Moissac

Moissac

Cloister of the Saint-Pierre abbey

Coat of arms
Moissac

Coordinates: 44°06′20″N 1°05′10″E / 44.1056°N 1.0861°E / 44.1056; 1.0861Coordinates: 44°06′20″N 1°05′10″E / 44.1056°N 1.0861°E / 44.1056; 1.0861
Country France
Region Occitanie
Department Tarn-et-Garonne
Arrondissement Castelsarrasin
Canton Moissac-1 and Moissac-2
Government
 • Mayor (2001–2008) Jean-Paul Nunzi
Area1 85.95 km2 (33.19 sq mi)
Population (2012)2 12,470
 • Density 150/km2 (380/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 82112 / 82200
Elevation 59–199 m (194–653 ft)
(avg. 76 m or 249 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Moissac is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. The town is situated at the confluence of the Garonne and Tarn rivers at the Canal de Garonne. Route nationale N113 was constructed through the town and between Valence-d'Agen and Castelsarrasin.

History

Initially Moissac was part of the department of Lot. In 1808 Napoleon decreed the city be attached to the new department of Tarn-et-Garonne.[1] It was the chief town of the district from 1800 to 1926.

Moissac was heavily damaged in March 1930 by flooding of the Tarn River, which devastated much of southwestern France. It was counted as a 100-year flood. One hundred twenty people were reported to have died in the city.[2]

Moissac Abbey

Main article: Moissac Abbey

Moissac is known internationally for the artistic heritage preserved in the medieval Saint-Pierre Abbey. This church is a site on the World Heritage Site Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.

Waterways

Hotel le Moulin de Moissac, in operation since 1474.

There are important waterways in Moissac: the Tarn River flows through the centre of town, as does the Canal de Garonne (formerly Canal latéral à la Garonne), the extension of the Canal du Midi from Toulouse to Bordeaux. Together, these two canals are sometimes known as the Canal des deux mers (lit. canal of the two seas) connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea.

Twin towns

See also

References

  1. ↑ 'Naissance du département de Tarn-et-Garonne' at
  2. ↑ Max Lagarrigue,"L’inondation du siècle, mars 1930", in "Les Caprices du Temps," revue Arkheia, n°21, Montauban, 2009.
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