Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette ()ALTZAI-ALTZABEHETI-ZUNHARRETA

Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia Pic d'Anie (Basque Auñamendi) is a mountain of the Pyrenees in France, located close to the Spanish border. It is high. The mountain boasts an almost perfect pyramidal shape and is surrounded by the spectacular karst landscape of. ''Larra'', i ...

is a commune in the

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlanti ...

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

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by t ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in southwestern

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

Location

Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette is located in the former province of

Soule Soule (Basque language, Basque: Zuberoa; Zuberoan/ Soule Basque: Xiberoa or Xiberua; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Sola'') is a former viscounty and France, French Provinces of France, province and part of the present-day Pyrénées-Atlantiques ...

. It is located some 35 km west by south-west of

Oloron-Sainte-Marie Oloron-Sainte-Marie (; oc, Auloron e Senta Maria; eu, Oloroe-Donamaria) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Aquitaine), southwestern France. History The town was founded by the ...

and 10 km north of

Larrau Larrau (; eu, Larraine)LARRAINE

Tardets-Sorholus in the north-east. The D149 branches off this road in the commune and goes north to

Camou-Cihigue Camou-Cihigue (; eu, Gamere-Zihiga)GAMERE-ZIHIGA

. There is also the D117 road which goes west from the village to

Mendive Mendive () is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is located in the former province of Lower Navarre. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 5 ...

.Google Maps
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Hydrography

Located in the

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...

of 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 ...

, most of the southern border of the commune is formed by the ''Alphoura'' river (18 km long) which also flows through the village and continues northeast to join the Saison near

Alos-Sibas-Abense Alos-Sibas-Abense () ''oénse'' > ''auénse'' > ''abense''. The base of the name is the oronym ''ona'', also present in '' Bayonne'' and ''Oneix''. The modern Basque form (''Onizegañia'', ''Onizegañe'' or ''Omiz(e)'') are equivalent to "Upper" ...

. The Alphoura is fed by many tributaries rising in the commune including the ''Azaléguy'' and ''Ardounc''. The ''Escalérako erreka'' rises in the south and flows west with its many tributaries. Paul Raymond mentioned the ''Arangaïxa'', a brook that rises at Alçay and flows into the Alphoura.

Localities and hamlets

* Aguer (Barn) * Albinzé (cayolar) * Alçabéhéty * Alçay * Ampo * Andoche (cayolar) * Arangaitz (Pass) * Arhansus (cayolar) * Arhex Borde * Atheis * Azaléguy * Azaléguiko Karbia (Cave) * Bagadoya * Bagazaguita (cayolar) * Bagothusta * Belhy * Berrayde * Bethalia * Bidalunia * Bordagagna * Borda Iribarneko * Bordapia * Burdin Olatzé (cayolar) * Burgance * Çaro * Chaldupia * Chuburu * Croix Garat (la) * Elichabeborda * Eltzegagnia (cayolar) * Erbinia * Espoulapia * Esquirassy (district) * Etcheberri Borda * Etcheverry * Etchecopar Borda * Eyhéraber * Ezpalako Larria * Goyheneix Borde * Gutux Borde * Habrague (cayolar) * Handia (Borda) * Haquits (Mill) * Harizmendy * Harristolatzia * Houretaborda * Ibarburia (Pass) * Ibarria * Illaberria * Inharchoury * Irriko Borda * Kamitchel * Kharalda * Lapistoy * Larramendia * Laxunia * Laze * Lechardoy * Lecharria (cayolar) * Lekayborda * Leziague (fountain) * Lomendi * Luchiloa * Lucu * Lutogagne * Maraizolatzé * Méthola * Miranda * Néquézaurborda * Ourdanberhartia * Oxapuria * Oxibar (Pass) * Pista Uthurria * Poyuko Borda * Sallaberriko borda * Sobieta (Grange) * Sunharette * Thipinka * Ursoy (cayolar) * Utzidoy * Uztarila (cayolar) * Uztubulia Géoportail

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Toponymy

The commune name in Basque is ''Altzai-Altzabeheti-Zunharreta''.

Brigitte Jobbé-Duval Brigitte Jobbé-Duval is a French historian and linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects ...

, ''Dictionary of placenames - Pyrénées-Atlantiques'', 2009, Archives and Culture, According to Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, the base ''(h)altz'' meaning "aulne" was used for both the toponyms ''Alcay'' and ''Alçabéhéty''. ''beheti'' means "at the bottom". The name ''Sunharette'' comes from the Basque ''zunhar'' (Name from

meaning "elm" or "poplar") using the romanized locative suffix ''ette'' meaning the "place of elm". The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune. Sources: *Orpustan: Jean-Baptiste Orpustan,
'' New Basque Toponymy''
ref name="Orpustan">Jean-Baptiste Orpustan,
''New Basque Toponymy''
Presses universitaires de Bordeaux, 2006, *

Raymond Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

:''
''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 * Cassini1: Alçabéhéty on the Ldh/EHESS/Cassini database * Cassini2: Sunharette on the Ldh/EHESS/Cassini database Origins: *Duchesne: Duchesne collection volume CXIVDuchesne Collection, volumes 99 to 114, containing the papers of Oihenart, former Imperial Librarian -

Bibliothèque nationale de France The Bibliothèque nationale de France (, 'National Library of France'; BnF) is the national library of France, located in Paris on two main sites known respectively as ''Richelieu'' and ''François-Mitterrand''. It is the national repository ...

*Ohix: Contracts retained by Ohix, Notary of

*Chronicles: Chronicles of Arthez-LassalleTitles of the Arthez-Lassalle family at

Tardets Tardets-Sorholus (; eu, Atharratze-Sorholüze)ATHARRATZE-SORHOLÜZE

*Soule: Custom of

Custom of

in 1520, printed at Pau in 1760

History

In 1790 Sunharette was the chief town of a canton which was part of the District of Mauleon. The canton included the communes of Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette,

Camou-Cihigue Camou-Cihigue (; eu, Gamere-Zihiga)GAMERE-ZIHIGA

Etchebar Etchebar (; eu, Etxebarre)ETXEBARRE

Lacarry-Arhan-Charritte-de-Haut Lacarry-Arhan-Charritte-de-Haut ()LAKARRI-ARHANE-SARRIKOTAGAINE ...

, Lichans-Sunhar, and

Ossas-Suhare Ossas-Suhare (; )Ozaze-Zühara

. In 1833, the three communes of Alçay, Alçabéhéty, and Sunharette merged to form a single joint commune.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Inter-communality

The town is part of seven intercommunal organisations: *the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque *the association to support Basque culture; *the SIVOM of the canton of Tardets; *the intercommunal association of the gaves d'Oloron and Mauléon *the SIVU for Tourism in Haute-Soule and Barétous; *the AEP association for Soule Country *the association for remediation of Soule Country

Population

Economy

Activity is mainly focused on agriculture (livestock and pasture). The town is part of the

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) zone of

Ossau-Iraty Ossau-Iraty is an Occitan-Basque cheese made from sheep milk. Origin Ossau-Iraty or Esquirrou is produced in south-western France, in the Northern Basque Country and in Béarn. Its name reflects its geographical location, the Ossau Valley in Bé ...

cheese.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has two sites that are registered as historical monuments: *The Seven Ibarnaba Tumuli in the Esquirassy districtMinistry of Culture, Mérimée *The Ten Ibarletta Tumuli in the Esquirassy districtMinistry of Culture, Mérimée ;Other sites of interest *The Gaztelu zahar (Basque meaning "fortified place") of Maide korralea meaning "the enclosure of Maide" is attributed to ''Maidé'', mythological beings incorporating some of the traits of

Jentil The jentil (or jentilak with the Basque plural), are a race of giants in the Basque mythology. This word meaning ''gentile'', from Latin ''gentilis'', was used to refer to pre-Christian civilizations and in particular to the builders of megalith ...

s and

Laminak The or (plural: or ) is a siren or nereid-like creature in Basque mythology. , , or are typically portrayed as living in and around rivers. They are depicted as beautiful, long-haired women with webbed duck feet, usually found at the river ...

Religious Heritage

*The Romanesque Parish Church of Saint-Pierre (Middle Ages) is registered as an historical monument. The church contains a Processional Cross (16th century) which is registered as an historical object.Ministry of Culture, Palissy

Environmental heritage

*The Belhygagne peaks (also called the ''peak of Vultures'') and Gaztelia are the highest points in the commune at, respectively, 1,072 and 1,345 metres high.

References

External links

Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Sunharete'' and ''Alcabehety'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alcayalcabehetysunharette Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques