Argein (; oc, Argenh) 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 Ariège

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 south-western

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 ''Argenois'' or ''Argenoises''

Geography

Argein is located some 12 km south-west of Saint-Girons just a kilometre west of

Audressein Audressein (; oc, Audressenh) is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region of south-western France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Audressenois'' or ''Audressenoises''. Geography Audressein is situated on the ...

. Access to the commune is by the D618 road from Audressein in the east passing through the centre of the commune and the village and continuing west to Aucazein. Apart from the village there is also the hamlet of Viellot. The centre of the commune is the valley of the Bouigane oriented east–west where the village lies. In the valley there is some farmland however the rugged north and south of the commune is heavily forested.Google Maps
/ref> The ''Buouigane'' river flows along the central valley east to join the Léz at

. Some tributaries rise in the commune to join the Bouigane including the ''Ruisseau d'Auriech'' and the ''Ruisseau de Sol''.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Administration

List of Successive Mayors ;Mayors from 1929

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 194 inhabitants. Argein War Memorial

Sites and Monuments

The Parish Church of Saint Peter is an old Romanesque church from the 12th century and now an integral part of a church originally built in the 9th century. The original semicircular

Apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

forms the south aisle of the present building. There is 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 ...

bearing a very ancient inscription (prior to the 4th century) depicted again in the south wall of the church. The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects: *2 Altar Candlesticks (17th century) *2 Collection Plates (16th century) *A

Thurible A thurible (via Old French from Medieval Latin ) is a metal censer suspended from chains, in which incense is burned during worship services. It is used in Christian churches including the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Assyrian Church of th ...

(17th century) *A Ciborium (1638) *A

Chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. Re ...

(17th century) *A

with

Paten A paten or diskos is a small plate, used during the Mass. It is generally used during the liturgy itself, while the reserved sacrament are stored in the tabernacle in a ciborium. Western usage In many Western liturgical denominations, the p ...

(16th century) *A Statue: Saint Peter (18th century) *A

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) *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 ...

Retable A retable is a structure or element placed either on or immediately behind and above the altar or communion table of a church. At the minimum it may be a simple shelf for candles behind an altar, but it can also be a large and elaborate structur ...

, and Altar Dais (18th century) *A Monumental Painting on the southern exterior facade and interior walls (17th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy

Notable people linked to the commune

*Honoré Laffont, born 6 October 1901 at Argein and died on 14 February 1975. An international

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

player (1st time in 1926 against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

). He was twice a finalist in the championship of France with

RC Narbonne R&C, RC, R/C, Rc, or rc may refer to: Science and technology Computing * rc, the default Command line interface in Version 10 Unix and Plan 9 from Bell Labs * .rc (for "run commands"), a filename extension for configuration files in UNIX-like ...

(1932 and 1933). He played scrum half (1.65m, 62 kg). He was also coach for RC Narbonne.

References

External links

Argein on the National Geographic Institute website

Argein on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Argein'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control Communes of Ariège (department)