Foix
Encyclopedia : F : FO : FOI : Foix
Foix / Foish Château des Comtes de Foix | |
|---|---|
| Country | |
| Région | Midi-Pyrénées |
| Départment | Ariège (préfecture) |
| Arrondissement | Foix |
| Canton | Foix-Ville (chief town) |
| INSEE | 09122 |
| Postal Code | 09000 |
| Mayor Current Term | Jean-Noël Fondere 2001-2008 |
| Intercommunality | Communauté de communes du Pays de Foix |
| Longitude | 01° 36' 28" E |
| Latitude | 42° 57' 59" N |
| Altitudes | average : 400 m minimum : 358 m maximum : 933 m |
| Area | 19.32 km² |
| Population without double-counting | 9,109 inhab. (1999) |
| Population Density | 471 inhab./km² |
Foix (Occitan: Foish) is a small town and commune, the préfecture (capital) of the Ariège département in France. It lies south of Toulouse, close to the border with Spain and Andorra.
History
The town of Foix probably owes its origin to an oratory founded by Charlemagne, which afterwards became an abbey.
Sights
The main historical feature is the Château of the Counts of Foix, which overlooks the old part of the town, with winding streets and old houses (illustration, right). It crowns an isolated rock with its three towers of the 12th, 14th and 15th centuries. The chief church, a Gothic building of the 14th century, is consecrated to St Volusien, an archbishop of Tours in the 5th century.
Miscellaneous
Foix was the birthplace of Charles de Freycinet (1828-1923), statesman and prime minister.See also
- County of Foix for the detailed history of medieval Foix
- List of Co-Princes of Andorra
- Gaston de Foix
External links
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.