Bazas
Bazas (French pronunciation: [bazas]; Gascon: Vasats) is a commune in the Gironde department in southwestern France.
Bazas | |
|---|---|
 Bazas Cathedral | |
.svg.png.webp) Coat of arms | |
Location of Bazas | |
  Bazas  Bazas | |
| Coordinates: 44°25′58″N 0°12′38″W | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Gironde |
| Arrondissement | Langon |
| Canton | Le Sud-Gironde |
| Intercommunality | Bazadais |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Isabelle Dexpert[1] |
| Area 1 | 37.29 km2 (14.40 sq mi) |
| Population | 4,806 |
| • Density | 130/km2 (330/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 33036 /33430 |
| Elevation | 34–123 m (112–404 ft) (avg. 56 m or 184 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Geography
Bazas stands on a narrow promontory above the Beuve valley 60 km/37 mi southeast of Bordeaux and 40 km/25 mi southwest of Marmande.
History
As Cossio, it was capital of the ancient tribe of the Vasates, and under the Romans one of the twelve cities of Novempopulania,[3] when it was known as Civitas Vasatica[4]
In later times it was capital of the district of Bazadais, and was the seat of the bishop of the diocese of Bazas from at least the beginning of the 6th century until 1790.[3] And for 250 years prior to 1057, the Bishop of Bazas bore the title of Bishop of Aire, Dax, Bayonne, Oloron and Lescar. According to Gregory of Tours, Bazas had a bishop at the time of the Vandal invasion in the 5th century.[5]
The dedication of the cathedral to St. John the Baptist is explained in an account given by the same historian that a lady of Bazas, whom certain hagiographers of the 19th century believe to have been St. Veronica, brought from Palestine a relic of St. John the Baptist at the time of that saint's death.[5]
Pope Urban II (1088–99) preached the crusade at Bazas.[5]
Bazas was a subprefecture until 1926, when it lost this role to Langon.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 4,567 | — |
| 1975 | 4,748 | +0.56% |
| 1982 | 4,704 | −0.13% |
| 1990 | 4,379 | −0.89% |
| 1999 | 4,357 | −0.06% |
| 2008 | 4,607 | +0.62% |
| 2013 | 4,731 | +0.53% |
| 2018 | 4,798 | +0.28% |
| 2020 | 4,806 | +0.08% |
| Source: INSEE[6] | ||
Sights
The town has a Gothic cathedral dating from the 13th to the 16th centuries, now part of the Unesco World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.[7] There are remains of ramparts (15th and 16th centuries) and several old houses of the 16th century.[3] (Photo:) Saturday morning markets are well worth seeing. The area is also home to the Clementin Castles, built by Pope Clement V for himself and his family. You can visit around Bazas:
- Château de Roquetaillade
- Château de Villandraut
- Château de Fargues
- Château de Cazeneuve
Economy
The vineyards of the vicinity produce white wine. The town carries on tanning and trade in the well-known Bazadais cattle.
Transport
Bazas is by-passed by the Route nationale 524 (N524). The N524 forms part of the Itinéraire à Grand Gabarit, a route which has been modified to allow its use by the oversize road convoys conveying body sections and wings of the Airbus A380 airliner, and several upgrades were made to the road through Bazas to this end.[8]
References
- "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
- One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bazas". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 561.
- Orbis Latinus:Bazas
-
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Goyau, Pierre-Louis-Théophile-Georges (1907). "Archdiocese of Bordeaux (Burdigala)". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company. - Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- 868 - Chemins de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle en France, Unesco, 2016.
- "Itinéraire à grand gabarit : Transport des pièces de l'Airbus A380 entre Langon et Toulouse : Aménagements réalisés à Bazas" (in French). IGG.FR. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
External links
