Osmets 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

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 south-west France.

Geography

Osmets is a small hamlet, located between the large towns 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'' ...

(west 20 km) and

Trie-sur-Baïse Trie-sur-Baïse (; oc, Tria de Baïsa) is a Communes of France, commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées Departments of France, department in south-western France. It is the administrative center in a Canton (country subdivision), canton comprising 22 vi ...

(east 10 km) on the D632. Chelle-Debat is to the immediate west and Luby-Betmont to the east on the D632, with Trouley-Labarthe to the northwest on the D44 and Mun to the south.

Hydrography

The Achella encircles Osmets starting in the south east of the commune, before crossing the D632 at the east end of the village, looping north then swinging south again and crossing the D632 again just to the west of the church. The stream continues westward to join the Arros at Chelle-Debat, ultimately joining the

Adour The Adour (; eu, Aturri; oc, Ador) is a river in southwestern France. It rises in High-Bigorre (Pyrenees), in the commune of Aspin-Aure, and flows into the Atlantic Ocean (Bay of Biscay) near Bayonne. It is long, of which the uppermost ca. i ...

and the sea at

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

Climate and soil

Protected by wooded hills to the east, north and south Osmets has a milder micro climate than adjoining more exposed sites, the soil is a fertile heavy clay, inter dispersed with small outcrops of coarse gravel and large smooth pebbles.

Patron saint

Our Lady of the Assumption The Assumption of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII defined it in 1950 in his apostolic constitution ''Munificentissimus Deus'' as follows: We proclaim and define it to be a dogma revealed by Go ...

, 15 August.

Historic village names

Ausmes (1313, Debita regi Navarre) De Ausmesio, Latin (1342, Pouillé Tarbes) de Asmesio, Latin (1379, Procuration Tarbes) Ausmes, Ausmees (1429, Censier Bigorre) Ausmes (1747, Registres paroissiaux) Ausmés (1768, Duco;1790, Département 1) Osmets (1790, Département 2) Ausmets (End 18th Century Carte de Cassini).

Administrative history

The Seneschal and County of Bigorre, the Quarteron of Rabestans, the Barony of Antin, the Canton of Saint-Sever, then Auberade (1790). Trie sûr Baise since 1801.

Inhabitants nicknames

“Los ahumats” - "the smoked ones" (Enq. C.G. 1986) Osmets was a centre of charcoal making, also “Los enclotats” - "those who live in a sunken place" (at the foot of the hills) (Inq. C.G. 1986 and Rosapelly, around 1910)

Wildlife

The surrounding forest is home to an extensive population of

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

(''Sus scrofa'') with deer, badgers (mêles mêlés) and foxes (vulpes vulpes) also present.

Grass snake The grass snake (''Natrix natrix''), sometimes called the ringed snake or water snake, is a Eurasian non-venomous colubrid snake. It is often found near water and feeds almost exclusively on amphibians. Subspecies Many subspecies are recogniz ...

s (''Natrix natrix''),

Aesculapian snake The Aesculapian snake (now ''Zamenis longissimus'', previously ''Elaphe longissima''), is a species of nonvenomous snake native to Europe, a member of the Colubrinae subfamily of the family Colubridae. Growing up to in length, it is among the ...

s (''Elaphe longissima'') and Fire Salamanders (''Salamandra salamandra'') are all found within a short distance of the Achella.

Sport

The east end of Osmets is the start point for the annual Course de Côte (hill climb), held in May or June. The course is up a steep winding route of on the D632 to Luby-Betmont. (Note that the D632 is closed for the Sunday of this event). In 2016, the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

passed through Osmets.

References

Communes of Hautes-Pyrénées {{HautesPyrénées-geo-stub