Aubertin () 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-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 Atlant ...

department 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 ...

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 ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aubertinois'' or ''Aubertinoises''.

Geography

Aubertin is located in Béarn some 10 km west of Pau and 8 km north-west of Gan. Access to the commune is by the D146 from

Artiguelouve Artiguelouve (; oc, Artigaloba) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Artiguelouviens'' or ''Artiguelouviennes''. Geography ...

in the north-east which passes through the north of the commune and goes west to

Lacommande Lacommande (; oc, La Comanda) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. Géography Lacommande township is located some 11 km of Pau, 12,3 km of Oloron-Sainte-Marie and 8,8 km of Monein, o ...

. Access to the village is by the D346 which branches south from the D146 in the commune and continues through the village to join the D24 some 6 km west of Gan. The commune has a mix of forest and farmland throughout its territory.Google Maps
/ref> The Baïse forms the western border of the commune as it flows north to join the

Gave de Pau The Gave de Pau () is a river of south-western France. It takes its name from the city of Pau, through which it flows. The river is long ( including the Gaves réunis), and its source is at the Cirque de Gavarnie in the Pyrenees mountains. The ...

at Abidos. The Juscle rises in the south-east of the commune and flows north to join the Gave de Pau at

Bésingrand Bésingrand (; oc, Vesingran) is a commune of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 546 communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiq ...

. Each river gathers many small tributaries that rise in the commune.

Places and hamlets

*Arizet *Arrouset *Arrouzes *Baherle *Bahette *Barbe *Barrere *Barrot *Baudorre *Bayle *Bengueres *Benoit *Benterou *Bernat *Bertrand *Beteille *Blazy *Bonneton *Bordechy *Bory *Bouchet *Burret *Cabarrecq *Calotte *Camy *Casedeyan *Cassou *Catihaut *Caussit *Caussitou *Cazenave *Chicot *Chounet *Clamens *Claverie *Constantine *Couy *Crasman *Cuyala *David *Espa *Haget *Heroulet *Heugas *Hourat *Hourcade *Istehnou *Jagou *Joliment *Labarthe *Labasse *Labat *Labegorre *Labesque *Labory *Lacarrieu *Lacoste *Lacrouts *Lagrave *Lahitole *Lamasouere *Lanardonne *Lapet *Laplume *Lardit *Larriscat *Larriu *Laymar *Lebe *Lembeye *Lespees *Lestanguet *Lous *Loustau *Mazou *Mene *Mesple *Mialou *Miramont *Mirassou *Modet *Montagnette *Montis *Mourterat *Mourthe *Navailles *Palassou *Palou *Pargade *Pedane *Penen *Pepicq *Perry *Peyrenere *Poeydevant *Porte *Poumade *Puyade *Reyau *Rontignon *Saliou *Sarthou *Serrot *Setze *Soldat *Talabot *Talet *Tiret *Toulas *Tucou *Turoun *Vignau Géoportail
IGN

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

Among the hypotheses on the origin of the name ''Aubertin'', Michel Grosclaude favours that of a Gascon man's name (diminutive of ''Aubert'') or 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 ...

''Albertinus'' rather than the German ''Adalbehrt''. Michel Grosclaude, ''Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn'', Edicions reclams & Édition Cairn - 2006, 416 pages, The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune. Sources: *

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 Origins: *Marca:

Pierre de Marca Pierre de Marca (24 January 1594 – 29 June 1662) was a French bishop and historian, born at Gan in Béarn of a family distinguished in the magistracy. His family was known among judicial circles in the 16th century, and maintained the ...

, ''History of Béarn''.

, ''History of Béarn'' * Fors de BéarnManuscript from the 14th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques *Census: Census of Béarn *Reformation: Reformation of BéarnManuscript from the 16th to 18th centuries - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques *Insinuations: Insinuations of the Diocese of OloronManuscripts from the 17th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques

History

When the name ''Aubertin'' appears in texts from the beginning of the 12th century, it is difficult to associate it with a specific territory. It is known that there was a beech grove at Aubertin (''Faget d'Aubertii''), in the middle of which Gaston IV of Béarn, called ''le Croisé'' (The Crusader), began building a hospital in the years 1115-1118. This foundation was challenged by the Lord of Bedosse and his descendants who claimed ownership of the soil. The Albertine charter signed in 1128 resolved the dispute and allowed the development of the hospital which was opened shortly after a church, a cloister and a cemetery. Farmland extended from the left bank of the Baïse to the top of the hill to the west on the territory of the present village of

. At the beginning of the 13th century, this place became the

Commandery In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...

of Aubertin - the main establishment of the Priory of Sainte-Christine-du-Somport on the northern slopes of the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

. By contrast, the origin of the Bedosse family and the extension of their domains remains unknown. For centuries Monein continued to claim ownership of this enclave of the Commandery of Aubertin. Texts from the middle of the 12th century also report a lordship at

which extended from the

to the Baïse on the current communes of Artiguelouve and Aubertin. So, in 1160 Guillaume of Artiguelouve and one called ''Loup Bergunh'' sold the land and woods located on the right bank of the Bayse for grazing their herds to the priory of Sainte-Christine-du-Somport and the Aubertin hospital. Although the territory of the present village of Aubertin has long remained in the orbit of the lordship of Artiguelouve, from the beginning most people seem to have attended the church of the Commandery. The count by Gaston Febus in 1385 reported a parish of ''Aubertii'' distinct from that of ''Artiguelobe''. It comprised a total of 46 fires including 3 which were explicitly at Aubertin the hospital. In 1402, the lord of Artiguelouve made common cause with the commandery of Aubertin in a lawsuit between them and the community of Monein but in 1538 the commander of Aubertin, Jean de Borau, reported that ''Arnaud Guilhem d'Artiguelouve'' had usurped the rights of the Commandery. Relations between the two communities were close but fluctuated. When ''Arnaud Guilhem d'Artiguelouve'' married ''Anne d'Albret'' on 9 February 1534 he was called Lord of Artiguelouve, Aubertin, and Montardon and appeared to be at the height of his glory. The situation gradually deteriorated over the generations. In 1555 his son, Arnaud, sold half the tithes from Artiguelouve and Aubertin to ''Peyrot de Pedelaborde'' of Lagor. He was soon no longer designated as Lord of Artiguelouve and Aubertin which suggested the final sale of the lordship of Montardon. On the other hand, the inhabitants of Aubertin had some autonomy in the management of their affairs as they were represented by a trustee and 5 aldermen from 1570 during some events of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...

. Around 1583 Arnaud d'Artiguelouve afiefed the woods of Aubertin as surety for a loan. Bernard, who succeeded Arnaud, remained lord of Artiguelouve and Aubertin but debts accumulated. His son John was forced to sell the chateau and lands of Aubertin to ''François de Navailles'' on 30 June 1640. Finally, Jean sold the lordship of Artiguelouve itself to Pierre de Fouron on 11 April 1642. 30 June 1640 was a crucial date in the history of Aubertin. It affirmed the identity of the village and marked the emergence of a new centre of power from an Artiguelouve lordship which disintegrated to a commandery which, after the Reformation, passed to the control of the

Barnabites , image = Barnabites.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = One version of the Barnabite logo. "P.A." refers to Paul the Apostle and the three hills symbolize the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. , a ...

Lescar Lescar (; oc, Lescar) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department and Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France. Lescar is the site of the Roman city known variously as Benearnum, Beneharnum or Civitas Benarnensium, the lo ...

. Five generations of Navailles-Mirepeix would follow in Aubertin. The last, Louis-François, gave a reckoning of his domain of Aubertin for the

Parliament of Navarre The Parliament of Navarre ( Spanish ''Parlamento de Navarra'', Basque ''Nafarroako Parlamentua'') or also known as ''Cortes de Navarra'' (in Spanish) or ''Nafarroako Gorteak'' (in Basque) is the Navarre autonomous unicameral parliament. Functio ...

on 8 July 1776. This document gives a fairly accurate picture of the lordship of Aubertin before 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 coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. Some years before, in 1773, he initiated a project to build a church near the chateau with the support of the

Bishop of Oloron The former Roman Catholic Diocese of Oloron was a Latin rite bishopric in Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, Aquitaine region of south-west France, from the 6th to the 19th century. History The diocese of Oleron already existed in the 6th cen ...

. This project was not successful because Louis-François de Navailles emigrated to Spain during the Revolution. The Aubertin people felt duty-bound to continue and financed most of the Church of Saint-Blaise in

, the adjacent cemetery, and the church rectory, although two separate communes were created in 1790. They continued, however, to be only one parish until 1867 when the opening of a church in Aubertin and a new historical turning point: a village centre could finally develop around its bell tower, to which was added a cemetery, manse, town hall, and a school.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Inter-communality

The commune is part of five inter-communal structures: * the Communauté d'agglomération Pau Béarn Pyrénées; * the SIVOM of the Canton of Lasseube; * the joint association for the Gave de Pau; * the SIVU for the development and management of the rivers in the Baises basin; * the association for the development of the Drainage basin of the Juscle and its tributaries;

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 656 inhabitants. Chateau de Navailles à Aubertin

Economy

*The commune 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 bou ...

zone of

Jurançon AOC Jurançon is a wine region in South West France in the foothills of the Pyrenees, around the ''commune'' of Jurançon. It produces a dry white wine and a more sought after sweet white wine. The grape varieties used are Gros Manseng, Petit Mans ...

and

Béarn AOC Béarn is an ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) for wine in South West France. It is located in the area of intersection of three French departments: Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées and Gers; and two regions: Aquitaine and Midi- ...

. Economic activity is mainly agricultural. Aubertin is also part of the AOC zone of Ossau-iraty. *In 1966, the ''Société Nationale des Pétroles d’Aquitaine'' (SNPA - now part of

Elf Aquitaine Elf Aquitaine is a French brand of oils and other motor products (such as brake fluids) for automobiles and trucks. Elf is a former petroleum company which merged with TotalFina to form "TotalFinaElf". The new company changed its name to Total ...

) discovered gas in Aubertin. Two gas wells are still active.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

*A very old Bridge over the Bayse at Goua-de-Labat *The Château de Navailles

Religious heritage

The Church of Saint-Augustin'' (1859) is registered as a historical monument.Ministry of Culture, Mérimée A porch was added to the tower in the 20th century. *A Chapel was built just before the French Revolution in another place near the Château de Navailles, but it was destroyed before it was used.

Facilities

*There is a primary school built in 1880 with a canteen and a fronton in the courtyard. *There is a public sports facility with a bowling pitch, tennis courts, and a handball court.

Notable people linked to the commune

*Jean Reyau, Mayor of Aubertin from 1831 to 1842, was a bodyguard for

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

. *Albert Peyroutet, born in Aubertin in 1931 and died in 2009, was an Occitan writer and an associate professor of English and Occitan. *René Camy, teacher, mayor, and General Councillor of the Canton of Lasseube (1965-1976), Chevalier of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

with academic palms.

References

{{authority control Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques