History History

Mousterian period, first human occupation of the Mas-d'Azil cave.

This is where the history of Ariège really begins. Our department is one of the richest in Upper Palaeolithic cave paintings. The caves at Niaux, La Vache, Alliat and Bédeilhac are all (give or take a few centuries) from this period.

Magdalenians populated the Ariège region and the Mas d'Azil cave, becoming known as Azilians.

Glaciers descend into the valleys. The plains are grazed by large herbivores such as mammoths, reindeer, horses and bison.

All of Gaul is occupied. All of it? Yes, even our département. Today's Ariège was inhabited by various peoples of Iberian origin, at least in the region of the county of Foix. The Romans left many traces of their passage: roads, monuments, square towers, remains of camps, coins and various objects.

Christianity begins to emerge, thanks to Saint Sernin and his followers. The bishopric of Couserans is created with St. Valère, named Valier (after the famous peak) as its first incumbent.

Roman presence attested in Pamiers, Saint-Jean-de-Verges, Saint-Lizier and Saint-Girons.

According to legend, Saint Lizier's prayers defended the capital Lugdunum Consoronarum (the former name of the town of Saint-Lizier) from the Visigoths and saved it. Around 780, determined to do battle with the invaders, Charlemagne travelled up the Ariège and camped on the small plain of Tarascon at Pré Lombard (where a campsite now stands!). He is said to have fought a glorious battle there on September 8. Following a miraculous apparition, the sanctuary of Notre-Dame-de-Sabart was built on the site in recognition of the victory over the Saracens.

Foundation of the Abbey of Saint-Volusien in Foix.

Creation of the County of Foix. This was the year in which the first document mentioning the land and castle of Foix was drawn up. The Counts turned the Sabarthès into an almost inviolable and highly protected area, with 17 castles and 6 fortified caves.

Montségur castle became one of the physical and spiritual centers of Catharism. It was to undergo four sieges, three of which were unsuccessful, until its fall.

The crusade against the Albigensians begins, led by the infamous Simon de Montfort.

On March 16, after several months of siege, over 205 Cathars were burned at the stake. Not one of them renounced his or her beliefs, and it is reported that men, women and children voluntarily threw themselves into the flames while singing.

A period of political and social reconstruction. A large number of villages, towns and market towns were set up as communes with very liberal charters, and were able to develop agriculture, trade and industry. Saint-Ybars in 1241, Mazères in 1252, La Bastide-de-Sérou in 1256, Le Mas-d'Azil in 1286... This was also the heyday of the bastide towns.

Governance of Gaston Fébus. The most famous of the Counts of Foix gave his county and Béarn a dazzling lustre. The lion of the Pyrenees became the Sun (Fébus) of the south.

Times were hard in Ariège, which was hit by famine, plague, looting by the Routiers and the 100 Years' War.

The department was hit by the religious wars between Protestants and Catholics. All the churches of the big cities were burned.

Richelieu ordered the destruction and dismantling of most of the castles and fortifications in Ariège.

The Estates of Foix enthusiastically celebrate the advent of the 1st Republic and those that follow. A decree by the National Assembly on December 27, 1789 created the department of Ariège, with Foix as the center of administration, as the town was a day's ride from all the villages in the department.

The War of the Demoiselles shakes the forests of Ariège. A jacquerie involving men disguised as women, who attack government representatives in response to new forestry code regulations.

This was the century of industrialization, and Ariège saw the proliferation and success of Catalan-style forges, which used large quantities of wood to smelt the ore extracted from numerous mines such as the Rancié. Railroads, trains and streetcars criss-crossed the department. The paper and textile industries are at their peak.

The Ariège region put up a massive and violent resistance in many maquis, thanks to the support of numerous Spanish guerrillas.

The département is living with the times, investing in the rollout of fiber optics that reach even the most remote areas. A number of high-tech industries are flourishing. Tourism is booming.