Last modified: 2024-11-30 by olivier touzeau
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Castelsarrasin (14,178 inhabitants in 2021; 7,677 ha) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department and the second most populous commune in Tarn-et-Garonne after Montauban.
The first certain evidence of the town dates from 961. The early
history of the city is marked by wars; against the English
(Aquitanians) until the end of the 12th century, then the Albigensian
crusade during the first half of the 13th century.
In the 14th century, religious intolerance still wreaked havoc, and in
1320, during the second croisade of the Pastoureaux (Shepherd's
Crusade), thousands of Jews were killed in the region, including 160
in Castelsarrasin alone.
During the 14th century and 15th century, floods, the plague, and
above all the Hundred Years War ravaged the country, which only
experienced a few decades of calm at the beginning of the 16th
century. From 1560, began the wars of religion during which the city's
largely Catholic population was in frequent conflict with the
generally Protestant surrounding region. The Saint-Sauveur church is
also one of the few that escaped destruction in the area.
At the end of the 17th century, Antoine Laumet, known as Lamothe Cadillac, was born in Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Grave, not far from Castelsarrasin. Sent by the king of France to the Americas, he founded the city of Detroit there, then was appointed governor of Louisiana in 1710. As a sign of recognition, Detroit gave its name to the famous brand of automobiles and "Cadillac Meetings" are celebrated every two years in Castelsarrasin. Returning to France, he became governor of Castelsarrasin on February 11, 1723 and died there a few years later, in October 1730.
The following centuries, until the Revolution of 1789, will be calmer. From 1790 to 1795, Castelsarrasin was the capital of the district of Castelsarrasin, formerly established in Haute Garonne. From 1850, the city, which has 7,000 inhabitants, began to develop and expand, in particular thanks to the arrival of the railway, then of the "Factory". Similarly, in 1875, a barracks was built; the city still has its regiment today, which largely contributes to its dynamism. In the spring of 1944, part of the 4th SS "Der Führer" regiment of the "Das Reich" division was quartered there, before being called to Normandy and committing numerous exactions and massacres en route, including that of Oradour-sur-Glane. In the 20th century, despite the terrible bloodshed of the two wars, the city continued to expand until today when it asserted itself as the second economic site of Tarn-et-Garonne.
Olivier Touzeau, 15 June 2023
Flags of Cercle athlétique castelsarrasinois - Images by Olivier Touzeau, 15 June 2023
The Cercle athlétique castelsarrasinois (CAC), a Rugby Union club, plays in the French championship of the 1st federal division.
The flag of the CAC is currently red with its emblem and can be seen
on the municipal stadium: photo (2016), photo (2021).
A former flag was vertically divided R/W with the emblem: photo (2011).
Olivier Touzeau, 15 June 2023