Rabat-les-Trois-Seigneurs

Rabat-les-Trois-Seigneurs

A general view of Rabat-les-Trois-Seigneurs
Rabat-les-Trois-Seigneurs

Coordinates: 42°51′24″N 1°33′13″E / 42.8567°N 1.5536°E / 42.8567; 1.5536Coordinates: 42°51′24″N 1°33′13″E / 42.8567°N 1.5536°E / 42.8567; 1.5536
Country France
Region Occitanie
Department Ariège
Arrondissement Foix
Canton Tarascon-sur-Ariège
Intercommunality Pays de Tarascon
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Daniel Culminetti
Area1 26.96 km2 (10.41 sq mi)
Population (2008)2 307
 • Density 11/km2 (29/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 09241 / 09400
Elevation 548–2,196 m (1,798–7,205 ft)
(avg. 625 m or 2,051 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Rabat-les-Trois-Seigneurs is a commune in the Ariège department in the Midi Pyrénées region in southwestern France.

Population

The inhabitants of Rabat are called Rabatols in Occitan (the historical local language) or Rabatois.

Historical population
YearPop.±%
18761,338—    
18811,115−16.7%
1886976−12.5%
18911,033+5.8%
18961,128+9.2%
1901838−25.7%
19061,009+20.4%
1911866−14.2%
1921649−25.1%
1926540−16.8%
1931443−18.0%
1936435−1.8%
1946410−5.7%
1954371−9.5%
1962308−17.0%
1968260−15.6%
1975287+10.4%
1982311+8.4%
1990298−4.2%
1999264−11.4%
2008307+16.3%

Name

The real name of the village is Rabat, but since 1931 the French post office administration has decided that the name has to be labelled as Rabat-les-Trois-Seigneurs to avoid a confusion with the city of Rabat in Morocco. Note that the village was called Rabat since Charlemagne in the 8th century, four centuries before Rabat in Morocco that was founded only in 1150. The expression "les trois seigneurs" means in French "of the three lords". It is a reference to a mountain called "Le pic des trois seigneurs" that close the Courbière valley in which Rabat is settled. The name come from the fact that three valleys (Courbière, Vicdessos, Couserans) are closed by this peak. As each of the valleys has a different lord, the peak is a place common to three lords and so is called "Peak of the three lords". A legend said that every year in summer, the three lords met on the flat stone at the top of the peak and discussed together.

Geography

The village of Rabat is settled in the valley of the Courbière, a mountain river. Most of the 15 km of the river are on the village territory.

History

Man has settled in the valley of the Courbière since more than 17,000 years. Many archeologic pieces from magdalenian (cavern of Bédheilac) have been found in the valley.

Sights

Rabat church's older portion was built in the 10th century and has a famous wooden altarpiece.

Personalities

Church of Rabat as seen from the road to Bédeilhac
Church of Rabat altarpiece

See also

References

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