Saint-Girons, Ariège

Saint-Girons (Gascon: Sent Gironç) is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region, southwestern France. It is the capital of the former French province of Couserans that forms the western part of Ariège.

History
Unlike its close neighbour Saint-Lizier, Saint-Girons is not an ancient city; there was however a lucus (a "sacred forest") on its present territory.

The city is named after Saint Girons, a saint from fifth-century Landes who evangelized in southwestern France. In the ninth century some of his relics were supposedly buried in Saint Girons' Church, around which the city later developed.

Geography
Saint-Girons is in the center of a basin at the foot of the Pyrenees and at the confluence of the Salat with the Lez and Baup rivers, in the Ariège department, southern France. The commune is part of the Regional Natural Park Pyrenees Ariégeoises.

The commune has an area of . Its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .

 350px|Map of the commune de Saint-Girons

The commune of Saint-Girons is surrounded by the communes:

Climate
The climate of Saint-Girons, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers.

Population
The inhabitants of Saint-Girons are known, in French, as Saint-Gironnais or Gironnais (women: Saint-Gironnaises or Gironnaises).

Saint-Girons has a population of 6,284 (2014), and population density of  inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Saint-Girons

Saint-Girons forms, with other 3 communes, the urban area of Saint-Girons with a population of 9,652 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Saint-Girons, formed by 39 communes with a population of 18,222 inhabitants (2013) and an area of .

 Administration 
Saint-Girons is a subprefecture of the Ariège department, the capital of the arrondissement of Saint-Girons and the administrative centre () of the canton Couserans Ouest, with 10,686 inhabitants (2014).

It is part of the intercommunality Couserans - Pyrénées ().

 Twinned and partner towns 
Saint-Girons is twinned with:
  Vielha e Mijaran, Lleida, Spain
  Albese con Cassano, Como Italy

Sites of interest
Some important buildings are:
 The Saint-Girons church
 The Saint-Valier church
 The Palais de Justice

Gallery

Related pages
 Arrondissement of Saint-Girons
 Communes of the Ariège department

References

Other websites

 City Council website 
 Pays Couserans  
 Saint-Girons in Histariège - Histoire et Patrimoine de l'Ariège  

Category:Subprefectures in France
Category:Communes in Ariège