Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia
Pic d'Anie (Basque Auñamendi) is a mountain of the Pyrenees in France, located close to the Spanish border. It is high.
The mountain boasts an almost perfect pyramidal shape and is surrounded by the spectacular karst landscape of. ''Larra'', i ...
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
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlant ...
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...
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 an ...
in southwestern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
Soule
Soule (Basque: Zuberoa; Zuberoan/ Soule Basque: Xiberoa or Xiberua; Occitan: ''Sola'') is a former viscounty and French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département''. It is divided into two cantons of the arrond ...
.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aloztar-Ziboztar-Oniztar''
Geography
''Alos-Sibas-Abense'' is located some 90 km south-east of Bayonne and 80m km west of
Lourdes
Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Châ ...
. The D918 road runs down the eastern border of the commune, but does not enter. Access to the commune is on road D247 from Alcay-Alcabehety-Sunharette in the southwest which runs through the heart of the commune to the village. It then continues to the southeast linking with the D918 at
. Most of the commune is farmland with some forest and it has a network of country roads covering most of the commune.Google Maps /ref>
Hydrography
Located in the
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...
Saison
Saison (French, "season," ) is a pale ale that is highly carbonated, fruity, spicy, and often bottle conditioned. It was historically brewed with low alcohol levels, but modern productions of the style have moderate to high levels of alcohol. ...
river passes along and forms the eastern border of the commune parallel with the D918 road. The Aphoura stream (18 km), which is fed by the Ardounc, the Batasse (10.1 km), the Laritolle, the Jaga, and the Uthurrotche erreka, flows near the village and to the Saisson.
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
Toponymy
The commune name in
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
is ''Aloze-Ziboze-Onizegaine''.Brigitte Jobbé-Duval, ''Dictionary of Placenames - Pyrénées-Atlantiques'', 2009, Archives and Culture,
The Basque form of ''Sibas'' can be ''Ziboz(e)'' or ''Ziborotz(e)''.
Jean-Baptiste Orpustan suggested that ''Abense'' came from a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
phonetic change to the Basque ''Oniz'' > ''onise'' > ''oénse'' > ''auénse'' > ''abense''. The base of the name is the oronym ''ona'', also present in '' Bayonne'' and ''Oneix''. The modern Basque form (''Onizegañia'', ''Onizegañe'' or ''Omiz(e)'') are equivalent to "Upper" (''gain(e)a'' > ''gañia'').
Brigitte Jobbé-Duval suggests that ''Oniz'' is the name of a noble Basque family.
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
Sources:
*Orpustan: Jean-Baptiste Orpustan '' New Basque Toponymy'' ref name="Orpustan">Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, ''New Basque Toponymy'' Presses universitaires de Bordeaux, 2006, p. 189-191,
*
Raymond
Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...
Soule
Soule (Basque: Zuberoa; Zuberoan/ Soule Basque: Xiberoa or Xiberua; Occitan: ''Sola'') is a former viscounty and French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département''. It is divided into two cantons of the arrond ...
Customs of
Soule
Soule (Basque: Zuberoa; Zuberoan/ Soule Basque: Xiberoa or Xiberua; Occitan: ''Sola'') is a former viscounty and French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département''. It is divided into two cantons of the arrond ...
in 1520, printed at Pau in 1760
*Duchesne: Duchesne collection volume CXIVDuchesne Collection, volumes 99 to 114, containing the papers of Oihenart, former Imperial Librarian - Bibliothèque nationale de France
File:Alos (Alos-Sibas-Abense, Pyr-Atl, Fr) Mairie.JPG, Town Hall at Alos
File:Alos (Alos-Sibas-Abense, Pyr-Atl, Fr) vieilles steles discoïdales.JPG, Old
Hilarri
Hilarri (from Basque ''hil'' 'dead' and ''harri'' 'stone') is the name given to disk-shaped funerary steles that are typical of the Basque Country.
These funerary steles present a disc-shaped head facing the rising sun on a trapezoidal sta ...
at Alos
File:Sibas (Alos-Sibas-Abense, Pyr-Atl, Fr) L'église dans l'ombre des arbres.JPG, The Church of Sibas
File:Sibas (Alos-Sibas-Abense, Pyr-Atl, Fr) vieille stèle basque.JPG, Old
Hilarri
Hilarri (from Basque ''hil'' 'dead' and ''harri'' 'stone') is the name given to disk-shaped funerary steles that are typical of the Basque Country.
These funerary steles present a disc-shaped head facing the rising sun on a trapezoidal sta ...
at Sibas
File:Abense-de-Haut (Alos-Sibas-Abense) L'église trinitaire.JPG, Trinity Bell Tower at the Church of Abense
File:Absense-de-Haut (Alos-Sibas-Absense, Pyr-Atl, Fr) vieux stèle basque.JPG,
Hilarri
Hilarri (from Basque ''hil'' 'dead' and ''harri'' 'stone') is the name given to disk-shaped funerary steles that are typical of the Basque Country.
These funerary steles present a disc-shaped head facing the rising sun on a trapezoidal sta ...
at Abense
History
Sibas merged with Alos on 23 October 1843 to form Alos-Sibas. On 16 April 1859, following the annexation of part of the territory of Abense-de-Haut, the commune took the name of Alos-Sibas-Abense.
On the same day the commune of Abense-de-Haut disappeared, its territory being divided between Alos-Sibas and Tardets.
Heraldry
Administration
Lists of Successive Mayors of Alos-Sibas-Abense
Until 1843
;Alos
;Sibas
;Abense-de-Haut
Until 1859
;Alos-Sibas
;Abense-de-Haut
After 1859
;Alos-Sibas-Abense
Intercommunality
The town is part of six intercommunal structures:
*the
Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque
The communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque ( eu, Euskal Hirigune Elkargoa), is the ''communauté d'agglomération'', an intercommunal structure, centred on the cities of Bayonne and Biarritz. It is located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques depa ...
*the union to support Basque culture
*SIVOM of the canton of Tardets
*the municipal association for the gaves of Oloron and Mauleon
*SIVU for Tourism in Haute-Soule and Barétous
*the AEP Union for Soule country
Demography
In 2017 the commune had 319 inhabitants. The population data given in the table and graph below for 1836 and earlier refer to the former commune of Alos, and for 1841-1851 to the former commune of Alos-Sibas.
Economy
Economic activity is mainly focused on agriculture (livestock and pasture). The town is part of the
Appellation d'origine contrôlée
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bou ...
zone of
Ossau-iraty
Ossau-Iraty is an Occitan- Basque cheese made from sheep milk.
Origin
Ossau-Iraty or Esquirrou is produced in south-western France, in the Northern Basque Country and in Béarn. Its name reflects its geographical location, the Ossau Valley in B ...
.
Culture and heritage
Civil heritage
*Etchandia House, formerly owned by the Etchandy family.
*La Salle d'Abense
Religious heritage
The Church of Abense contains a Processional Cross (15th century) which is registered as an historical object.
The town has an early childhood hub (Child care centre and a creche) and an ''
Ikastola
An (, plural ) is a type of primary and secondary school in the Basque Autonomous Community, Navarre and (to a much lesser extent) the French Basque Country (see Basque Country) in which pupils are taught either entirely or predominantly in the ...