Lagrasse

Lagrasse (French pronunciation: [laɡʁas] ^ⓘ; Occitan: La Grassa) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Lagrasse is part of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France ("The most beautiful villages of France") association.^[3]

Lagrasse La Grassa (Occitan)
Commune
View of Lagrasse
Coat of arms
Location of Lagrasse
Lagrasse Show map of France Lagrasse Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 43°05′28″N 2°37′10″E
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Aude
Arrondissement	Narbonne
Canton	Les Corbières
Intercommunality	Région Lézignanaise, Corbières et Minervois
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	René Ortega[1]
Area 1	32.2 km2 (12.4 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	548
• Density	17/km2 (44/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	11185 /11220
Elevation	82–586 m (269–1,923 ft) (avg. 108 m or 354 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Lagrasse is about 30 km (19 mi) southwest of Carcassonne. It lies in the valley of the River Orbieu, at the foot of the Pyrenees.

History

Lagrasse dates from the time the abbey was built. Permission for the construction was given by Charlemagne in 783.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	665	—
1975	623	−0.93%
1982	696	+1.60%
1990	704	+0.14%
1999	615	−1.49%
2009	598	−0.28%
2014	557	−1.41%
2020	544	−0.39%
Source: INSEE[4]

Sights

The two highlights of the village are the eponymous Abbey^[5] and the bridges, although the narrow medieval streets of the village itself are also very attractive, and remains of the town walls can still be seen.

Economy

The region is renowned for the wine produced in the surrounding hills - this is the Corbières wine region, the largest wine-producing region in France.

The village is now home to numerous pottery workers and artists, and host numerous cultural and intellectual festivals such as "Le Banquet du Livre" and the "En Blanc et Noir: Festival International de Piano Robert Turnbull."

See also

• Communes of the Aude department