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Lavaur (Municipality, Tarn, France)

Flag of Lavaur - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 14 March 2025

Presentation of Lavaur
Flag of Lavaur

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Presentation of Lavaur

Lavaur (10,884 inhabitants, 6,283 ha) is a commune in the Tarn department.

The first historical mention of the city is a document dated 1035. The Plô district, which occupies the spur overlooking the river Agout, is the primitive site of the urban history of Lavaur. The first lords built a castle there, around which a castral town was grafted. In 1065, a deed of donation from the lords of Lavaur allowed the establishment of a salvetat by the monks of the abbey of Conques. This foundation, associated with that of the priory in 1098, contributed to the growth of the first city on the plateau. Lavaur was taken in 1211 by Simon de Montfort during the wars of the Albigenses; a monument marks the site where Dame Giraude de Laurac (Lady of Lavaur) was killed, being thrown down a well and stoned to death. The castle became a seat of justice and a royal prison. Since then, the town has developed within a wall whose outline has gradually shifted towards the west. The probable destruction of the priory in 1211 resulted in the construction of a new church in the middle of the 13th century. Its location was maintained outside the wall. In 1318, when the bishopric of Lavaur was created, it was elevated to the rank of cathedral.

The bishops played a major role in the development of their episcopal see until 1793. In 1622, the town's consuls had the last remains of the castle razed and developed the site into an esplanade forming a terrace above the river. In the second half of the 18th century, the partially collapsed surrounding walls were removed and the ditches filled in, which allowed the town to develop beyond them. In the 19th century, administrative functions were conveniently relocated to the outskirts along the newly developed alleys, giving rise to new districts: the prison (1835) and the court (1859) on the east side, a grain market (1881) to the west, and a station to the north of the town in 1884. The development of Lavaur was reflected in its status as a sub-prefecture of the Tarn between 1800 and 1926. The major floods of 1930 largely destroyed the port district and the quays of the Agout.

Olivier Touzeau, 14 March 2025

Flag of Lavaur

The flag is white with the coat of arms and the name of the commune: photo (2023), photo (2018).

The arms of Lavaur are blazoned: Gules a castle with three towers Argent masonned of Sable, on a river of Azure and Argent issuant from the base and charged with an anchor Or, the castle surmounted of a cross of Toulouse of the same, the chief Azure three fleurs-de-lis Or.

Olivier Touzeau, 14 March 2025