Pamiers

**Pamiers** () is a *commune* in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. Although Pamiers is the largest city in Ariège, the capital is Foix, a smaller city.

## History
In 1111, the city was officially founded by the Count Roger II of Foix and the abbot of the sanctuary of Saint Antonin of Pamiers; they built a castle (now demolished) and named it *Castrum Appamiae*, after a Syrian city, Apamea, that was visited by Roger II during the First Crusade. A church was built at the foot of the castle (Our Lady of Mercadal) where is now the cathedral.

## Geography
The city of Pamiers is along the Ariège river in the plain formed by this river in the northern part of the Ariège department, in southern France.

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

Pamiers is at  to the south of Toulouse,  to the north of Foix and  to the west of Saint-Girons.

The *commune* of Pamiers is surrounded by the *communes*:

### Climate
The climate of Pamiers, in the Köppen climate classification, is **Cfb** - Oceanic climate with template summers.

## Population
The inhabitants of Pamiers are known, in French, as *Appaméens* (women: *Appaméennes*).

With a population of 15,518, Pamiers is the city in the department with more people living in it; its population density is of  inhabitants/km2.

**Evolution of the population in Pamiers**

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 bar:1968 from:0 till: 14564
 bar:1975 from:0 till: 14325
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 bar:2006 from:0 till: 14830
 bar:2014 from:0 till: 15518

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 bar:1975 at: 14325 fontsize:S text: 14,325 shift:(-17,5)
 bar:1982 at: 13345 fontsize:S text: 13,345 shift:(-17,5)
 bar:1990 at: 12965 fontsize:S text: 12,965 shift:(-13,5)
 bar:1999 at: 13417 fontsize:S text: 13,417 shift:(-13,5)
 bar:2006 at: 14830 fontsize:S text: 14,830 shift:(-13,5)
 bar:2014 at: 15518 fontsize:S text: 15,518 shift:(-17,5)

Pamiers forms, with other 6 *communes*, the urban area of Pamiers with a population of 26,727 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Pamiers, formed by 29 *communes* with a population of 35,054 inhabitants (2013) and an area of .

## Administration 
Pamiers is a subprefecture of the Ariège department, the capital of the *arrondissement* of Pamiers and the administrative centre () of two cantons:
* Pamiers-1, with 12,332 inhabitants (2014).
* Pamiers-2, with 14,702 inhabitants (2014).

It is part of the intercommunality ''Les Portes d'Ariège - Pyrénées'' ().

### Twinned and partner towns 
Pamiers is twinned with:
*  Crailsheim, Germany
*  Tarrasa, Spain

## People from or related to Prades
* Gabriel Fauré, (1845-1924), composer
* Pope Benedict XII, (ca. 1280-1342), bishop of Pamiers in the 1320s

## Gallery

File:Pamiers rue commerçante.jpg|Pamiers: commercial street
File:Marché de Pamiers.jpg|Market in Pamiers
File:Pamiers - Cathédrale Saint-Antonin -2.JPG|Bell tower of the Pamiers cathedral
File:Cathédrale Saint-Antonin de Pamiers (09).JPG|Saint Antonin of Pamiers cathedral
File:ND du Camp vue des coteaux.jpg|Notre Dame du Camp church in Pamiers

## Related pages
* Arrondissement of Pamiers
* Communes of the Ariège department

## References
## Other websites
* City Council website 
* Pays de Pamiers tourist office 
* Pamiers in Histariège - Histoire et Patrimoine de l'Ariège