The capital of Couserans gets its name from one of the evangelists of Aquitaine. The départments (counties) were created in 1790, and here there was a rather random bundling together of the Gascony county Consorani and the Languedoc county of Foix. So for a couple of centuries, there has been a bit of discord between the two. In Saint-Girons, the Salat river provides water to the town, allowing various industries to set up there, including the famous Job factory. As well as trying its excellent croustades, Saint-Girons serves as a good base from which to visit Saint-Lizier. Initially inhabited by Celtic tribes, the town was occupied by Romans, and traces of the city wall can still be seen. Firstly Visigoth, then Franc during the barbarian invasions, the town was a hub for the Catholic faith. It only began to lose its importance around the time of the Revolution. The 11th century cathedral was altered as late as the 18th century, and is definitely worth a visit, as is the Roman cloister.

Are you a potential gold seeker? If so, in Prat-Bonrepaux, you can do a training course in the summer, on sifting for gold. Conical sieve included. You could recoup your costs…
Tourist Office +33 (0)5 61 96 26 60

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