Alzonne (; oc, Alzona) 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

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 ...

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 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 ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Alzonnois'' or ''Alzonnoises''

Geography

The commune is located in the

Lauragais The Lauragais () is an area of the south-west of France that is south-east of Toulouse. The Lauragais, a former county in the south-west of France, takes its name from the town of Laurac and has a large area. It covers both sides of the Canal ...

valley some 15 km west 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 ...

and 15 km east of

Castelnaudary Castelnaudary (; oc, Castèlnòu d'Arri) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France. It is located in the former province of the Lauragais and famous for cassoulet of which it claims to be the world cap ...

. The route D6113 passes through the commune from west to east between these two cities and becomes National Route N113 near Carcassonne. The Autoroute des Deux Mers (A61, E80) passes just 1 km south of the commune but the nearest exit is to the D43 near

Bram Bram may refer to: People * Bram (given name) * Bram (surname) * Bram (wrestler) (born 1986), ring name of professional wrestler Thomas Raymond Latimer * Bram Tchaikovsky (born 1950), stage name of British musician Peter Bramall * Bram Stoker Iris ...

. Other roads running into the commune are the D8 from

Montolieu Montolieu (; oc, Montoliu) is a commune in the Aude department in southern France. Sometimes referred to as " Village of Books", Montolieu contains fifteen bookshops, mostly specializing in second-hand and antiquarian books. Many artists al ...

in the north, the D34 from Saint-Martin-le-Vieil in the northwest, and the D33 running west to east from Bram to

Villesèquelande Villesèquelande (; oc, Vilaseca-Landa) is a commune near Carcassonne in the Aude department in southern France. It is noted for the ancient field elm, the Ormeau Sully, allegedly planted by Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully Maximilien ...

forms the southern border of the commune with a connecting road running north to the village. The

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

Sète Sète (; oc, Seta, ), also historically spelt ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises' ...

railway runs west to east across the southern part of the commune but there is no station. The nearest station is at Bram.Google Maps
/ref> The ''Fresquel'' river runs from west to east through the commune passing just south of the village and joining the

at Carcassonne. The Fresquel is joined by the ''Lampy'' just east of the village and a number of streams flow into the two rivers including the ''Ruisseau de Fontorbe'', the ''Ruisseau de Rebenty'', the ''Ruisseau de Falgous'', and the ''Vernassonne'' which forms a part of the northern border of the commune. The

Canal du Midi The Canal du Midi (; ) is a long canal in Southern France (french: le Midi). Originally named the ''Canal royal en Languedoc'' (Royal Canal in Languedoc) and renamed by French revolutionaries to ''Canal du Midi'' in 1789, the canal is considere ...

also passes through the southern part of the commune. The commune is mostly farmland with some forests in the north. Apart from the village of Alzonne there are also the hamlets of Fongayraud and La Rode near the village, and La Migance in the north.

Neighbouring communes and villages

800px, center, View of the Pyrenees

Toponymy

The name ''Alsona'' dates from 898 and comes from ''Fresquel''. It is based on the

Hydronym A hydronym (from el, ὕδρω, , "water" and , , "name") is a type of toponym that designates a proper name of a body of water. Hydronyms include the proper names of rivers and streams, lakes and ponds, swamps and marshes, seas and oceans. As a ...

ic root ''alz-'' meaning "alder" or "swamp" (Dauzat, Negre, Billy, Morvan) and the suffix ''-onna''.

History

''Alzonne'' from the 9th century was a town of some importance as it was once the capital of the

viguerie In Southern France, a ''viguerie'' (; la, vicaria) was a mediaeval administrative court. A ''viguerie'' is named for the place it serves or is found in, that is, the main town of the borough, which need not be its (administrative capital). Appear ...

of its name: ''vicaria Ausonensis''; therefore Alzonne was also known ''in pago Carcassensi''. In this respect the situation of Alzonne has hardly changed since this small town is today the capital of the canton of its name in the arrondissement of

. Its ancient and enduring importance is due to the fertility of its land and the rivers that form its fertile valley. Once the city was fortified and was besieged and taken three times during the

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

of the 16th century. It was a strategic place in the crusade against the

Albigensian Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. Follo ...

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Alzonne ;Mayors from 1929

Population

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has two structures that are registered as historical objects: *The War Memorial (1921) *The Monument to Vialatte (1902) ;Other sites of interest *The

Rébenty Aqueduct Aqueducts on the Canal du Midi allow the canal to intersect and cross over natural streams. There are two exceptions, the first is the Herbettes Aqueduct where it crosses a four-lane highway in Toulouse. Another exception is where it intersectio ...

on the

across the ''Ruisseau de Rébenty''

Religious heritage

The Church contains two items that are registered as historical objects: *A Bronze Bell (1782) *A Bronze Bell (1591)Ministry of Culture, Palissy

Notable People linked to the commune

*Jean Dours (1809-1877), Bishop of

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

, was born in Alzonne *Antoine Gayraud (18 May 1910 in Alzonne - 18 March 1981 in Carcassonne), French politician * Françoise de Veyrinas (4 September 1943 - 16 August 2008), born and died in Alzonne, French politician