Anoux () 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

Meurthe-et-Moselle Meurthe-et-Moselle () is a department in the Grand Est region of France, named after the rivers Meurthe and Moselle. It had a population of 733,760 in 2019.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 northeastern

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

Anoux is a rural commune, as it is one of the communes with low or very low density, according to the Insee communal density grid. The municipalities adjacent to Anoux are

Val de Briey Val de Briey () is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Meurthe-et-Moselle, northeastern France. The municipality was established on 1 January 2017 by merger of the former communes of Briey (the seat), Mancieull ...

, Mairy-Mainville,

Tucquegnieux Tucquegnieux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle Departments of France, department in north-eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department References

Communes of Meurth ...

Lantéfontaine Lantéfontaine () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department The following is a list of the 591 communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department of France ...

and Norroy-le-sec. It must be noted that the village is a

linear settlement A linear settlement is a (normally small to medium-sized) settlement or group of buildings that is formed in a long line. Many of these settlements are formed along a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Others form due to physical re ...

Population

Toponymy

The origin of the name of the village is not clearly established, however several assumptions have been made. The first official mention of the name of the commune goes back to the 15th century. It is then designated under the names of ''Aunou'', ''Alnova'' or ''Anow''. The -OW ending of ''Anow'' may suggest that the name of the village is of Gallic origin. However, it has also been assumed that the name Alnova could be related to the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

name ''Alnoleum'', meaning place planted with alders. Thereafter, Anoux will be designated under the name : ''Alnowe devant Briey'' (1437), ''Anowe'' (1489), ''Anoult'' or ''Anoul'' (1519), ''Anou'' (17th century), ''Anould'' (1669-1670), ''Anoud'' or ''Anoux'' (1689), ''Annoux'' (1756) and then, ''Anoux'' (1793).

Local culture

The legend of St. Paulinus

A legend tells that St. Paulinus, the patron saint of Anoux, performed a miracle in the village. According to this story, Paulinus of Nola, then

bishop of Trier The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' (IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.barbarian invasions The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

. While the troop was dying of thirst, overwhelmed by the August sun, a stop was made at Anoux, where the bishop made a spring flow. It was nicknamed the ''Bonne Fontaine'' (Good Fountain) and the legend tells that its water could cure several diseases.

References

Communes of Meurthe-et-Moselle {{MeurtheMoselle-geo-stub