Lectoure

Commune in Occitania, France

Coat of arms

Location of Lectoure

(2021–2026) Xavier Ballenghien^[1]Area

84.93 km² (32.79 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

3,690 • Density43/km² (110/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

32208 /32700

Elevation68–223 m (223–732 ft)
(avg. 182 m or 597 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Lectoure (French pronunciation: [lɛktuʁ]; Gascon: Leitora [lejˈtuɾɔ]) is a commune in the Gers department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France.^[3]

It is located 32 km (20 mi) north of Auch,^[4] the capital of the department, 30 km (19 mi) south of Agen and approximately 76 km (47 mi) northwest of Toulouse.

Geography

The village is located on the right bank of the Gers,^[4] which flows north through the western part of the commune. The river Auroue forms part of the commune's southeastern and northeastern borders.

History

Lectoure was a prehistoric oppidum, capital of Lactorates. Barbarian invasions forced residents to raise the walls and make Lectoure a stronghold for centuries. The town became the capital city of the Earldom of Armagnac in 1325,^[4] ruled by a powerful family descended from the ancient Dukes of Gascony, who held court at Lectoure. In 1473 Cardinal Jean de Jouffroy besieged the town on behalf of Louis XI. and after its fall put the whole population to the sword.^[4] In 1562 it again suffered severely at the hands of the Catholics under Blaise de Montluc.^[4]

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	3,950	—
1975	3,790	−0.59%
1982	3,923	+0.49%
1990	4,034	+0.35%
1999	3,933	−0.28%
2007	3,771	−0.52%
2012	3,753	−0.10%
2017	3,664	−0.48%
Source: INSEE^[5]

Sites of interest

Lectoure has been designated as a "town of art and history" (French: Villes et Pays d'Art et d'Histoire) by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication since 1985. The 12th-16th century former Lectoure Cathedral is a national monument.^[6] The town hall was built between 1676 and 1682 by bishop Hugues de Bar.

Way of St. James

Lectoure is a town on the Via Podiensis, one of the three major French arms of the Way of St. James. This route is followed by those making the pilgrimage from Le Puy by way of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Santiago de Compostella in northwest Spain. Pilgrims arrive at Lectoure after Miradoux and next pass through Marsolan and La Romieu.

Cuisine

Locally produced Armagnac and foie gras are available and popular delicacies.

Notable people

Pierre Charron
Pierre Feuga, writer, translator
Pey de Garros
Joseph Lagrange
Jean Lannes
Paul Noël Lasseran
Antoine de Roquelaure
Aurélie Soubiran, Princess Ghika (1820–1904), writer.

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 4 May 2022.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ Commune de Lectoure (32208), INSEE
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Lectoure" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 16 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 358.
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
^ Base Mérimée: Cathédrale Saint-Gervais et Saint-Protais, actuellement église paroissiale, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)