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PLACE NAMES


 
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Castelnau-de-Montmiral
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Castelnau-de-Montmiral is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.
While traces of activities dating back to the Bronze Age such as dolmens and oppidums can be seen in the nearby forest La Grésigne, the village was founded as an albigensian bastide (fortified new town) in 1222 by Raymond VII, count of Toulouse, under the name "Castellum Novum Montis Mirabilis".
During the subsequent years, the village remained an impressive stronghold. In 1345, during the Hundred Years' War, when Edward the Black Prince invaded the Albigeois, he reportedly left without besieging the village. Later, it served as a shelter for Catholics who were fleeing from Gaillac because of the Wars of Religion. King Louis XIII visited Castelnau in June 1622, and stayed in the "Tonnac" house.
Remarkable sites and monuments in Castelnau-de-Montmiral include :
- the village itself, listed among "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France"
- the central square surrounded by corbel vaults, with an ancient pillory
- the Notre Dame de l'Assomption church, with a 16th-century bell
- ancient stone houses and half-timbered houses
- the ramparts
- the Reliquary cross, created in 1341 by a goldsmith in Albi
- the nearby forest La Grésigne
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