritage

• The Church of Agert contains two items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Ciborium (18th century)
  • A Chalice (18th century)
• The Church of Alas contains four items that are registered as historical objects:
  • A Ciborium (17th century)
  • A Framed Painting: The Virgin and child donating a rosary to Saints Dominic and Catherine of Sienna (18th century)
  • A Chalice with Paten (17th century)
  • A Confessional (18th century)

Environmental heritage

• The Réseau Paloume, a natural cavity at more than 750 m altitude.

See also

• Communes of the Ariège department

External links

• Balaguères on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
• Balagué, Agert, and Alas on the 1750 Cassini Map