Aste-Béon

Aste-Béon (; oc, Asta e Bion) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Astois et Béonais'' or ''Astoises et Béonaises''.

Geography

Aste-Béon is located in the heart of the Ossau Valley some 33 km south-east of Oloron-Sainte-Marie and 7 km north of Laruns. Access to the commune is by road D240 from Castet in the north passing south down the valley in the west of the commune through the village and continuing to Béost in the south. The D290 connects the village of Béon in the north-east to the D934 road which runs from north to south parallel to the commune's western border. Most of the commune is rugged mountains with substantial forests except for a narrow strip down the western side of the commune in the Ossau Valley where there is farmland.Google Maps
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The Gave d'Ossau forms most of the western border of the commune as it flows north down the Ossau Valley eventually joining the Gave d'Aspe at Oloron-Sainte-Marie. The ''Lamay'' river rises in the east of the commune and flows west to join the Gave d'Ossau just south of the village.
The ''Arrigast'' flows into the Gave d'Ossau from the left bank forming the northern border of the commune on that side of the river.

Places and hamlets

* Grange l'Art
* Aste
* Béon
* Boala d'Aste
* Grange Borie
* Chiperne
* La Coumète
* Le Coutchet
* Dès (Barns)
* Le Génébra
* Grange Lavigne
* Lourziou
* Grange Loustalet
* Grange d'Ourdou
* Peyraube (Forest)
* Le Port d'Aste
* Le Port de Béon
* Pourteig
* Grange Salle
* Le Sarrat
* Serres
* Sers

Géoportail
IGN

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

The commune name in béarnais is ''Asta-Bion''.

Michel Grosclaude said that the name ''Aste'' comes from the basque ''aitz/as'' ("rocky point"). He suggested that the name ''Béon'' comes from the pre-indo-European oronymic root ''*ben''

The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.

Sources:

*Raymond: ''Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees'', 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. ''Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees''
Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011
*Grosclaude: ''Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn'', 2006 Michel Grosclaude, ''Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn'', Edicions reclams & Édition Cairn - 2006, 416 pages,
*Ossau: Notaries of Ossau
*Val de Tena: Treaty of Ossau - Val de Tena
*Luntz: Contracts of Luntz
*Carresse: Contracts of Carresse
*Insinuations: Insinuations of the Diocese of OloronManuscripts from the 17th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
*Denombrement: Denombremont of AsteManuscripts from the 17th and 18th centuries in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
*Cassini Map: Cassini Map from 1750Cassini Map 1750 - Asson
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History

In 1385 Aste had 18 fires and depended on the bailiwick of Ossau. In the same year Béon also had 18 fires and belonged to the same bailiwick. The fief of Béon depended on the Viscounts of Béarn.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Inter-communality

The commune is part of three inter-communal structures:
* the Communauté de communes de la Vallée d'Ossau;
* the SIVU for the construction of the Retirement home in Haut-Ossau;
* the joint association of Haut-Béarn;

The commune is part of the ''Pays d'Oloron et du Haut-Béarn''.

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 237 inhabitants.

Economy

The economy of the commune has historically been orientated towards agriculture and livestock. The commune is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone of Ossau-iraty.

In 1769, Jean-Joseph d'Augerot, Chief Justice of the Parliament of Navarre built a foundry in the Ossau Valley at Béon. The foundry used minerals from old mines located at Aste.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

*The Château of Béon (14th century) was occupied until the 17th century when it was abandoned until the 1980s. It remained the property of the House of Béon for all its history until its slow extinction in the 19th century. It is registered as a historical monument and has been completely restored.

Religious heritage

The Church of Saint John the Baptist (19th century) at Aste is registered as a historical monument.

It contains a Chalice (1654) which is registered as a historical object.

Environmental heritage

A ''Natural reserve of nesting vultures'' was created by a Ministerial Decree of 11 December 1974 and is located across the territoris of Aste-Béon, Bielle, Bilhères, and Castet. The museum which is associated with it, called ''La Falaise aux Vautours'', is at the entrance to the village.

The ''Pène de Béon'' is 1,251 metres high.

The commune is traversed from north to south by the GR of ''Pays du tour de la vallée d'Ossau''.The GRP on the Community of communes website

See also

* Ossau Valley
*Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department

External links

The Observatory of ''La Falaise aux Vautours'' website

The foundry of Béon on the ''Fer et Savoir Faire'' website

Aste-Béon on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Aste'' and ''Beon'' on the 1750 Cassini Map

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Astebeon
Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques