The Hamlet of La Devèze
Belpech, a village to discover
From yesteryears to nowadays, what a history…
The terms deves and devese come from the Latin defensus, which means a plot of land which is set aside, protected, close to the Occitan word for a closed space or a set-aside or abandoned field…
The first mention of La Devèze is found in the text relating the splitting of the manor of Belpech in 1250. The "villa of Devesa" is attributed to Hughes along with the compulsory military service due by its inhabitants: the ost (war campaign), the chevauchée (horseback raid) and guard duty for the castle of Belpech.
Organised like an autonomous village, the hamlet included a castle, a windmill, a school and a charity house.
The small hamlet of Barsa, an old priory under the patronage of Saint-Etienne, linked to the Abbey of Lagrasse through the priory of Camon, is found there. The first record dates from 1296 (private property).
La Devèze church
This ancient community from the diocese of Mirepoix had its own church dedicated to the Virgin Mary since the XIVth century.
Old and derelict, the church was destroyed in 1979. The religious items it contained were transferred to a chapel built at the bottom of the cemetery, in particular a molded low relief representing an allegory of a soldier facing death dating from World War I.
