Bazas (; ) is a commune in Gironde, a department in southwestern France.
Geography Bazas stands on a narrow promontory above the Beuve valley 60 km/37 mi southeast of Bordeaux and 40 km/25 mi southwest of Marmande.
History
As Cossio, it was capital of the ancient tribe of the Vasates, and under the Romans one of the twelve cities of Novempopulania, when it was known as Civitas VasaticaOrbis Latinus:Bazas
In later times it was capital of the district of Bazadais, and was the seat of the bishop of the diocese of Bazas from at least the beginning of the 6th century until 1790. And for 250 years prior to 1057, the Bishop of Bazas bore the title of Bishop of Aire, Dax, Bayonne, Oloron and Lescar. According to Gregory of Tours, Bazas had a bishop at the time of the Vandal invasion in the 5th century.
The dedication of the cathedral to St. John the Baptist is explained in an account given by the same historian that a lady of Bazas, whom certain hagiographers of the 19th century believe to have been St. Veronica, brought from Palestine a relic of St. John the Baptist at the time of that saint's death.
Pope Urban II (1088–99) preached the crusade at Bazas.
Bazas was a subprefecture until 1926, when it was replaced in the role to Langon.
Population
Sights The town has a Gothic cathedral dating from the 13th to the 16th centuries, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.868 - Chemins de Saint-Jacques de Compostelle en France, Unesco, 2016. There are remains of ramparts (15th and 16th centuries) and several old houses of the 16th century.
See also Ancient Diocese of Bazas Communes of the Gironde department
References
External links
Roquetaillade castle Town council website Bazas Cathedral Setting and Zodiac Signs