Azet is a commune in the

Hautes-Pyrénées Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs es, Altos Pirineos; ca, Alts Pirineus alts piɾiˈneʊs English: Upper Pyrenees) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. ...

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 ...

Geography

Azet is located some 55 km south by south-east of

Tarbes Tarbes (; Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the capital of Bigorre and of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has been a commune since 1790. It was known as ''Turba'' ...

and 20 km west of Bagnères-de-Luchon. Access to the commune is by road D225 from Estensan in the west to the village. The public square of the village is 1,172 metres above sea level at the intersection of the Aure and Louron valleys with the

Col de Val Louron-Azet The Col de Val Louron-Azet (or Col d'Azet) (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the French Pyrenees in the department of Hautes-Pyrénées, which links Saint-Lary-Soulan and Azet, in the Aure Valley to the west, with Génos and Loudenvielle i ...

to the south-east. The commune is very rugged and inaccessible with extensive forests in the south.Google Maps
/ref> The ''Ruisseau de Lustau'' flows north from the ''Lustou Lake'' in the south of the commune, gathering many tributaries including the ''Ruisseau de Sarrouyes'' which flows from lakes in the south-east of the commune, and becoming the ''Mousquere'' before passing the village and continuing north to join the Neste d'Aure north of

Vielle-Aure Vielle-Aure (; oc, Vièla) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department of the Occitanie region in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department An intentional community is a voluntary residential comm ...

Climate

Azet has a mountain climate with high temperatures in summer.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

The probable etymology of the name is ''Adet, adou, ados, âne, asou'', then ''Azet'' meaning a place marking the end of the terrain which could only be crossed by donkey or horse.

History

There is little evidence to trace the origin of the village except the church, which dates from the fourth quarter of the 12th century In 1887 the village had two primary schools. Village resources were mainly

pastoralism Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as "livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The animal ...

with livestock farming of sheep, cows, horses, and donkeys as well as crops such as wheat, rye, meslin, barley, buckwheat, beans, peas, potatoes, turnips, flax sprouts, and hay. From the 1880s the population decreased due to the waves of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

during 1886-1887 and the rural exodus of young people.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Population

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Azetois'' or ''Azetoises'' in French. Azet village

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has a number of sites that are registered as historical monuments: *Houses and Farms (18th-19th century) *A Farmhouse (1865)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée ;Other sites of interest: *The Pyrenean House of Pastoralism is an educational and tourist centre on pastoralism in the mountains. The museum traces the history and development of pastoralism in France and worldwide.

Religious heritage

The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (12th century) is registered as an historical monument.Ministry of Culture, Mérimée Ministry of Culture, Mérimée The Church contains a very large number of items that are registered as historical objects.

References

External links

Azet on the old IGN website

Azet on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Azet'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control Communes of Hautes-Pyrénées