Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, it ...
department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
in the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...
region of southeastern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aiglenois'' or ''Aiglenoises''.
Geography
Aiglun is a remote mountain commune some 40 km north-east of Nice in a straight line. There are only two access routes to the commune - the first by Highway D17 from Roquesteron to the east. Heading west on Highway D17 continue left onto Highway D10 which continues via a mountainous route into the commune and the village of Aiglun. The other access is the continuation of Highway D10 west from Aiglun over a circuitous mountain route to
Le Mas
Le Mas ( oc, Lo Mas) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of South-eastern France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Massois, Massoises'', or ''Massoinques''.
Geography
Le Mas is l ...
. The
Estéron
The Estéron is a river that flows through the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Alpes-Maritimes departments of southeastern France. It is long. Its drainage basin is .Google Maps /ref>
Neighbouring communes and villages
History
In 1388 the village of Aiglun was under the protection of the
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...
like the rest of the region during the "Dédition of Nice to Savoy" from 1388.
At the Treaty of Turin on 24 March 1760, the commune became French (the kingdom of France and that of Sardinia then proceeded to boundary adjustments and therefore there was an exchange of territories).
Toponymy
The name of the town appears for the first time in texts around 1200 in the form ''Ayglezuni''. This was derived from the Latin word ''Aquila'', meaning "eagle", and the Gallic ''dunum'', meaning "height" and signifies as a whole the "height of the eagle".
The village is known for its steep climbing walls over 200 metres high with high difficulty routes. The Aiglun canyon is also popular for canyoning enthusiasts.
Aiglun Picture Gallery
Aiglun.jpg, The Village
File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Tunnel.JPG, First tunnel on the road to the village
File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Bridge.JPG, The bridge entering Aiglun
File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Cliff Road.JPG, The cliff road into Aiglun
File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Oratory.JPG, An Oratory in the cliff face
File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Entry.JPG, The entry to Aiglun
File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Street.JPG, Main entrance to Aiglun
File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Water Trough.JPG, Aiglun Water Trough
File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Church.JPG, Aiglun Church
Notable people
*Fanny Robiane. Daughter of Joseph Robin, who was mayor of Aiglun in the early 20th century, this French theatre actress died in 1982 at Aiglun, where she retired and she has left a rich archive (autographed books, including by Armand Godoy, Jean-Richard Bloch and others; pictures; clippings, etc.). Her memory is still alive with the people of Aiglun (the Aiglenois) who knew her and plans are underway to honour her. A cultural association sponsored among others by the commune and the General Council launched since 2004 called "Fanny Robiane Encounter" devoted to theatre, poetry, music and other one-time cultural events are scheduled throughout the year. Sometimes these events are carried out in collaboration with the University of Nice.
See also
* Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department
*Yves Bernard, ''The Tourist and Cultural Directory of the Alpes-Maritimes and Monaco'', p. 149 Publishing Campanile, 1997 ()