La Bastide de Couloumat
Belpech, a village to discover
From yesteryears to nowadays, what a history…
This small parish, first appears in the records in the XIIth century and has held several names. It includes a church dedicated to saint Jean-Baptiste which is Grade II listed since the XVIIIth century.
The bastide was founded around 1296 by the lord of Belpech, Raymond of Belpech. It was surrounded by several tenant farmhouses. In 1317, it was then called "Bastida Bellipodii" (the bastide of Belpech). It is then successively known as the Bastide of Cante, and the Bastide of Colomat.
Going up towards the cemetery, you will find on your right the statue of Our Lady of the Fields, erected in 1913 by a mission paid for by parishioners following a long period of drought and climatic incidents. Every year on the 1st of May, a procession took place to bless the crops and harvests. This tradition lasted until 2007.
Thanks to L. and T. Guillosson
for translation
Our Lady of the Fields
If you follow the road on your right, you will notice on your left a wrought-iron cross of the Passion (relating to the Passion of Jesus) dating from the early XIXth century. Above it, hidden by foliage, the castle of La Bastide now looks like a small manor (private property).
Carry on the road, towards Belpech, and you will enjoy a panoramic view set at 365 m altitude.
When the wheather is clear, you will see, northwards, the Lauragais and Montagne Noire. The Pyrenées mountains, Canigou and Pic du Midi de Bigorre can be seen towards the South. Seemingly close, the "massif de Tabe" with its twin peaks of Soularac (2368 m) and Saint-Bartélémy tower over the landscape.