| Alairac | |
| Commune Status: | Commune |
| Image Coat Of Arms: | Blason_ville_fr_Alairac_(Aude).svg |
| Arrondissement: | Carcassonne |
| Canton: | Carcassonne-3 |
| Insee: | 11005 |
| Postal Code: | 11290 |
| Mayor: | Marc Adivèze[1] |
| Term: | 2020 - 2026 |
| Intercommunality: | Carcassonne Agglo |
| Coordinates: | 43.185°N 2.2414°W |
| Elevation M: | 190 |
| Elevation Min M: | 158 |
| Elevation Max M: | 422 |
| Area Km2: | 16.37 |
Alairac (in French pronounced as /alɛʁak/) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.
The commune is in the urban area of Carcassonne and is located on a hillock at the foot of the Malepère mountain range. Alairac is a traditional circulade village dating to 1000AD. The commune has been part of the agglomeration community called Carcassonne Agglo since 1 January 2010.
The commune is located some 80 km south-east of Toulouse and only 6 km south-west of Carcassonne. The Motorway E80 (A61) passes across the northern tip of the commune but has no exit. The commune can be reached by Road D18 from Carcassonne, which passes in a south-westerly direction through the heart of the commune towards Cailhau. Road D211 also passes through the commune from Arzens in the west to Lavalette in the east passing to the north of Alairac village. The village can be reached by a number of local roads from both the D211 and the D18. The commune is both farmland and forest with two small hamlets: Galet and Les Rougeats.[2]
Several streams pass through the commune. In the east the Ruisseau Saint Pierre forms the eastern border of the commune, the Ruisseau de Bonne Mere forms the southern boundary, and the Ruisseau du Sout forms the western boundary. Inside the commune there are several streams with the Ruisseau de Celule Ou Gautel passing near the village. All the streams eventually flow into the river Aude which continues east into the Mediterranean Sea.[2]
The village overlooks the plain where the Canal du Midi to the north of the commune towards Carcassonne and the view extends over a panorama limited to the north by the Montagne Noire (Black Mountain). To the north-east is the city of Carcassonne and to the south the Malepère mountain range covered in oak forest, the domain of wild boar and mushroom collectors.
The village has an oceanic climate with a strong Mediterranean influence. This area is dominated by Holly Oak forests which makes it suitable for the cultivation of the grapevines. The summers are temperate and the winters mild.
The first written record of the castle appeared in 1063: the time of the probable construction of the circulade. The area belonged to the Count of Foix, the first of which was Roger I de Foix who was the second son of Bernard-Roger, Count of Bigorre. Over the years, he exchanged the County of Foix with the Viscount of Carcassonne several times to the Trencavel family.
From the 11th century, the village was traversed by one of the paths to Saint Jacques de Compostela called "Path of the Pyrenean Piedmont". This pilgrimage continued until the 18th century.
During the Albigensian Crusade at Easter 1210, Simon de Montfort besieged the castle at Alairac for eleven days at which the people, fearing they may have to surrender, fled by night. In 1309, the last known Cathar perfect, Guillaume Bélibaste, fled Catalonia with Philippe of Alayrac. The latter, on his return home after ten years of exile, was probably captured and burned.
On hearing the sound of an approaching large company from Routiers in 1366, the officers of the Bailiwick of Carcassonne ordered the inhabitants of the castle at Alairac — which belonged to Jean d'Armagnac — to fortify it and destroy the surrounding area. Having failed to execute the order, the Viscount angrily set fire to the castle which was completely burned. Later, the Count of Armagnac ceded the land of Alairac to the Marquis of Mirepoix in 1404.
The lordship was sold at the beginning of the 18th century to a citizen of Carcassonne. This lordship was extinguished by the Revolution in 1789.
During the First World War from 1914 to 1918, the village lost nineteen people, whose names are inscribed on the memorial. Every year on 11 November, this sacrifice is remembered by reading their names during a ceremony attended by schoolchildren.
During the Algerian War, many young people from Alairac were called to fight. One of them was killed. Every 19 March the laying of wreaths takes place to commemorate the date the Évian Accords came into force.
List of Successive Mayors of Alairac[3]
| From | To | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1862 | 1871 | Louis Guilhem | ||
| 1871 | 1871 | Guilhem benoit | ||
| 1871 | 1900 | Jean Fages | ||
| 1900 | 1919 | Guilhem Achilles | ||
| 1919 | 1929 | Fages Irenaeus | ||
| 1929 | 1935 | Gaston Vidal | ||
| 1935 | 1945 | Fages Irenaeus | ||
| 1945 | 1952 | Urban Marcerou | ||
| 1952 | 1953 | André Mouls | ||
| 1953 | 1971 | Carrie Antonin | ||
| 1971 | 2020 | Roger Adivèze | PS | |
| 2020 | 2026 | Marc Adivèze |
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Alairacois, or Alairacoises in French.[4]
Viticulture: Malepère (AOC)
The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
There is a hall for teenagers (12–17 years old) organised by the CIAS of Carcassonne. This activity is supervised by Mathieu Bruno the organiser.