Sournia (; ca, Sornià; oc, Sornhan) 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
Pyrénées-Orientales department in the
Occitanie region of south-western
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 ...
. Its inhabitants are known as Sourniannais.
Geography
Sournia is a town of the
Fenouillèdes
Fenouillèdes (; oc, Fenolhedés/Fenolheda; ca, Fenolledès/Fenolleda) is a French comarca and a traditional Occitan-speaking area in the ''département'' of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca is Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet (''Sant ...
, the
languedoc
The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France.
Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...
ienne part of the
Pyrénées-Orientales, in the
canton of La Vallée de l'Agly The canton of La Vallée de l'Agly is an administrative division of the Pyrénées-Orientales department, in southern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Rivesaltes.
It ...
and in the
arrondissement of Prades
The arrondissement of Prades is an arrondissement of France in the Pyrénées-Orientales department ( Northern Catalonia) in the Occitanie region. It has 123 communes. Its population is 59,828 (2016), and its area is .
Composition
The communes ...
. The river Désix runs through the village. Sournia is 22 km from
Ille-sur-Têt
Ille-sur-Têt (; Catalan: ''Illa'' or ''Illa de Tet'') is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales département in southern France.
Its inhabitants are called ''Illois''.
Geography
The commune is situated in the Ribéral region along the route ...
and from
Vinça, 24 km from
Prades and from
Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet
Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet (; Languedocien: ''Sant Pau de Fenolhet'') is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.
Geography
Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet is located in the canton of La Vallée de l'Agly and in the arro ...
, 30 km from
Latour-de-France
Latour-de-France (; ca, La Tor de França) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.
Latour de France is situated by the original frontier between France and Catalonia. Its military significance ended with the Tr ...
and 34 km from
Axat
Axat (; ''Atsat'' in Occitan) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Axatois'' or ''Axatoises''.
Geography
Axat is located in Cathar country at the door ...
.
The commune is covered by the quality wine standard
AOC
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (; ; born October 13, 1989), also known by her initials AOC, is an American politician and activist. She has served as the U.S. representative for New York's 14th congressional district since 2019, as a member of ...
'Côtes-du-Roussillon'.
Sournia is crossed by the long-distance footpath, GR 36.
Administration
The current mayor of Sournia is Paul Blanc, a senator, of the centre-right and right wing party UMP founded by
Jacques Chirac.
Population
The population of Sournia in 2017 was 498 people. For some reason at the end of the 19th century, the population of Sournia seemed to have a reputation for having one of the longest
longevity in
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 ...
, even though this fact was not clearly verified.
[ Fabricio Cardenas]
Vieux papiers des Pyrénées-Orientales, ''Record de longévité à Sournia en 1897 ''
3 January 2015
Places of interest
* Ruins of the former church of Saint-Michel from the tenth century.
* The ancient church of Sainte-Félicité from the tenth and eleventh centuries.
* Church of Arsa from the twelfth century.
See also
*
Communes of the Pyrénées-Orientales department
The Pyrénées-Orientales department is composed of 226 communes.
Most of the territory (except for the district of Fenolheda) formed part of the Principality of Catalonia until 1659, and Catalan is still spoken (in addition to French) by a ...
References
Communes of Pyrénées-Orientales
Fenouillèdes
{{PyrénéesOrientales-geo-stub