Saint-Orens-Pouy-Petit

Saint-Orens-Pouy-Petit
Commune
Saint-Orens-Pouy-Petit
Location within Occitanie region
Saint-Orens-Pouy-Petit
Coordinates: 43°55′04″N 0°26′05″E / 43.9178°N 0.4347°E / 43.9178; 0.4347Coordinates: 43°55′04″N 0°26′05″E / 43.9178°N 0.4347°E / 43.9178; 0.4347
Country France
Region Occitanie
Department Gers
Arrondissement Condom
Canton Baïse-Armagnac
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Michel Meste
Area1 11.31 km2 (4.37 sq mi)
Population (2008)2 142
 • Density 13/km2 (33/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code 32400 /32100
Elevation 97–225 m (318–738 ft)
(avg. 200 m or 660 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.

Saint-Orens-Pouy-Petit is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.

Central to the commune is the classic Gers Pierre Blanche bastide of St Orens, consisting of a walled community on a fierce outcrop of rock, situated 2 km to the east of the D654 between Condom and Saint-Puy. St Orens has views to the south, including the Pyrenees in fine weather.

On a facing hill is the hamlet of Hameau de Pouy-Petit.

Saint Orens holds a Catholic church and the Château St Orens (sixteenth century). Hameau de Pouy-Petit has the Château gascon de Pouy-Petit (eighteenth century).

Geography

Saint-Orens-Pouy-Petit and its surrounding communes

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1962191—    
1968209+9.4%
1975172−17.7%
1982207+20.3%
1990190−8.2%
1999141−25.8%
2008142+0.7%

Economy

Agriculture

St Orens sits within of a large agricultural region, with common crops including corn, colza, sunflowers and grain. There are also a number of vineyards, producing grapes for wine or distilling.

Local market towns are known for their fine fruit and vegetables, particularly Condom, Nérac and Lectoure

Other products from local producers include:

Sites of interest

  • Fortified village walls (St Orens) - St Orens is enclosed by white stone walls (incomplete in sections) dating to the thirteenth century
  • Château de St Orens (sixteenth century) - forming the western end of the fortified village, now containing the Salle de Fête (a function and exhibition space) and Mairie (mayor's office). The chateau was given to a lieutenant of the French gentleman soldier Blaise de Monluc, based in Saint-Puy.
  • Château de Pouy-Petit (eighteenth century)
  • Lavoir: a reconstructed washing area below St Orens, used by the villagers prior to modern plumbing
  • Library
  • Ceramics workshop and gallery
  • Brocante
  • Rare and vintage button shop
  • Tennis court
  • Boule patch
Saint-Orens from the north. The château is to the right.

Arts

Like much of the Gers, St Orens had seen a slow period of decline through the twentieth century, leaving a number of properties in the village empty. An influx of newcomers and returnees in the 1970s and 1980s helped reverse this process. A number of these people were artists and artisans, creating a vibrant artistic community. The Salle de Fête regularly hosts arts exhibitions by local artists, and the nearby Musée d'Art Naïf (Béraut) compliments this picture.

Flora and fauna

Observed around the bastide:

Mammals

Coypu, various deer species, wild boar

Birds

Barn owl, golden oriole, hoopoe, black redstart, kestrel, common buzzard, black kite, greenfinch, rock bunting, pigeon

Butterflies

Orange tip, peacock, southern swallowtail, clouded yellow, small blue, white admiral, red admiral, painted lady, Queen of Spain fritillary

See also

References

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