Commune in Occitania, France
Aspet (French pronunciation: [aspɛ]; Occitan: Aspèth) is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.
Geography
Located in the middle of the Pyrenees mountain chain, within the ancient region of Comminges, Aspet sits 15 km south to Saint-Gaudens and at the foot of the Cagire (1,912 metres (6,273 ft) in Altitude).
Toponymy
According to some, the name Aspet comes from the Basque language where azpeta means at the cliff's foot. The only issue is that there are no cliffs to be seen in Aspet as the landscape is mainly made of rolling hills.
The first document stating the existence of the town was found in 1068 and states its name as « Spel » or « Espel ».
History
The exact date of the creation of the Seigneurie (lordship) d'Aspet is not known. The first lord able to be named is Ramon-At(hon) ruling there around 1068.
Names of several lords who took part in the Crusades have also been found such as Arnaud II, who left with Philippe-Auguste from Genoa in 1190.
At the beginning of the 15th century, the Coarraze family takes the lead of the territory. Raymond-Arnaud II de Coarraze fought with Joan of Arc during the Siege of Orléans. The last representative of the Coarraze name was dame Catherine, who supposedly commissioned the fountain we can still admire on the town's main square. She died in 1492, leaving the leadership to the County of Foix which had Henri III de Navarre as last baron, the soon to be king Henri IV of France. Under his reign, Aspet and its surroundings became part of the royal territories. Thus, in the main street of Aspet (Grand-rue), which leads to the church, are to be found the remains of the Royal Judges House.
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