Cazaunous is a village in the foothills of the Pyrenees, situated on a south-facing slope above the Job Valley. The village lies in an agro-sylvo-pastoral landscape with agriculturally used valley floors, forests on the slopes and mountain pastures in the higher areas. As a municipality in the mid-mountain region, Cazaunous lies at an elevation of 535 metres at the foot of the Pyrenees and the Col des Ares in the Comminges; the Job is one of the most important waterways flowing through the municipality.
Those who choose Cazaunous as their destination want to rent a holiday apartment for their stay.
Culture
The oldest surviving elements of the centrally located Sainte-Marguerite Church in Cazaunous date from 1774. In 1869, the church was almost completely rebuilt after it was deemed too small for the municipality’s population.
The Sainte-Anne Chapel preserves a 14th-century granite chrism, set into the outer wall of its sacristy. It was rebuilt in 1870 near the Col des Ares; previously, a priory founded around 1240 by monks from the Case-Dieu Abbey in the Gers stood on this site.
The fortified site of Castérasses is a defensive complex probably dating from the 13th century, with ruins, terrain structures, a ditch and the remains of a square tower. At the end of the hamlet of Pomarède lies the Château de Pomarède; its buildings probably date from the 17th century at the earliest.
In Cazaunous, the Brandon, the traditional Saint John’s fire made from a prepared split tree trunk, is erected on Sarramédan Hill.
Nature
Cazaunous is part of the ZNIEFF „Ensemble du massif de Gar-Cagire et bassin de Juzet-d’Izaut“, a predominantly limestone and karstified massif with extensive rock faces, several limestone pavements and karst chasms, as well as specialised habitats and plant and animal species. The Coume de Sainte-Anne near the Col des Ares in Cazaunous is listed in the national register of classified sites in France, with a classification date of 27 April 1927.
Hiking
The Cazaunous–Sainte-Anne circular hiking trail is an easy 7.6-kilometre hike with an approximate duration of two and a half hours. It starts and ends in Cazaunous, passes through the forest along a section of the GR78, the Via Piemont route of the Way of St James, and offers views of the Pic de Cagire. It is marked red and white as far as Sainte-Anne, and yellow thereafter.
Local life
The Lo Cazau community café offers local beers and wines, coffee, tea and local products on consignment.
Other places: Flourens, Montgiscard, Pompertuzat, Esparron, Barbazan, Caubous, Paulhac, Arlos
