Méras
Méras Meràs |
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Region | Occitania | |
Department (No) | Ariège (09) | |
Arrondissement | Saint-Girons | |
Canton | Arize-Lèze | |
Community association | Arize Lèze | |
Coordinates | 43° 11′ N, 1° 19′ E | |
Height | 264–394 m | |
Area | 3,66 km² | |
Inhabitants | 108 (January 1, 2018) | |
Population density | 30 inhabitants/km² | |
Postal code | 09350 | |
INSEE code | 09186 |
Méras (Occitan Meràs) is a commune in France with 108 inhabitants (as of 1 January 2018) in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region (formerly Midi-Pyrénées); it is part of the Saint-Girons arrondissement and the Arize-Lèze canton.
Location
Méras is located in the north of the Département Ariège. The nearest town is Pamiers, about 26 kilometres (as the crow flies) to the east-southeast; the major city of Toulouse is just under 70 kilometres away to the north. The municipality lies in the Massif du Plantaurel.
The commune consists of the village of Méras and several individual farmsteads
History
A (defunct) castle of Méras is first mentioned in 1263 as belonging to the Counts of Foix. The village was part of the castlanei of Le Carla within the county of Foix and was ruled by the collateral line of Foix-Rabat. The village was ravaged by Huguenots during the Wars of Religion in 1568. The commune belonged to the district of Mirepoix-Pamiers from 1793 to 1801. It was also in the Canton of Daumazan from 1793 to 1801 and was part of the Canton of Le Mas d’Azil from 1801 to 2015 (1793-1801 under the name of Canton Mas d’Azis).
Population development
Year | 1793 | 1831 | 1836 | 1876 | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2012 |
Inhabitants | 131 | 158 | 140 | 189 | 67 | 71 | 73 | 63 | 45 | 61 | 75 | 102 |
Sources: Cassini and INSEE |
In the 19th century, the village had almost 200 inhabitants at times. The increasing mechanization of agriculture led to a continuous decline in the number of inhabitants to the lows of more recent times.
Places of interest
- Saint-Martin village church; built in 1633, extended in 1863; the bell tower dates from 1927
- Wayside cross on the D26 west of the village
Web links
Commons: Méras– Collection of images, videos and audio files
- Commune in the department of Ariège
- Place in Occitania