Aydius

Aydius (French pronunciation: [aidjus];[3][4] Occitan: Aidius) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.

Aydius
Commune
A general view of Aydius
A general view of Aydius
Location of Aydius
Aydius is located in France
Aydius
Aydius
Aydius is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Aydius
Aydius
Coordinates: 43°00′07″N 0°32′24″W
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentPyrénées-Atlantiques
ArrondissementOloron-Sainte-Marie
CantonOloron-Sainte-Marie-1
IntercommunalityHaut Béarn
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Bernard Choy[1]
Area
1
34.72 km2 (13.41 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
106
 • Density3.1/km2 (7.9/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
64085 /64490
Elevation551–2,173 m (1,808–7,129 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Aydius is located some 25 km south by south-east of Oloron-Sainte-Marie just east of Bedous. Access to the commune is by the D237 road from Bedous which goes to the village and terminates there. The commune is alpine in nature with extensive forests, rugged terrain and snow-capped mountains in the east.[5]

The Gabarret river rises in the east of the commune and flows west gathering a large number of tributaries including the Ruisseau d'Arces, the Ruisseau du Saslars, the Gave de Béranfueil, the Gave de Bouren, the Ruisseau d'Ilhiec, the Ruisseau Sarité, the Ruisseau de Traillère, and the Ruisseau de Sahun (which forms part of the western border of the commune) before flowing west to join the Gave d'Aspe at Bedous.

Places and hamlets
  • Anire[6]
  • L'Ardoisière
  • Arès (barn)
  • Arques (forest)[6]
  • Las Arretortes (Cap de)
  • Les Arrouyes[6]
  • Baich (Rangole de)
  • Barca[6]
  • Barrada
  • Bat (barn)
  • Bat (bridge)
  • Bérangueil
  • Bérie (bank)
  • Bérouste (Serrot de)
  • Bésur (cabin)
  • Bouren[6]
  • Cachiquet (cabin)
  • Calhabets (Pas de)
  • Capdarest
  • Capdevielle
  • Capouret
  • Carn de Haut (bank)
  • Casaubon
  • Les Catiasses (forest)
  • Chechit
  • Core de Cam
  • Cot de Picars (alley)
  • La Courade (Col de)
  • Courdé
  • Courrège Longue
  • Cret Arrouy (Cap de)
  • Escarrebirats (Pas d')
  • Escourau (bank)
  • Escut (forest)
  • Guérègne
  • Haut (Rangole de)
  • Hourquet Roes (cabin)
  • Les Ichantes[6][7]
  • Ichantes (forest)
  • Illes (bank)
  • Le Labay
  • Lacazette
  • Lacazotte
  • Laresse
  • Lartigalot
  • Latoussé (Pènes des)
  • Lespy
  • Luc (barn)
  • Manautton
  • Mariebère (forest)[6]
  • Mirande
  • Mousquaté (forest)[6]
  • Mousté (Col de)[6]
  • Pée Nouqué (ruins)
  • Pouey
  • La Poueye (Hosse de)
  • Salaneuve (ruins)
  • Les Salars[6]
  • Sarrelangue
  • Sartiat (forest)
  • Sézy (barn)
  • Soumaous (Hosse de)
  • Tousset
  • l'Usclat (forest)[6]

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

The commune name in Gascon is Aidius. Michel Grosclaude said that the name probably comes from the same root as Aydie but its origin and meaning remain obscure.[8]

The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.

NameSpellingDateSourcePageOriginDescription
AydiusAydius1385GrosclaudeVillage
Lo temple de Sent Martin d'Aydius1590Raymond
18
Register of Aydius, BB, i, folio 3
Aydius1750Cassini
AnireAmire1385Raymond
6
CensusFarm
Anire1863Raymond
6
Le Col des ArquesLe Col des Arques1863Raymond
11
Pass from Aydius to Gère-Bélesten
Les ArrouyesLes Arrouyes1863Raymond
13
Mountain
BarcaBarca1863Raymond
21
Mountain
Le BéranguetLe Béranguet1863Raymond
28
Stream
Le BourenLe Bouren1863Raymond
35
Stream
Les IchantesLes Ichantes1863Raymond
81
Hamlet
L'IllecqL'Illecq1863Raymond
82
Stream
Les JaupinsLes Jaupins1863Raymond
85
Hamlet
MariebèreMarie-Bère1863Raymond
108
Mountain[9]
Bois de MousquatéMousquété1863Raymond
119
Forest
MoustéMousté1863Raymond
120
Mountain on the border with Sarrance
Col de PianLe Col de Pian1863Raymond
135
Pass to Bedous
Col de PicasLe Col de Picas1863Raymond
135
Mountain Pass
SalarsLes Salars1863Raymond
153
Hamlet

Sources:

Origins:

  • Census: Census of Béarn[11]

History

A rock shelter dating from prehistory called Abri Gandon-Lassus has been discovered in the commune.[12]

Paul Raymond noted on page 18 of his 1863 dictionary that the commune had a Lay Abbey, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn and that in 1385 there were 30 fires and Aydius depended on the bailiwick of Aspe.[6]

Administration

List of Successive Mayors[13]

FromToName
19952014Bernard Bourguinat
20142026Bernard Choy

Inter-communality

The commune is part of four inter-communal structures:

  • the Communauté de communes du Haut Béarn;
  • the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques;
  • the inter-communal association for aid to education in the Vallée d'Aspe;
  • the joint association for Haut-Béarn.

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 114 inhabitants.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 685—    
1800 726+0.83%
1806 701−0.58%
1821 891+1.61%
1831 847−0.51%
1836 822−0.60%
1841 833+0.27%
1846 890+1.33%
1851 813−1.79%
1856 855+1.01%
1861 735−2.98%
1866 695−1.11%
1872 715+0.47%
1876 694−0.74%
1881 613−2.45%
1886 586−0.90%
1891 541−1.59%
1896 526−0.56%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 520−0.23%
1906 518−0.08%
1911 489−1.15%
1921 349−3.32%
1926 283−4.11%
1931 268−1.08%
1936 241−2.10%
1946 181−2.82%
1954 137−3.42%
1962 98−4.10%
1968 88−1.78%
1975 94+0.95%
1982 67−4.72%
1990 74+1.25%
1999 80+0.87%
2007 102+3.08%
2012 98−0.80%
2017 114+3.07%
Source: EHESS[14] and INSEE[15]

Economy

The economy of the commune is mainly focused towards agriculture and livestock. The commune is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone of Ossau-iraty.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has many sites that are registered as historical monuments:

  • The Maison Guiraudé (1891)[16]
  • The Maison Pualet (16th century)[17]
  • The Maison Hontas (18th century)[18]
  • The Abri Gandon-Lassus Prehistoric Cave (Prehistory)[12]
  • The Maison Ichante (1807)[7][19]
  • The Maison Casaubon (18th century)[20]

Religious heritage
  • The Parish Church of Saint Martin (14th century) is registered as an historical monument.[21][22]

Environmental heritage

Aydie contains a number of high mountains:

  • The Sommet de Tachat (1,408 metres),
  • The Sommet de Talabot (1,591 metres),
  • The Sommet de Pétraube (1,606 metres,
  • The Sommet de Houndarete (1,695 metres),
  • The Soum de la Mousquère (1,778 metres,
  • The Turon de la Goaita (1,805 metres,
  • The Lousquette de Barca (1,870 metres,
  • The Pic de Lariou (1,903 metres, and
  • The Mailh Bassibe (1,973 metres.

See also

Bibliography

In his book L'ours et les brebis (The Bear and the sheep), Etienne Lamazou recounted his life as a transhumant shepherd from 1913 to 1969. Originally from Aydius, he never left except to take his cattle to their winter plain. He recounted the life of a shepherd as it still existed at the beginning of the 20th century. All the action takes place in and around Aydius and the book has many thousands of anecdotes sometimes soothing, sometimes moving, and often instructive.

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. franceinfo. "À Aydius, les habitants prennent "soins les uns des autres" durant le confinement". YouTube.
  4. France 3 Nouvelle-Aquitaine. "Auberge des isards Aydius". YouTube.
  5. Google Maps
  6. Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011 (in French)
  7. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA64000002 Maison Ichante (in French)
  8. Michel Grosclaude, Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, Edicions reclams & Édition Cairn - 2006, 416 pages, ISBN 2-35068-005-3 (in French)
  9. from Maria beroy, meaning "Beautiful Mary": Robert Aymard (member of the French Onomastic Society), Pyrénéen Toponyms, Lacour, 2009 ISBN 9782750424305, page 251 (in French)
  10. Cassini Map 1750 – Aydius
  11. Manuscript from the 14th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  12. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA64000012 Abri Gandon-Lassus Prehistoric Cave (in French)
  13. List of Mayors of France (in French)
  14. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Aydius, EHESS (in French).
  15. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  16. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64001004 Maison Guiraudé (in French)
  17. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64001007 Maison Pualet (in French)
  18. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64001008 Maison Hontas (in French)
  19. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64000980 Maison Ichante (in French)
  20. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64001005 Maison Casaubon (in French)
  21. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64000975 Parish Church of Saint Martin (in French)
  22. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00132935 Parish Church of Saint Martin (in French)
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