Ailhon

Ailhon (French pronunciation: [ajɔ̃]) is a commune in the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southern France.

Ailhon
Commune
Ailhon village
Ailhon village
Location of Ailhon
Ailhon is located in France
Ailhon
Ailhon
Ailhon is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Ailhon
Ailhon
Coordinates: 44°35′56″N 4°20′34″E
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentArdèche
ArrondissementLargentière
CantonAubenas-2
IntercommunalityBassin d'Aubenas
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean-Paul Lardy[1]
Area
1
7.8 km2 (3.0 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
551
 • Density71/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
07002 /07200
Elevation258–544 m (846–1,785 ft)
(avg. 406 m or 1,332 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Ailhonnais or Ailhonnaises[3]

Geography

Location

Located at an altitude of 406 metres, Ailhon is a commune in the canton of Aubenas-2 and the arrondissement of Largentière, some 5 km south-west of Aubenas. It can be accessed by the D223 road from Prades in the north, a tortuous mountain road which continues south through the commune, without passing near the village, to join the D103. Access to the village is by the D235 from Aubenas in the north-east to the hamlet of La Charberterie in the north of the commune then the D359 south to the village continuing south to Merzelet. The commune is characterised by a large area with mountainous terrain heavily forested with a network of small mountain roads and many scattered hamlets.[4]

Numerous streams cover the commune with the Ruisseau du Gary rising in the north and flowing the length of the commune gathering many tributaries south-west to join La Lanche which forms the south-western border of the commune. There is also the Auzon which rises just north of the commune and forms the eastern border gathering many tributaries and continues south to join the Ardeche near Saint-Sernin. The Ruisseau d'Ailhon flows through the village east to join the Auzon.[4]

Neighbouring communes and villages

[4]

History

A prehistoric tomb at Gay and many vestiges at Daus attest to human presence since antiquity.

It was in 1298 when the name of the noble family of Ailhon (Ailhou in patois and Alho in Latin) appeared for the first time when Pierre d'Ailhon sold a nearby fortified house to the house of Mirabel.

During the Wars of Religion, particularly from 1586 to 1591, the village paid a heavy price: the fort was taken and retaken and nothing remains except a tower in the Chabert house south of the village.

In 1670, Ailhon participated in the Roure Revolt, a rebellion caused by a disastrous harvest followed by a rumour of an increase in taxes. The insurgents armed only with scythes and sticks were massacred by the king's armies on the plain of Lavilledieu. The leader of the revolt, Anthoine du Roure, was arrested in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and broken on the wheel in Montpellier on 29 October 1670. His body was then exposed on the high road from Montpellier to Nimes and his head placed on top of the Porte Saint-Antoine in Aubenas. A square Jacques Roure was dedicated to his memory in Aubenas (on the proposal of Councillor Durand in 1896). Another square (Anthoine du Roure) also bears his name in Lachapelle-sous-Aubenas.[5]

The disorder during the French Revolution resulted in a band of brigands led by Fourniquet de Chassiers (executed at Saint-Cirgues-de-Prades in May 1800) scouring the territory.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Ailhon
Mayors from the French Revolution to 1904
FromToNamePartyPosition
17931794Antoine GourdonPublic Officer
17941798François FulachierPublic Officer
17981808Antoine ChabertMayor
18081815Jean RoudilMayor
18151825Claude DarlixMayor
18251830Jean-Pierre JaussenMayor
18301832UnknownMayor
18321834François VeyrentMayor
18341848Jacques JaussenMayor
18481864Louis PlantevinMayor
18641870André DayguesMayor
18701873Louis JaussenMayor
18731875Prosper RoureMayor
18761881Henri VeyrantMayor
18811890Gaston RicardMayor
18901892Cyprien ArlaudMayor
18921896Pierre GuibourdencheMayor
18961900Auguste RoudilMayor
19001904Xavier FulachierMayor
1904Victorin ReynaudMayor
Mayors from 1977
FromToName[6]PartyPosition
19772001Roger Naud
20012008Michel Gilbert
2008CurrentJean Paul LardyPS

Population
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 140—    
1975 134−0.62%
1982 173+3.72%
1990 290+6.67%
1999 336+1.65%
2007 462+4.06%
2012 535+2.98%
2017 554+0.70%
Source: INSEE[7]

Distribution of Age Groups

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Ailhon and Ardèche Department in 2017

AilhonArdèche
Age RangeMenWomenMenWomen
0 to 14 Years19.224.117.716.1
15 to 29 Years8.311.214.413.0
30 to 44 Years20.319.817.316.9
45 to 59 Years21.022.321.620.7
60 to 74 Years24.318.719.719.7
75 to 89 Years6.53.68.511.2
90 Years+0.40.40.92.4

Source: INSEE[7][8]

Sites and Monuments
  • Daus (a Celtic tumulus): prehistoric site
  • The Church of Saint André (13th century) is registered as an historical monument.[9] The church was enlarged and revised until the beginning of the 16th century and it houses many sculptures. There is a huge trunk of an Elm tree planted in 1593 - as in many parishes - by order of Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully, to celebrate the conversion to the Catholic religion of Henry IV. Two items in the church are registered as historical objects:
  • Front of the Romanesque church
    Front of the Romanesque church
  • Church Porch
    Church Porch
  • Village Square
    Village Square
  • View of the village
    View of the village

Panoramic views
General View of Ailhon from the south.
General view of Ailhon from the north.

See also

Bibliography
  • Charles Albin Mazon (1828-1908), A Historical Account of the Ancient Parish of Ailhon, Privas, imprimerie centrale, 1905 (in French)

References
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
  3. Inhabitants of Ardèche (in French)
  4. Google Maps
  5. L. Gout, J. Roux, J. Volane, History of the Ardèche, E. Tourrette, Aubenas, 1908 (in French)
  6. List of Mayors of France
  7. Évolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Ailhon (07002)
  8. Évolution et structure de la population en 2017: Département de l'Ardèche (07)
  9. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00116619 Church of Saint André (in French)
  10. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM07001052 Sarcophagus cover (in French)
  11. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM07000454 Stoup (in French)
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