Alpuech ( Languedocien: ''Alpuèg'') is a former

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

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants ...

department in the Occitanie region of southern

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 ...

. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Argences-en-Aubrac. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Alpuechois'' or ''Alpuechoises''

Geography

This commune lies below the south-central portion of the

Massif Central The (; oc, Massís Central, ; literally ''"Central Massif"'') is a highland region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaus. It covers about 15% of mainland France. Subject to volcanism that has subsided in the last 10,0 ...

on the plateau of the Viadène to the northwest of the plateau of

Aubrac Aubrac is a small village in the southern Massif Central of France. The name is also applied to the surrounding countryside, which is properly called L'Aubrac in French. The Aubrac region has been a member of the Natura 2000 network since August 20 ...

. The commune is long and narrow oriented from north-west to south-east about 50 km south-west of

Saint-Flour Saint-Flour (; Auvergnat: ''Sant Flor'') is a commune in the Cantal department in the Auvergne region in south-central France, around 100 km south of Clermont-Ferrand. Its inhabitants are called ''Sanflorains''. Geography The upper cit ...

and 50 km north-west of Marvejols. Access to the commune is by road D921 which crosses the central waist of the commune from

Laguiole Laguiole (; ''La Guiòla'' in Languedocien) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. It is known for its Laguiole cheese, which has an ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (label of guaranteed origin), and as the birthpl ...

in the south-west to Lacalm in the north east. The D34 road starts from this road on the eastern border of the commune and passes through to the north-west, through the village and continues west to La Terrisse. There are a number of country roads in the commune but no other villages or hamlets.Google Maps
/ref> The Argence Vive stream forms the western border of the commune and flows westward to join the river Truyère. Its tributary Argence Morte also rises in the commune and flows north where it forms part of the northern border before continuing westwards to the Argence Vive. Apart from the ''Ruisseau de Fluols'' in the south-western border these are the only significant waterways in the commune.

Neighbouring communes and villages

History

Alpuech existed in 976 and from the fourteenth century fairs that took place there were famous in the country. The Castle of Alpuech as well as that of Cantoin, the Barony of Benaven, and Lacalm castle all belonged to the County of Rodez. This gave the benefit to Alpuech of the monastery of Pebrac (Haute Loire) in 1215. The castle was destroyed in 1550. The oldest houses surround the church which is from the 11th century in the Roman style with a Latin cross. In good weather the bell tower has views over the Cantal Mountains. There are traces of

Roman roads Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

and also paths from the 16th century on the road to Vitrac and a remarkable "

tau cross The tau cross is a T-shaped cross, sometimes with all three ends of the cross expanded. It is called a “tau cross” because it is shaped like the Greek letter tau, which in its upper-case form has the same appearance as Latin letter T. Anoth ...

" from the 12th century north of the village.Tourist Site for Alpuech

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Alpuech ;Mayors from 1935

Population

Sites and monuments

*The Church of Saint Martin (11th century) is registered as an historical monumentMinistry of Culture, Mérimée

Notable people linked to the Commune

*J.P. Bouyssou, known as the 'Thief of Alpuech' was an outlaw and Royalist who was a "Robin Hood" of the revolutionary era: he took from the rich to give to the poor.

References

External links

Canton of Sainte Geneviève-sur-Argence tourism website

Alpuech on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Alpuech'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control Former communes of Aveyron Populated places disestablished in 2016