Condom, Gers

For other uses, see Condom (disambiguation).

Condom
Condom Cathedral Condom Cathedral
Coat of arms of Condom Coat of arms
Condom
Location within Midi-Pyrénées region Condom
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Gers
Arrondissement	Condom
Canton	Condom
Intercommunality	La Ténarèze
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Bernard Gallardo
Area1	97.37 km2 (37.59 sq mi)
Population (2008)2	7,193
• Density	74/km2 (190/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	32107 / 32100
Elevation	62–190 m (203–623 ft) (avg. 82 m or 269 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Condom (Occitan: Condòm; French pronunciation: ​[kɔ̃dɔ̃]), also referred to as Condom-en-Armagnac, is a commune in southwestern France in the department of Gers, of which it is a subprefecture.

Way of St. James

Condom is a town on the Via Podiensis, one of the three major French arms of the pilgrimage route, the Way of St. James. This particular route begins in Le Puy and ends in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. Pilgrims arrive at Condom after Miradoux and continue on to Larressingle.

Name

There is no relationship between the English word condom and this town. The toponym Condom comes from the Gaulish words condate and magos combined into Condatomagos, which means "market or field, of the confluence". Condatómagos evolved into Condatóm and then into Conddóm. Condom was first recorded in Latin in the 10th century as Condomus or Condomium. It is where the river Gèle flows into the river Baïse.

Although the French word for a condom is préservatif, in 1995 the town's mayor, taking advantage of the incidental relationship between the town's name and the English word, opened a museum of contraceptives, which closed in 2005.

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1800	6,861	—
1806	7,298	+6.4%
1821	7,319	+0.3%
1831	7,323	+0.1%
1841	6,915	−5.6%
1846	7,195	+4.0%
1851	7,205	+0.1%
1856	7,553	+4.8%
1861	8,070	+6.8%
1866	8,140	+0.9%
1872	8,282	+1.7%
1876	7,873	−4.9%
1881	8,555	+8.7%
1886	7,902	−7.6%
1891	7,405	−6.3%
1896	7,045	−4.9%
1901	6,578	−6.6%
1906	6,435	−2.2%
1911	6,380	−0.9%
1921	5,773	−9.5%
1926	6,355	+10.1%
1931	6,310	−0.7%
1936	6,233	−1.2%
1946	6,725	+7.9%
1954	6,781	+0.8%
1962	6,850	+1.0%
1968	7,326	+6.9%
1975	7,853	+7.2%
1982	7,634	−2.8%
1990	7,717	+1.1%
1999	7,251	−6.0%
2008	7,193	−0.8%
2010	7,012	−2.5%

Sights

Condom is the site of two castles, the Château de Mothes and the Château de Pouypardin, both started in the 13th century. In total, 19 sites in Condom are listed as monuments historiques by the French Ministry of Culture, including the cathedral, churches and houses.

Condom is known for the production of Armagnac, an international music festival of "bandas", an international chess tournament and an international chess marathon. It is also known for its tourism with farm campings and boating on waterways. It is also home to a museum about Armagnac.

A statue of The Three Musketeers and d'Artagnan can be found near the church. It was created in 2010 by Zurab Tsereteli.

Twin towns – Sister cities

• Grünberg, Germany – since 1973
• Toro, Spain

See also

• Bishop of Condom

References

• INSEE

External links

• Official website (French)
• Ministry of Culture entries for Condom (French)
• Pictures of Condom (French)
• Le bonheur est dans le pré (Internet Movie Database)
• Google Earth view