Lagrasse (; ) is a commune in the

Aude Aude ( ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it " ...

department in the Occitanie

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

. Lagrasse is part of the

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (, ) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of 2024, it numbers 176 member villages (independent Communes of France, ''communes'' or part ...

("The most beautiful villages of France") association.

Geography

Lagrasse is about southwest of

Carcassonne Carcassonne is a French defensive wall, fortified city in the Departments of France, department of Aude, Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the department. ...

. It lies in the valley of the River

Orbieu The Orbieu (; ) is an long river in the Aude '' département'', in south central France. Its source is at Fourtou, in the Corbières Massif. It flows generally northeast. It is a right tributary of the Aude into which it flows between Raissac-d' ...

, at the foot of the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

History

Lagrasse dates from the time the abbey was built. Permission for the construction was given by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

in 783.

Population

Sights

The two highlights of the village are the eponymous AbbeySt. Mary's Abbey, Lagrasse
and the bridges, although the narrow medieval streets of the village itself are also very attractive, and remains of the town walls can still be seen.

Economy

The region is renowned for the wine produced in the surrounding hills - this is the Corbières wine region, the largest wine-producing region in France. The village is now home to numerous pottery workers and artists, and host numerous cultural and intellectual festivals such as "Le Banquet du Livre" and the "En Blanc et Noir: Festival International de Piano Robert Turnbull."

References