Arvigna (; oc, Arvinhan) 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 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 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 ...
.
Geography
Arvigna is a commune in the
Pre-Pyrenees
The Pre-Pyrenees are the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Description
As a mountainous system the Pre-Pyrenees are part of the Pyrenees. They run parallel to the main mountain range in a west to east direction.
On the French side the Pyrenees's slop ...
located some 11 km south-east of
Pamiers
Pamiers (; oc, Pàmias ) is a commune and largest city in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the most populous commune in the Ariège department, although i ...
and 12 km west by south-west of
Mirepoix
A mirepoix ( ; ) is a flavor base made from diced vegetables cooked—usually with butter, oil, or other fat—for a long time on low heat without coloring or browning, as further cooking, often with the addition of tomato purée, creates a dar ...
. Access to the commune is by the D12 road from
Vira in the south-west passing through the commune east of the village and continuing to join the D119 north of the commune. There are extensive forests in the commune covering about 40% of the land area with the rest farmland.
[Google Maps]
/ref>
The Douctouyre river flows along the edge of the forests in the north-east of the commune from south-east to north and it continues north to join the Hers
Hers may refer to:
* The possessive pronoun version of she
* Two rivers in southern France:
** Hers-Vif (also: ''Grand Hers'' or ''Hers'')
** Hers-Mort
* The Georgian name for the indigenous people of Hereti, more commonly called Èrs
* Her's, a ...
near Vals Vals is the word for waltz in many European languages.
Vals or VALS may also refer to:
* Peruvian waltz
* Venezuelan waltz
* Vals (dance), a dance related to Argentine tango
* VALS, "Values And Lifestyles," a psychographic segmentation tool
Place ...
. Four streams rise in the commune and flow north-east to join the Douctouyre in the commune - the Ruisseau de Lafage, the Ruisseau de Truffet, an unnamed stream, and the Ruisseau de Minguet. The western border is delineated by an unnamed stream which flows north to join Le Canal south of Saint-Amadou.[
]
Places and Hamlets
The population is mostly split between four hamlets (Languit, Menet, Roubichou, les Bordes) which are scattered around the Town hall and the school. The church is on the slopes of Cantegril hill above Arvigna village. There are eight other hamlets in the commune:[Géoportail](_blank)
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 ...
*Le Castel
*Marty
*Minguet
*Monge
*Peres
*Le Pioy
*La Rose
*Le Soula
*En Terraine
Neighbouring communes and villages
[
]
Heraldry
Administration
List of Successive Mayors
Demography
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arvignais'' or ''Arvignaises'' in French.
Sites and Monuments
There are four structures registered as historical monuments in Arvigna. These are:
*War memorial (20th century). This memorial is located inside the walls of the church.
*Funeral Chapel of the Barrière family (19th century)
*Wayside Cross at Roubichou (1813)
*Parish Church of Saint-Vincent and Saint-Martial (14th century).
The Church of Saint-Vincent and Saint-Martial contains many items that have been registered as historical objects. These are:
*Funeral Cross of Father Louis Richard (20th century)
*Cemetery Cross (19th century)
*The surroundings of the war memorial including the large statues of Saint Joan of Arc and Saint Germaine of Pibrac with their Corbels (20th century)
*2 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 ...
Towers (19th century)
*Cape and Cloth of Gold (19th century)
*4 sides of the processional dais
A dais or daïs ( or , American English also but sometimes considered nonstandard)[dais]
in the Random House Dictionary< ...
(19th century)
*Exhibition veil of the sacremental saint: IHS (19th century)
*Processional banner: Baby Jesus blessing the world (19th century)
*Baptismal fonts and a sculpture of the baptism of Christ (19th century)
*Secondary Altar of the Virgin, Altar tombstone, Altar seating, Tabernacle, and small statue: Virgin of the Sacred Heart (19th century)
*Harmonium
The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. Th ...
(19th-20th century)
*Main Altar, Altar tombstone, Altar seating, and Tabernacle (19th century)
*Collection plate (17th century)
*Stoup
A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water which is generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is often placed at the base of a crucifix or religious representation. It is used in the Catholic Church, Anglican Churches ...
: 3 anthropomorphic heads (17th century)
*Stoup (on a footing) (17th century)
*Family pew (19th century)
*Sacristy furniture (17th century)
*4 Funeral candlesticks (19th century)
*Altar Cross: Christ on the cross (17th century)
*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.
R ...
with its 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 ...
(20th century)
*Solar Monstrance (19th century)
*Mortuary cloth: with deaths-heads insignia (19th century)
*Mortuary cloth (19th century)
*Aube (19th century)
*Paddle: IHS (19th century)
*Paddle: IHS (18th century)
*Statuette: Virgin and child (18th century)
*Pair of paintings: Saint Vincent and Saint Martial (19th century)
*Altar table with its frame: Calvary St. Peter and St. Martial (17th century)
*4 Stained glass windows (19th century)
*The Church furniture
*4 paintings on the processional dais (19th century)[Ministry of Culture, Palissy ]
File:Monument aux Morts 2.JPG, War memorial
File:Eglise Médiévale Fortifiée d'Arvigna.jpg, The Church of Arvigna painted by R. Labitrie (1983)
File:Eglise Arvigna façade fortifiée.jpg, The fortified Church
File:Clocher ensoleilé.jpg, The Bell tower of the church
Local life, tourism and associations
Local life
School: an inter-communal educational grouping (RPI) for the Douctouyre Valley groups together the communes of Arvigna, Calzan, Vira, un Lieurac, and Carla-de-Roquefort. Five classes are open, including one at Arvigna with a canteen service and a CLAE. There is a leisure centre that operates on Wednesdays and during the holidays at Dun.
Tourism
There are two rural Gîte
A gîte () is a type of accommodation that comes in a variety of forms, ranging from a gîtes d'etape, a hostel, for walkers and cyclists, to a gîte rural, a holiday home in the country available for rent, often an accessory dwelling unit. The t ...
s (apartments), a Hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
or Mountain bike trail 7 km long trail which is an Earth Society (maquisards and guerrillas) path starting from the hamlet of Minguet to the site of a former Cathar
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 ...
castle (not restored).
Associations
*The Festival Committee organises various annual events, local festivals and fireworks. It includes many people from the commune and elsewhere, young and old.
*Hunting Association
*Walking group: ''Les Caminaïres''
See also
* Communes of the Ariège department
References
External links
Arvigna on the old National Geographic Institute website
Arvigna on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Arvigna'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control
Communes of Ariège (department)