Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country' ...
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
. It is east of
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. The city is on t ...
.
The name of the town comes from the old Provençal word meaning "
cave
A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
" or "
grotto
A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ...
".
History
Balma was established in 1279 as a
fief
A fief (; la, feudum) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of f ...
of the
bishopric of Toulouse
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toulouse (–Saint Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux) ( la, Archidioecesis Tolosana (–Convenarum–Rivensis); French: ''Archidiocèse de Toulouse (–Saint-Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux-Volvestre)''; Occitan: ''A ...
.
Population
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Balmanais.
Sport
Balma is the home of
Championnat de France Amateurs
The Championnat National 2, commonly known as National 2 and formerly known as Championnat de France Amateur (CFA), is a football league competition. The league serves as the fourth tier of the French football league system behind Ligue 1, Ligu ...
club,
Balma SC
Balma Sporting Club is a football club founded located in Balma, France. Founded in 1947, they play their home matches at the Stade Municipal de Balma, which has a capacity of 4,000. As of the 2021–22 season, they play in the Championnat Natio ...
.
Monument
Balma - La Mairie.jpg, Town hall
Balma - Eglise saint-Joseph.jpg, Saint-Joseph church
Eglise Saint Martin (Lasbordes) à BALMA.jpg, Saint-Martin-de-Boville church
Balma - Ancienne Mairie.jpg, Public Library
Balma - Monument aux Morts.jpg, War monument