Martel, Lot

Martel
Martel
Commune
	The covered market in Martel
	Coat of arms
	Location of Martel
	Martel Martel
	Coordinates: 44°56′16″N1°36′35″E / 44.9378°N 1.6097°E
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Lot
Arrondissement	Gourdon
Canton	Martel
Intercommunality	CC Causses et Vallée de la Dordogne
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Raphaël Daubet
Area 1	35.28 km2 (13.62 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2020)	1,638
• Density	46/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	46185 /46600
Elevation	92–336 m (302–1,102 ft) ; (avg. 240 m or 790 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Last updated August 03, 2023

Martel is a commune in the Lot department in southwestern France.^[3] It is a small medieval town in a region well known for its walnuts and truffles.

History

The name of the town means "hammer", and three of these are to be seen on the town's coat of arms. Charles Martel, who earned the nickname "hammer" after his victory in the Battle of Tours in 732,^[4] is said to have founded the town.^[5] Henry the Young King died here in 1183. In 1219, the town received its charter and was a fiefdom of the Viscounts of Turenne.^[5]

Geography

Martel is located about 15 km (9 mi) east of Souillac and 15 km (9 mi) north of the River Dordogne. To the north lies the commune of Cazillac, to the northeast Strenquels, to the east Saint-Denis-lès-Martel, to the southeast Floirac, to the south Montvalent, to the southwest Creysse, to the west Baladou and to the northwest Cuzance.^[6]

The countryside is rural with rolling hills, pastureland and the cultivation of walnuts. North of the town lies the elevated limestone plateau of Causse de Martel, much of which is covered with oak and beech woodland.^[5]

The town

Martel is a medieval town, with the older houses built of pale stone that contrasts with their reddish-brown roofs. The ramparts that used to surround the town are gone but in their place is a wide boulevard and the narrow-streeted central part is a pedestrian area. The town has a distinctive sky-line with medieval towers projecting above the houses, and because of these, the town is sometimes called La ville aux sept tours. The highest tower is that of the Church of Saint-Maur.^[7]

There is an eighteenth-century market hall taking up most of the central cobbled square. Markets are held here on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and during late December or January there is an annual truffle market.

In July, the Foire à la Laine (Wool Fair) is held underneath the market hall, with competitions for the best fleeces.^[7] There is a museum containing items from Puy d'Issolud, a local Gallic archaeological site which has been identified as Uxellodunum, besieged by Julius Caesar in 51 BC.^[8]

Notable people

Claudius Cayx-Dumas (1724–1792), French Jesuit.
Jean Pierre Serrier (1934-1989), French artist, opened the gallery La Licorne in 1967.

Related Research Articles

Dordogne is a large rural department in Southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees, it is named after the river Dordogne, which runs through it. It corresponds roughly to the ancient county of Périgord. In January 2023, Dordogne had a population of 412 807.

Lot is a department in the Occitanie region of France. Named after the Lot River, it lies in the southwestern part of the country and had a population of 174,094 in 2019. Its prefecture is Cahors; its subprefectures are Figeac and Gourdon.

Sarlat-la-Canéda, commonly known as Sarlat, is a commune in the southwestern French department of Dordogne, a part of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Sarlat and La Canéda were distinct towns until merged into one commune in 1965.

Foix is a commune, the former capital of the County of Foix. It is the capital of the department of Ariège as it is the seat of the Préfecture of that department. Foix is located in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the second least populous French departmental capital, the least populous being Privas. Foix lies south of Toulouse, close to the borders with Spain and Andorra.

Argentan is a commune and the seat of two cantons and of an arrondissement in the Orne department in northwestern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mauriac, Cantal</span> Subprefecture and commune in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France

Mauriac is a commune in the Cantal department in the Auvergne region in south-central France.

Montignac-Lascaux, is a commune in the Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Southwestern France. It is a small town situated on the Vézère river and has been the capital of the canton of Montignac since 1790. In 2015 it became the capital of the newly created Canton de la Vallée de l'Homme. The poet Pierre Lachambeaudie (1806–1872) was born in the village.

Uxellodunum is an Iron Age hill fort, or oppidum, located above the river Dordogne near the modern-day French village of Vayrac in the Lot department. This stronghold lay within the lands of the Cadurci tribe. According to Aulus Hirtius in his addendum to Julius Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War, the last revolt against Rome's authority in Gaul occurred here, and was brutally punished.

Luzech is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France.

Thenon is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France.

Turenne is a commune in the Corrèze department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. It is characterised by its height and unique position on top of a cliff.

Domme is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is sometimes called the "Acropolis of the Périgord".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Souillac, Lot</span> Commune in Occitania, France

Souillac is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France, on the river Dordogne. It is the site of the Brive–Souillac Airport, which opened in 2010. The town hosts an annual jazz festival in July. The abbey church has famous Romanesque carvings.

Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne is a commune in the Corrèze department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, central France. Beaulieu is a medieval city, originally dominated by its great abbey of St Pierre, of which only the abbey church remains. On 1 January 2019, the former commune Brivezac was merged into Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne.

Meyssac is a commune in the Corrèze department in central France. Its inhabitants are called the Meyssacois(es).

Sioniac is a commune in the Corrèze department of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France.

Montvalent is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France.

Saint-Denis-lès-Martel is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France.

Vayrac is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France. The inhabitants of Vayrac are called the Vayracois.

The Dordogne is a river in south-central and southwest France. It is 483.1 km (300.2 mi) long. The Dordogne and its watershed were designated Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO on July 11 2012.

References

↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
↑ "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
↑ Commune de Martel (46185), INSEE
↑ "Battle of Tours (732 A.D.)". The Latin Library. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
1 2 3 Facaros, Dana; Pauls, Michael (2007). Cadogan Guide Dordogne, the Lot & Bordeaux. New Holland Publishers. pp. 151–152. ISBN 978-1-86011-354-3.
↑ Philips' Modern School Atlas. George Philip and Son, Ltd. 1973. p. 43. ISBN 0-540-05278-7.
1 2 Dodd, Jan (2013). The Rough Guide to Dordogne & the Lot. Rough Guides Limited. pp. 241–. ISBN 978-1-4093-2992-3.
↑ Rickard, J. (26 March 2009). "Siege of Uxellodunum, Spring-Summer 51 B.C." Retrieved 2 November 2015.

External links

Media related to Martel (Lot) at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.

[popleg2020-2] "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.

[3] Commune de Martel (46185), INSEE

[4] "Battle of Tours (732 A.D.)". The Latin Library. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

[Facaros-5] 1 2 3 Facaros, Dana; Pauls, Michael (2007). Cadogan Guide Dordogne, the Lot & Bordeaux. New Holland Publishers. pp. 151–152. ISBN 978-1-86011-354-3.

[Philips-6] Philips' Modern School Atlas. George Philip and Son, Ltd. 1973. p. 43. ISBN 0-540-05278-7.

[Dodd-7] 1 2 Dodd, Jan (2013). The Rough Guide to Dordogne & the Lot. Rough Guides Limited. pp. 241–. ISBN 978-1-4093-2992-3.

[8] Rickard, J. (26 March 2009). "Siege of Uxellodunum, Spring-Summer 51 B.C." Retrieved 2 November 2015.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

Authority control
International	VIAF
National	France BnF data United States