Bize-Minervois

Bize-Minervois
Commune
The Cesse river in Bize-Minervois
Coat of arms
Location of Bize-Minervois
Bize-Minervois Show map of France Bize-Minervois Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 43°19′07″N2°52′16″E / 43.3186°N 2.871°E / 43.3186; 2.871 Coordinates: 43°19′07″N2°52′16″E / 43.3186°N 2.871°E / 43.3186; 2.871
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Aude
Arrondissement	Narbonne
Canton	Le Sud-Minervois
Intercommunality	Grand Narbonne
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Alain Fabre [1]
Area 1	20.80 km2 (8.03 sq mi)
Population  (Jan. 2019) [2]	1,225
• Density	59/km2 (150/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	11041 /11120
Elevation	34–323 m (112–1,060 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Bize-Minervois is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.

Geography

Located on the edge of the Haut-Minervois in the Cesse valley, Bize lies between the fertile sedimentary plain of Narbonne and the causses of the Minervois and the Montagne Noire. Bize is situated approximately 3 km north of the D5 between Olonzac and Capestang. Bize is a small village with a population approximately 1,000 where a quarter of the houses are second homes.

History

Bize is first mentioned in 911 in the will of man named Walcharius who left the lands of the parish of Saint-Saturnin of Bizan to the Archbishop of Narbonne. During the religious wars of the 16th century Bize changed hands many times and in 1573 was fortified as a protestant stronghold against the catholic Bishops of Narbonne.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1793 1,025 —     1800 903 −11.9% 1806 1,037 +14.8% 1821 1,106 +6.7% 1831 1,065 −3.7% 1836 1,135 +6.6% 1841 1,166 +2.7% 1846 978 −16.1% 1851 1,170 +19.6% 1856 1,148 −1.9% 1861 1,210 +5.4% 1866 1,280 +5.8% 1872 1,226 −4.2% 1876 1,419 +15.7% 1881 1,634 +15.2% 1886 1,492 −8.7% 1891 1,483 −0.6%

Year Pop. ±% 1896 1,496 +0.9% 1901 1,551 +3.7% 1906 1,491 −3.9% 1911 1,459 −2.1% 1921 1,455 −0.3% 1926 1,318 −9.4% 1931 1,324 +0.5% 1936 1,253 −5.4% 1946 1,231 −1.8% 1954 1,032 −16.2% 1962 1,004 −2.7% 1968 1,001 −0.3% 1975 921 −8.0% 1982 783 −15.0% 1990 807 +3.1% 1999 872 +8.1% 2008 1,061 +21.7%

Sights

• Caves Las Fonts (Moulin) - Paleolithic caves, now a classified monument where prehistoric remains were discovered in 1827 by French archaeologist and scientist Paul Tournal, founder of the Narbonne Museum. ^[3]
• La Porte Saint Michel 1236 - the main gate in to the village coming from the direction of Narbonne. A second gate, La Porte St Croix - the entrance from the direction Argeliers, Minerve and Saint-Pons - was demolished in the 19th century to allow easier passage for carts.
• The church of Saint-Michel (18th century)

Events

• 'Fete d l'olivier' - Festival of Olives is held annually in July ^[4]
• General market every Wednesday morning throughout the year

Amenities

Bize has two bakers, two general stores, a post office, hairdressers, a pharmacy, and a wine cave. There is also a bar and several restaurants. Sporting facilities include a boulodrome, football pitches (home of Bize FC), tennis courts and in the summer the Cesse is dammed to create a freshwater swimming hole.

See also

• Communes of the Aude 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 légales 2019". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2021.
3. Magazine of Natural History on Google Books
4. Le Minervois : historic region in the Languedoc Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine

External links

• The official website of Bize-Minervois