La Bastide-de-Besplas

La Bastide-de-Besplas
Commune
Location of La Bastide-de-Besplas
La Bastide-de-Besplas Show map of France La Bastide-de-Besplas Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 43°10′03″N 1°16′32″E
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Ariège
Arrondissement	Saint-Girons
Canton	Arize-Lèze
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Dominique Antolini[1]
Area ^1	10.22 km^2 (3.95 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	373
• Density	36/km^2 (95/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	09038 /09350
Elevation	234–391 m (768–1,283 ft) (avg. 225 m or 738 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

La Bastide-de-Besplas is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region of south-western France.[3]

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Besplasois or Besplasoises.[4]

Geography

La Bastide-de-Besplas is an old Bastide in the Massif de Plantaurel some 50 km south by south-west of Toulouse and 20 km west by north-west of Pamiers. Both the northern and southern borders of the commune are the departmental border with Haute-Garonne. Access to the commune is by the D628 from Montesquieu-Volvestre in the north-west which passes through the centre of the commune and the village and continues south-east to Daumazan-sur-Arize. The D326 branches off the D628 in the commune and goes north to join the D408 north of the commune. The commune is mostly farmland interspersed with some forest.[5][6]

The Arize river flows through the centre of the commune and the village flowing from south-east to north-west where it continues to join the Garonne at Carbonne. The TaiVades stream rises in the north of the commune and flows north-west forming part of the northern border before joining the Arize on the commune border. The Ruisseau de Bergou forms the south-eastern border as it flows south-west to join the Arize. The Ruisseau d'Argain forms the southern border of the commune as it flows east to join the Arize in Daumazan-sur-Arize commune.[5][6]

History

La Bastide-de-Besplas appears as la Bafude de Besplas on the 1750 Cassini Map[7] and as la Bailute on the 1790 version.[8]

Administration

List of Successive Mayors[9]

From	To	Name
2001	2014	Jean-Pierre Bernabé
2014	2020	Nicolas Gareia
2020	2026	Dominique Antolini

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 380 inhabitants.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 205 —     1800 558 +15.38% 1806 665 +2.97% 1821 674 +0.09% 1831 675 +0.01% 1836 725 +1.44% 1841 706 −0.53% 1846 732 +0.73% 1851 720 −0.33% 1856 726 +0.17% 1861 720 −0.17% 1866 724 +0.11% 1872 724 +0.00% 1876 741 +0.58% 1881 652 −2.53% 1886 653 +0.03% 1891 625 −0.87% 1896 601 −0.78%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 575 −0.88% 1906 556 −0.67% 1911 568 +0.43% 1921 523 −0.82% 1926 527 +0.15% 1931 513 −0.54% 1936 506 −0.27% 1946 466 −0.82% 1954 461 −0.13% 1962 468 +0.19% 1968 453 −0.54% 1975 403 −1.66% 1982 307 −3.81% 1990 302 −0.21% 1999 294 −0.30% 2007 365 +2.74% 2012 390 +1.33% 2017 380 −0.52%
Source: EHESS[10] and INSEE[11]

Culture and heritage

Religious heritage

The Chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Bout-du-pont (1663) is registered as an historical monument.[12]

The Chapel contains many items that are registered as historical objects:

• A Commemorative plaque (1728)[13]
• A Ceiling Mural (18th century)[14]
• A Statue: Christ on the Cross (16th century)[15]
• A Retable (17th century)[16]

The Parish Church also contains many items that are registered as historical objects:

• A Painting: The beheading of Saint John the Baptist (17th century)[17]
• A Bronze Bell (1410)[18]
• A Statue: Saint Louis (18th century)[19]
• A Statue: Virgin and child (17th century)[20]
• A Statue: Saint John the Baptist (18th century)[21]
• A Chalice (19th century)[22]
• An Offering Cross (19th century)[23]
• A Chalice (19th century)[24]
• A Group Sculpture: Virgin of Pity (18th century)[25]

Notable people linked to the commune

• Louis Astre, French trade unionist, born in the commune, where his parents were teachers, and spent his early years there.
• Henri Cuq, French Politician
• Abbot Casy Rivière

See also

• Communes of the Ariège department

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
2. "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
3. INSEE commune file
4. Inhabitants of Ariège (in French)
5. La Bastide-de-Besplas on Google Maps
6. La Bastide-de-Besplas on the Géoportail from National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
7. la Bafude de Besplas on the 1750 Cassini Map
8. la Bailute on the 1790 Cassini Map
9. List of Mayors of France (in French)
10. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet La Bastide-de-Besplas, EHESS (in French).
11. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
12. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00093772 Chapel of Notre-Dame-du-Bout-du-pont (in French)
13. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000090 Commemorative Plaque (in French)
14. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000089 Ceiling mural (in French)
15. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000088 Statue: Christ on the cross (in French)
16. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000087 Retable (in French)
17. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000965 PM09000079 Painting: The beheading of Saint John the Baptist (in French)
18. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000078 Bronze Bell (in French)
19. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000086 Statue: Saint Louis (in French)
20. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000085 Statue: Virgin and child (in French)
21. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000084 Statue: Saint John the Baptist (in French)
22. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000083 Chalice (in French)
23. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000082 Offering Cross (in French)
24. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000081 Chalice (in French)
25. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM09000080 Group Sculpture: Virgin of Pity (in French)