Aigne (; oc, Anha) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.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

Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

of southern

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 ...

Geography

Aigne is located some 25 km north-west of

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in France, commune in Southern France in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region. It lies from Paris in the Aude Departments of Franc ...

and 40 km north-east of

Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the ...

. The commune can be accessed by the D910 road from

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...

in the south-west continuing through the commune and the village to Aigues-Vives in the north-east. The D177 minor road also comes from Azillanet in the west to the village then continues north to join the D907 at the northern border of the commune. The south-eastern border of the commune is also the border between the Herault and

Aude Aude (; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it "Ca ...

departments. Most of the commune is undulating farmland with large areas of forest especially towards the west.Google Maps
/ref> Numerous streams rise in the commune and flow towards the south-west. The Ruisseau d'Embusque forms a large part of the south-eastern border.

History

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

presence has been found in Mouchas, Mouleyres and Embusco. *Large Roman Villas have been found at: Saint-Michel, La Prade, Les Mouleyres, Sainte-Leocadie, and Les Clauses *Slate Tombs have been found at: Saints-Abdon-et-Sennen, La Prade, Sainte-Leocadie, Le Caïrou, Sainte-Luchaire, and Les Mouleyres. The ''Treil'' of Pardailhan were the last noble Aigne family: they were also Barons of Pardailhan and Lords of La Caunette.

Heraldry

Administration

List of successive mayors of Aigne

Population

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aignois'' or ''Aignoises'' in French.

Economy

Aigne has a cooperative winery located at the entrance of the village. This winery has been absorbed by the cellar of Azillanet and no longer makes wine.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

*L'Escargot (The Snail) is a unique architectural building dating from the 11th century. This is a spiral of houses centred on the church square which is only accessible by a private porch. It was once flanked by a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of moveable ...

and defended by a

portcullis A portcullis (from Old French ''porte coleice'', "sliding gate") is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down gr ...

. It is likely that this architecture was the result of a strategic choice of defense.

Religious heritage

The Church contains two items which are registered as historical objects: *An

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

and

Tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...

(18th century) *A Bronze bell (1616)Ministry of Culture, Palissy

Tourism

There are several sites to visit with a restaurant on the town square and craft workshops.

References

External links

Aigne on the old IGN website

Aigne on the Official website of Pays Haut Languedoc et Vignobles

Aigne on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Aigne'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control Communes of Hérault