Aubignosc (; oc, Aubinhòsc) 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

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or sometimes abbreviated as AHP (; oc, Aups d'Auta Provença; ) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the south, Vaucluse to the west ...

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

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...

region of south-eastern

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 ''Aubignoscais'' or ''Aubignoscaises''.

Geography

Aubignosc is located in the west of the

Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...

, 21 km west of

Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Cô ...

and 36 km north by north-east of

Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...

. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of Les Jardins and Le Forest.Google Maps
/ref>

Topography

The village is located at 460 metres above sea level on the eastern slope of the valley of the

Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Baronnies The Baronnies, in French Les Baronnies, is a historic name for the area East and North of Mont Ventoux in Southern France. Today most of the Baronnies is part of the ''département'' Drôme (a part of the ''région'' Rhône-Alpes). Smaller areas ...

to the west. The altitude varies from 432 metres to 1,330 metres (east of the Lure mountain whose summit is at 1,826 metres between

Cruis Cruis is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 Communes of France, communes of the Alpes-de-H ...

and Noyers-sur-Jabron. It once corresponded to a linguistic border between two varieties of

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

). South of the village is hilly terrain with carved valleys and gullies over 600 metres deep. There are the Redonnette Ravine, the Maurieu Ravine, the Côtes chaudes Ravine, the Trou de Loupe Ravine, and the valley of the Grand Champ successively from north to south along the hills.

Environment

The town has 734 hectares of woods and forests.

Transport

The commune lies between

Forcalquier Forcalquier (; oc, Forcauquier, ) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Forcalquier is located between the Lure and Luberon mountain ranges, about south of Sisteron and west of the Durance river. Dur ...

(south-west), Digne-les-Bains to the east and Gap farther north. Access to the commune is by the

A51 autoroute The A51 autoroute is a partly completed motorway in southeast France. It is the long-term project to connect Marseille to Grenoble via Aix-en-Provence, the Durance Valley and the Hautes-Alpes department. Route The motorway passes the cities ...

from

La Brillanne La Brillanne (; oc, La Brilhana) is a commune in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in southeastern France. Population Its inhabitants are referred to as ''Brillannais''. See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence departmen ...

in the south passing through the east of the commune with Exit 21 in the commune and continuing north.

Route nationale A ''route nationale'', or simply ''nationale'', is a class of trunk road in France. They are important roads of national significance which cross broad portions of the French territory, in contrast to departmental or communal roads which serve m ...

N85 comes from

Malijai Malijai () is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Geography The village lies on the right bank of the Bléone, which forms part of the commune's western border, then flows west through the northern part ...

in the south and joins the A51 in the commune. The D4085 comes from Sisteron in the north and joins the N85 in the commune. The D951 comes from

Peipin Peipin () is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence dep ...

in the north and passes south through the west of the commune and continues to

Mallefougasse-Augès Mallefougasse-Augès (; oc, Malafogassa d'Augès) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 co ...

in the south-west. Access to the village is by the D503 which branches off the D4085 in the commune and goes south-west to join the D951 in the commune. The nearest railway station served by the

TER Ter or TER may refer to: Places * River Ter, in Essex, England * Ter (river), in Catalonia * Ter (department), a region in France * Torre (river), (Slovene: ''Ter''), a river in Italy * Ter, Ljubno, a settlement in the Municipality of Ljubno ob ...

(Marseille - Briancon) is located in Sisteron as well as a bus station. Buses provide connections to the Digne-les-Bains - Château-Arnoux - Veynes service as well as the Digne -

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

service. The aerodrome of Sisteron-Theze is located twenty kilometres to the north at

Vaumeilh Vaumeilh (; oc, Vaumelha) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography It is a small Provençal village with narrow, winding streets which backs on to a hi ...

. There is a short hiking trail (equestrian route) passing through the commune from north to south.

Hydrology

The entire eastern border of the commune is formed by the

Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

. The Durance is both an Alpine and Mediterranean river with very specific morphology. It is called "capricious" and was once feared for its

Flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice or snow flowing o ...

s (it was called the 3rd scourge of Provence) as well as for its low flow. Several intermittent streams trickle down the slopes and the Faillée gorge (east of the Lure mountain), and through the Prieuré forest. They flow into the Riou stream which flows north or to the ''Ravine de Maurieu'', both tributaries of the Durance.

Geology

Geology of the Alps The Alps form part of a Cenozoic orogenic belt of mountain chains, called the Alpide belt, that stretches through southern Europe and Asia from the Atlantic all the way to the Himalayas. This belt of mountain chains was formed during the Alpi ...

. The commune lies on the eastern edge of Lure mountain with Provençal limestone formations of the

Upper Jurassic The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987. In European lithostratigraphy, the name ...

and

Lower Cretaceous Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eight ...

periods (sedimentary rocks from a former Alpine Ocean), between several major geological formations of the Alps: *the Lure secondary mountains which are marked by numerous faults oriented north-west to south-east; *the Durance fault to the south-east in the valley.

Natural and technological hazards

None of the 200 communes of the department are in a no seismic risk zone. The Canton of Volonne to which Aubignosc belongs is zone 1b (low risk) according to the deterministic classification of 1991 which is based on historical seismic activity, and zone 4 (medium risk) according to probabilistic classification EC8 of 2011. Farther south, along the Durance fault, the cantons of Peyruis, Les Mees, Manosque-Nord, Manosque-Sud-Est, Manosque-Sud-Ouest, and Valensole are in Zone 2 (medium risk). Aubignosc commune is also exposed to three other natural hazards: *forest fire, *flood (in the valley of the

Bléone The Bléone (; oc, Blèuna) is a long river in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence ''département'', southeastern France. Its drainage basin is .Serre-Ponçon dam); *risk of transporting hazardous materials by rail, road, and pipeline. This is from the transport of primary materials to its destination or finished products from the Arkema factory at Saint-Auban. These products are likely to be carried on the

N85, or the Lyon-Marseille via Grenoble railway. Finally the ''Transalpes'' and ''Transéthylène'' pipelines are used to carry

ethylene Ethylene (IUPAC name: ethene) is a hydrocarbon which has the formula or . It is a colourless, flammable gas with a faint "sweet and musky" odour when pure. It is the simplest alkene (a hydrocarbon with carbon-carbon double bonds). Ethylene i ...

through the commune.Transport of dangerous materials by road
26 January 2012 The ''Risk prevention plan'' for foreseeable natural risks (PPR) does not exist for the commune. A DICRIM does not exist. The town has been the victim of several natural disasters of floods and mudslides in 1994 and 1998. The earthquake that was felt the most in Aubignosc was the

Lambesc Lambesc () is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southern France. In 2018, it had a population of 9,799. Lambesc is located in the heart of Provence at the foot of the Côtes mountain ra ...

earthquake on 11 June 1909

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

The commune is called ''Aubinhòsc'' in classical Provençal and ''Lou Bignosc'' in Provençal of the

Mistralian norm The Mistralian norm is a linguistic norm for the Occitan language. It was first used in a published work by Joseph Roumanille in 1853, and then by Frédéric Mistral in 1854. Its aim is to make Provençal Occitan orthography more logical, relying ...

. The locality appears for the first time in texts from 1040 as ''de Albinosco''. The name is derived from the Roman

Gens In ancient Rome, a gens ( or , ; plural: ''gentes'' ) was a family consisting of individuals who shared the same Roman naming conventions#Nomen, nomen and who claimed descent from a common ancestor. A branch of a gens was called a ''stirps'' (p ...

''Albinus'' with the suffix ''-osc'' and became ''Bignosc'' in the 16th century. The

toponymy Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

of the commune is influenced by the mountainous character of the region, the

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, and the Occitan culture. The ''Chemin des Côtes'' (Path of the hills) which passes over the crest of the Lure, bordering Peipin, is also a path which is used to climb the peaks. Its neighbour, the ''Chemin de Plaine Longue'' (Path of the long plain) leads to the high plateau. There is also the ''Côtes Chaudes'' (Hot hills), near the Ponchonnière (pointed summit). The ''Pas des Bœufs'' indicates a way of passage or a pass in Occitan dialect. Erosion, aggravated by deforestation, washes pebbles from the mountains that accumulate at the bottom of slopes: this kind of area is called ''Gravas'' (near Forest); the ''Roubines'' refer to black

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, clays, and silt. When hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. Marl makes up the lower part o ...

or clay - i.e. ''robines'' in French. The ''Ravines de la Romigière'' and of ''Buis'' are named after the vegetation: in Occitan ''romigière'' is a place where

brambles A bramble is any rough, tangled, prickly shrub, usually in the genus ''Rubus'', which grows blackberries, raspberries, or dewberries. "Bramble" is also used to describe other prickly shrubs, such as roses (''Rosa'' species). The fruits inclu ...

grow. Human occupation and land use have resulted in several specific names: there are several places called ''Grand-Champ''; ''Condamine'' is manorial land, indivisible and exempt from taxation; ''Forest'' is a hamlet - not in a forest but an isolated village. Finally, sheepfarming with the Occitan ''Jas'' (sheep pen) has provided several names: ''Jas de Mathieu'' in Lure, ''Les Jas'', and the hamlet of ''Jas'' in the Forest vale.

History

Prehistory

During the construction of the

a prehistoric site was excavated at Ponchonnières which was occupied by the Chasséen, then the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

, and finally the

Chalcolithic The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...

peoples around 3000 B.C. The site was occupied by agro-pastoralists who built huts of about 20 m2 with the top being 4 or 5 m high. Their herds consisted mainly of small ruminants (70-80%) and cattle (about 20%). The consumption of meat from the herd was supplemented by the collection of molluscs (

snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...

s but also 18 other species). Anthracological studies have shown that the wood used for fires was

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

(green or pubescent) which shows that the forest was still quite widely present at this time.

Gallic and Roman period

During Antiquity the territory of Aubignosc belonged to the ''Sogiontii'' whose territory extended from south of the

Baronnies The Baronnies, in French Les Baronnies, is a historic name for the area East and North of Mont Ventoux in Southern France. Today most of the Baronnies is part of the ''département'' Drôme (a part of the ''région'' Rhône-Alpes). Smaller areas ...

to the

Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Vocontii The Vocontii (Gaulish: *''Uocontioi''; Greek: Οὐοκόντιοι, Οὐοκοντίων) were a Gallic people dwelling on the western foothills of the Alps during the Iron Age and the Roman period. The Vocontii settled in the region in the 3rd ...

and, after the Roman conquest, they were attached with them to the

Roman province The Roman provinces (Latin: ''provincia'', pl. ''provinciae'') were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was rule ...

Gallia Narbonensis Gallia Narbonensis (Latin for "Gaul of Narbonne", from its chief settlement) was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in Southern France. It was also known as Provincia Nostra ("Our Province"), because it was the ...

. In the 2nd century they are detached from Voconces and form a distinct ''

civitas In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (; plural ), according to Cicero in the time of the late Roman Republic, was the social body of the , or citizens, united by law (). It is the law that binds them together, giving them responsibilities () on th ...

'' with its capital at ''Segustero'' (

Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...

). An ancient tomb was found in the commune in 1962. The A51 works also identified

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

buildings. These facilities, located at Présidentes, corresponded to a village or a small town. The inhabitants lived on agriculture while there was a large area where a ''

libertus Slavery in ancient Rome played an important role in society and the economy. Besides manual labour, slaves performed many domestic services and might be employed at highly skilled jobs and professions. Accountants and physicians were often slaves ...

'' (freedman), Gaius Iulius Thallus, lived on the site of the current village. Thallus, a

Roman citizen Citizenship in ancient Rome (Latin: ''civitas'') was a privileged political and legal status afforded to free individuals with respect to laws, property, and governance. Citizenship in Ancient Rome was complex and based upon many different laws, t ...

, is the oldest known inhabitant of Aubignosc. The quality of the construction of the village at Présidentes is fairly average: the walls are made of

pebble A pebble is a clast of rock with a particle size of based on the Udden-Wentworth scale of sedimentology. Pebbles are generally considered larger than granules ( in diameter) and smaller than cobbles ( in diameter). A rock made predominant ...

s and the mortar is simple

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

. The

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

built a temple to Sylvanus whose altar was reused in the church as the base of the

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design. In mod ...

Middle Ages

While the south-east of

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

was Burgundian land, the king of the

Ostrogoths The Ostrogoths ( la, Ostrogothi, Austrogothi) were a Roman-era Germanic peoples, Germanic people. In the 5th century, they followed the Visigoths in creating one of the two great Goths, Gothic kingdoms within the Roman Empire, based upon the larg ...

Theodoric the Great Theodoric (or Theoderic) the Great (454 – 30 August 526), also called Theodoric the Amal ( got, , *Þiudareiks; Greek: , romanized: ; Latin: ), was king of the Ostrogoths (471–526), and ruler of the independent Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy b ...

, conquered the region between the

Durance The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

, and

Isère Isère ( , ; frp, Isera; oc, Isèra, ) is a landlocked department in the southeastern French region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.Godomar III, the Ostrogothic regent Amalasontha gave him the territory. In the Middle Ages the Aubignosc community was part 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 Sisteron and the ''Abbey of Cruis'' owned a

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...

. The Aubignosc community had the privilege of not paying ''queste'' (similar to

Taille The ''taille'' () was a direct land tax on the French peasantry and non-nobles in ''Ancien Régime'' France. The tax was imposed on each household and was based on how much land it held, and was directly paid to the state. History Originally o ...

) to the

Counts of Provence The land of Provence has a history quite separate from that of any of the larger nations of Europe. Its independent existence has its origins in the frontier nature of the dukedom in Merovingian Gaul. In this position, influenced and affected by ...

(and their successors, the kings of France) until the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

Contemporary period

Following a dispute between the priest and his parishioners, a large part of the community embraced

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

worship ''en masse''. After the

French coup of 1851 French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

of 2 December by

Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

, the areas around Sisteron, Forcalquier, and Manosque developed a resistance movement to defend the Republic: 15,000 armed men were mobilized. The Resistance took control of the prefecture at Digne and formed a "Departmental Committee of resistance". The army, who rallied to

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

, overcame this movement. After the failure of the insurrection severe repression continued for those who stood to defend the Republic: 8 inhabitants of Aubignosc were brought before the Joint Commission, the most common punishment being

deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. The term ''expulsion'' is often used as a synonym for deportation, though expulsion is more often used in the context of international law, while deportation ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

. As with many communes in the department Aubignosc had schools well before the

Jules Ferry laws The Jules Ferry Laws are a set of French laws which established free education in 1881, then mandatory and ''laic'' (secular) education in 1882. Jules Ferry, a lawyer holding the office of Minister of Public Instruction in the 1880s, is widely c ...

: in 1863 it had two - installed in the main village and also in Forest - which provided primary education for boys. No instruction was given to girls: neither the

Falloux Act The Falloux Laws promoted Catholic schools in France in the 1850s, 1860s and 1870s. They were voted in during the French Second Republic and promulgated on 15 March 1850 and in 1851, following the presidential election of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte ...

(1851), which required the opening of a girls' school in communes with more than 800 inhabitants nor the first Duruy Law (1867), which lowers the threshold to 500 inhabitants, affected Aubignosc. The town benefited from subsidies from the second Duruy law (1877) to construct new schools to replace the old but it was not until the Ferry laws that girls from the commune had regular schooling. In many communes the department has had a significant

rural exodus Rural flight (or rural exodus) is the migratory pattern of peoples from rural areas into urban areas. It is urbanization seen from the rural perspective. In industrializing economies like Britain in the eighteenth century or East Asia in the ...

from the 1850s. The commune lost half of its population in a little over a hundred years. The region was also affected by regional or national fatal episodes: epidemics of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

and the world wars (men died at the front during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

). During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the department was occupied by Italy in 1942-1943 then by Nazi Germany until August 1944. At that time the nearby town of

was bombed by the Allies as part of the

Provence landings Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence ( Southern France) on 15August 1944. Despite initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, ...

. The commune and Digne were liberated on 19 August 1944. Until the middle of the 20th century, vines were cultivated in Aubignosc. The

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

product, however, was of poor quality and was for home consumption with a portion of the production attributable to owners from Sisteron. This culture is now abandoned.

Heraldry

Politics and Administration

Municipal administration

According to its size, the commune has a municipal council of 15 members (Article L2121-2 of the ''General Code of local authorities''). During the 2014 elections there was only one round and René Avinens was elected councillor with 258 votes, or 94.5% of the vote. The turnout was 68.76%. He was then appointed mayor by the council.

Mayors

The election of mayors was a major innovation from the

of 1789. From 1790 to 1795 mayors were elected by suffrage for a 2-year term. From 1795 to 1800, there were no mayors - the commune simply designated a municipal agent who was delegated to the ''Municipality of the Canton''. In 1799-1800, the

Consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...

revisited the election of mayors who were now appointed by the central government. This system is maintained in subsequent governments with the exception of the Second Republic (1848-1851). After retaining the authoritarian system, the Third Republic liberalized it with the law of 5 April 1884 administration of Commons: the council, elected by universal suffrage, elects the mayor from among its members. List of Successive Mayors ;Mayors from 1930 ;War memorials in the commune Image:Monument aux morts guerres mondiales d'Aubignosc.JPG, Monument to the two world wars at Forest. Image:Monument aux morts d’Indochine d’Aubignosc.JPG, War Memorial for the

First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...

(at the town hall). Image:Monument aux morts guerre mondiale d'Aubignosc, neuf.JPG, War memorial for the two world wars.

Administrative and legal bodies

Aubignosc was part of the ''Arrondissement of Sisteron'' from 17 February 1800 to 10 September 1926 when it was incorporated into the

Arrondissement of Forcalquier The arrondissement of Forcalquier is an Arrondissements of France, arrondissement of France in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. It has 97 Communes of France, ...

and the second constituency of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Aubignosc has been part of the Canton of Volonne since 1793, and became part of the new canton of Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban in 2015.Décret n° 2014-226 du 24 février 2014 portant délimitation des cantons dans le département des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
/ref> Aubignosc is under the jurisdiction of the

Tribunal d'instance In France, the ''Tribunal d'instance'' (literally "Court of First Instance") is a judicial lower court of record of first instance for general civil suits and includes a criminal division, the Police Court (''tribunal de police''), which hears case ...

of Forcalquier, the Industrial Tribunal of

, and the High Court of

Tax system

The regional part of tax is not applicable for Aubignosc. Business Tax (TP) was replaced in 2010 by the Enterprise property contribution (CFE) based on the rental value of property and the value-added contribution of the business sector (CVAE) (the two forming the Territorial Economic Contribution (CET) which is a Local Tax introduced by the Finance Act of 2010Law No. 2009-1673 of 30 December 2009 of Finance for 2010
(Légifrance)

Population

Economy

Overview

In 2017, the active population amounted to 299 people, including 35 unemployed (12%). These workers are in majority employees (84%), and are in majority employed outside the commune (84%).Dossier complet: Commune d'Aubignosc (04013)
/ref> Most of the jobs in the commune (79%) are in services and administration and the construction sector accounts for 11% of employment. At the end of 2015 the active establishments in the commune were mainly shops and services (31 out of 65 establishments) and companies in the construction sector (13 out of 65). There is an Equestrian centre and some local tourism with associated businesses such as ''La Magnanerie'' restaurant.

Agriculture

There is an important agricultural cooperative in the commune. At the end of 2015 the primary sector (agriculture, forestry, fisheries) had 9 establishments. The number of farms, according to the Agreste Department of Agriculture survey, remained stable in the 2000s with 7 professional farms and 3 polyculture farms. Conversely the utilized agricultural area (UAA) has declined sharply in the same period, from 1,051 to 483 hectares, a figure that is higher than that of 1988 when the utilized agricultural area was only 314 hectares.

Labels

Aubignosc is included in the area for four

Appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

(AOC) labels (including ''

Lavender oil Lavender oil is an essential oil obtained by distillation from the flower spikes of certain species of lavender. There are over 400 types of lavender worldwide with different scents and qualities. Two forms of lavender oil are distinguished, ''la ...

of Haute-Provence'' and ''

Banon cheese Banon is a French cheese made in the region around the town of Banon in Provence, south-east France. Also known as Banon à la feuille, it is an unpasteurized cheese made from goat's milk and is circular in shape, around in diameter and in hei ...

'') and nine ''Protected Geographical Indication'' (IGP) labels (including ''Apples of Alpes de Haute-Durance, Honey of Provence, Lamb of Sisteron'').List of appellations AOC and IGP for Aubignosc
, INAO The culture of the olive has been practiced in the commune for centuries although limited to small areas. The terrain of the commune is at the altitudinal limit for the olive tree which can hardly be grown above 650 metres. Currently olives cover 22 hectares of the commune with 1,600 trees. The oil produced from olives harvested in the commune use the AOC labels ''Huile d'olive de Provence'' and ''Huile d'olive de Haute-Provence''. From the labels covering the commune, those for wine (VDP of ''Alpes-de-Haute-Provence'' white, red and rosé; VDP of ''Méditerranée'', white, red and rosé) are not used as the vines are not cultivated for commercial production in the commune. File:Landscape Provence France 1.jpg, Field of Lavender File:Banon2.jpg,

AOC File:Huile d'Olive de Provence.jpg, Huile de Provence AOC File:Agneau et brebis.JPG, Lamb of Sisteron with its mother File:Pot de Miel de Lavande.JPG, Lavender Honey File:Golden delicious apple.jpg, Golden delicious and Gala apples Although the culture of

lavender ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...

is now mechanized and now has an organized market as well as an AOC for "Essential oil of Lavender from Haute-Provence" since 1981,Jean-Paul Bonnefoy, p. 127. it has not seen its production revived in the region.Jean-Paul Bonnefoy, p. 128. Goats milk from Provençal, Rove, and Alpine goats can be used to manufacture

as in 111 other communes in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Lamb of Sisteron is a red label appellation protected since 26 June 2003. Honey of Provence is protected by a red label associated with a protected geographical indication as for honey from all flowers for Lavender Honey. Apples of Alpes de Haute-Durance received a Protected Geographical Indication in 2010.

Industry

At the end of 2015 the secondary sector (industry and construction) had 17 establishments employing 11 people. A quarry operated by ''Carrières et ballastières des Alpes'' transforms the limestone into aggregate.

Service activities

At the end of 2015, the tertiary sector (trades and services) had 31 establishments (with 36 employees) plus 8 administrative establishments (with 30 employees). According to the Departmental Observatory of tourism, tourism is secondary in the commune with less than 1 per capita tourist per year. Nevertheless, the commune has several tourist accommodations available: *at least one hotel in 2007, (two-star). It has only 9 rooms; *the town also has a small range of furnished accommodation. Second homes are of marginal importance with 17 units out of the 300 housing units in the commune.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has one building that is registered as a historical monument: *The Agricultural Cooperative (1983)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée Other places of interest in the commune: *A Noble House in Gravas decorated with a tower called a country house and which had an Ice house at the end of the 17th century. *A

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

-style House at Forest which may have been the priory.

Religious heritage

*The Church of Saint Julien dates to 1662 andfeatures a double

Nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and a ''cul-de-four''An Arch-shaped quarter-sphere similar to a bread oven vault over the

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 ...

. The rectangular building adjoining it has some cut stones which were reused from an old church. The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects: **A Painting: Saint Ann, Saint Mary, and Saint Joachim (17th century) **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 ...

(19th century) **2 Monstrances (18th century) **A Painting with frame: Virgin with a rose (18th century) **A Statue: Virgin and Child (18th century) **A Statue: Saint Julien (19th century) **A Painting: Virgin and Child between Saint Roch and Saint Ignace of Loyola (18th century) *The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin (1754) is located in the hamlet of Forest. The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects: **A Cross (18th century) **A Statue: Virgin and Child (18th century) **A Statue: Saint Antoine of Padoue (19th century) **A Statue: Assumption (19th century) **A Painting: Sainte Famille (19th century) ;Monuments in Aubignosc Image:Église Saint-Julien d’Aubignosc (2).JPG, Church of Saint Julien. Image:Église Saint-Julien d’Aubignosc, portail.JPG, Entrance to the church. Image:Aubignosc, lavoir du Forest.JPG, An old

Lavoir A lavoir (wash-house) is a public place set aside for the washing of clothes. Communal washing places were common in Europe until industrial washing was introduced, and this process in turn was replaced by domestic washing machines and by laund ...

(Public laundry) at Forest. Image:Église de la Nativité de la Vierge d'Aubignosc (2).JPG , Church of the Nativity of the Virgin at Forest.

Facilities

Education

The commune has a public primary school. The fourth class closed in 2010 at which date there were 64 children but there is nevertheless a canteen and a daycare centre.

Health

There is no doctor in Aubignosc and the closest is at

(1.16 km), two others at Volonne (4.14 km), and there are others in Château-Arnoux (4.81 km). The nearest pharmacy is also at Peipin or Volonne.Pharmacies near Aubignosc
Yellow Pages Aubignosc depends on the

hospital.

Sports

There is a sports field is on the communal boundary straddling Aubignosc and Peipin.

Worship

Aubignosc was part of the

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

and

of Sisteron.

Notes and references

Notes

References

{{authority control Communes of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence