| Each gate of the new wall was defended by a kind of fortress called a bastide or Bastille. |
| The name Castelsarrasin appears in the 13th century, when the village of Villelongue was replaced by the present bastide. |
| Who would have thought that it was bastide who should eventually induce the Assembly to make up its mind? |
| The Merovingian Franks inherited the concept, followed by the Carolingian French but the later French term was basti or bastide. |
| The bastide, or castle town, although not large, is still significant to political and administrative life. |
| Friday night is the time to visit this bastide town, when stalls sell fresh produce and restaurants serve everyone together on long tables in the street. |
