Bize-Minervois
Encyclopedia
Bize-Minervois is a commune
in the Aude
department in southern France
.
valley, Bize lies between the fertile sedimentary plain of Narbonne
and the causses
of the Minervois
and the Montagne Noire
. Bize is situated approximately 3 km north of the D5 between Olonzac
and Capestang
. Bize is a small village with a population approximately 1,000 where a quarter of the houses are second homes.
Bize changed hands many times and in 1573 was fortified as a protestant stronghold against the catholic
Bishops of Narbonne.
. There is also a bar and several restaurants.
Sporting facilities include a boulodrome
, football
pitches (home of Bize FC), tennis
courts and in the summer the Cesse is dammed to create a freshwater swimming hole
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Aude
Aude
Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Geography
Located on the edge of the Haut-Minervois in the CesseCesse
Cesse is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
valley, Bize lies between the fertile sedimentary plain of Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the causses
Causses
The Causses are a group of limestone plateaus in the Massif Central. They are bordered to the north-west by the Limousin and the Périgord uplands, and to the east by the Aubrac and the Cévennes. Large river gorges cut through the plateaus, such as the Tarn, Dourbie, Jonte, Lot and Aveyron...
of the Minervois
Minervois
Minervois is an AOC in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region. The red wines of the Minervois appellation are produced from Carignan , Grenache, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvedre, and Syrah grapes...
and the Montagne Noire
Montagne Noire
* Not to be confused with the Montagnes Noires in Brittany.The Montagne Noire is a mountain range in central southern France. It is located at the southwestern end of the Massif Central in the border area of the Tarn, Hérault and Aude departments...
. Bize is situated approximately 3 km north of the D5 between Olonzac
Olonzac
Olonzac is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France....
and Capestang
Capestang
Capestang is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.-History:In antiquity, the nearby marshes were crossed by the 1500 metre long Roman Pont Serme...
. Bize is a small village with a population approximately 1,000 where a quarter of the houses are second homes.
History
Bize is first mentioned in 911 in the will of man named Walcharius who left the lands of the parish of Saint-Saturnin of Bizan to the Archbishop of Narbonne. During the religious wars of the 16th centuryFrench Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the name given to a period of civil infighting and military operations, primarily fought between French Catholics and Protestants . The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise...
Bize changed hands many times and in 1573 was fortified as a protestant stronghold against the catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Bishops of Narbonne.
Population
Sites and buildings
- Caves Las Fonts (Moulin) - PaleolithicPaleolithicThe Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
caves, now a classified monument where prehistoricPrehistoric archaeologyHistory is the study of the past using written records. Archaeology can also be used to study the past alongside history. Prehistoric archaeology is the study of the past before historical records began....
remains were discovered in 1827 by French archaeologist and scientist Paul Tournal, founder of the Narbonne Museum. - La Porte Saint Michel 1236 - the main gate in to the village coming from the direction of Narbonne. A second gate, La Porte St Croix - the entrance from the direction ArgeliersArgeliersArgeliers is a commune in the Aude department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France.Located to the southern edge of the Haut-Minervois and in the north of the fertile sedimentary plain of Narbonne, Argeliers is bordered to the east by the Canal du Midi where there are mooring...
, MinerveMinerve, HéraultMinerve is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-History:In 1210 a group of Cathars sought refuge in the village after the massacre at Béziers during the Albigensian Crusade. The village was besieged by Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester. The...
and Saint-PonsSaint-Pons-de-ThomièresSaint-Pons-de-Thomières is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-History:It is named after its patron saint, St...
- was demolished in the 19th century to allow easier passage for carts. - The church of Saint-Michel (18th century)
Events
- 'Fete d l'olivier' - Festival of Olives is held annually in July
- General market every Wednesday morning throughout the year
Amenities
Bize has a butcher, baker, two general stores, post office, hairdressers, newsagents, sweet shop and a wine caveWine cave
Wine caves are subterranean structures for the storage and aging of wine. They are an integral component of the wine industry world wide. The design and construction of wine caves represents a unique application of underground construction techniques....
. There is also a bar and several restaurants.
Sporting facilities include a boulodrome
Pétanque
Pétanque is a form of boules where the goal is, while standing inside a starting circle with both feet on the ground, to throw hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet or jack. It is also sometimes called a bouchon or le petit...
, football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
pitches (home of Bize FC), tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts and in the summer the Cesse is dammed to create a freshwater swimming hole
Swimming hole
A swimming hole is a place in a river, stream, creek, spring, or similar natural body of water, which is large enough and deep enough for a person to swim in...
.