Things to do in the Languedoc:   Towns:   Mirepoix

Mirepoix is a communes in the Ariège department, Midi-Pyrénées region.

It lies in the Hers valley betweenCarcassonne and Pamiers.

The original town was virtually destroyed by flooding of the Hers-Vif river on 16 June 1289. It was subsequently rebuilt by Jean de Levis in 1290.

The inhabitants are called Mirapiciens.

The names Mirepoix and Mirapicien come from the Occitan Mirapeis, supposedly from mire peis meaning see the fish (a fish features on the town's coat of arms)

The centre of Mirepoix is built around the place de Couverts which in turn has the 14th century Maison des Consuls as its main attraction. The overhanging arcades have exposed beams and from these there are approximately 150 individually carved wooden heads.

The cathedral of St-Maurice, built in the Gothic style, has a particularly wide nave and a maze (technically a labyrinth).