Saint-Girons, Ariège

Saint-Girons (Gascon: "Sent Gironç") is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region, southwestern France. It is the capital of the former French province of "Couserans" that forms the western part of Ariège.
History.
Unlike its close neighbour Saint-Lizier, Saint-Girons is not an ancient city; there was however a "lucus" (a "sacred forest") on its present territory.
The city is named after Saint Girons, a saint from fifth-century Landes who evangelized in southwestern France. In the ninth century some of his relics were supposedly buried in Saint Girons' Church, around which the city later developed.
Geography.
Saint-Girons is in the center of a basin at the foot of the Pyrenees and at the confluence of the Salat with the Lez and Baup rivers, in the Ariège department, southern France. The "commune" is part of the Regional Natural Park Pyrenees Ariégeoises.
The "commune" has an area of . Its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .
The "commune" of Saint-Girons is surrounded by the "communes":
Climate.
The climate of Saint-Girons, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with template summers.
Population.
The inhabitants of Saint-Girons are known, in French, as "Saint-Gironnais" or "Gironnais" (women: "Saint-Gironnaises" or "Gironnaises").
Saint-Girons has a population of 6,284 (2014), and population density of inhabitants/km2.
Evolution of the population in Saint-Girons
Saint-Girons forms, with other 3 "communes", the urban area of Saint-Girons with a population of 9,652 inhabitants (2013) and an area of . This urban area is the centre of the metropolitan area of Saint-Girons, formed by 39 "communes" with a population of 18,222 inhabitants (2013) and an area of .
Administration.
Saint-Girons is a subprefecture of the Ariège department, the capital of the "arrondissement" of Saint-Girons and the administrative centre () of the canton Couserans Ouest, with 10,686 inhabitants .
It is part of the intercommunality "Couserans - Pyrénées" ().
Twinned and partner towns.
Saint-Girons is twinned with:
Sites of interest.
Some important buildings are: