Aussurucq (; ) 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 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 France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The inhabitants are known as ''Altzürükütar''.Euskaltzaindia
- Academy of the Basque Language Aussurucq (Pyr-Atl, Fr) eglise trinitaire, façade

Aussurucq (Pyr-Atl, Fr) vieux stèles discoïdales

Geography

Aussurucq is located in the former province of

Soule Soule (Basque: Zuberoa; Zuberoan/ Soule Basque: Xiberoa or Xiberua; Occitan: ''Sola'') is a former viscounty and French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département''. It is divided into two cantons of the arron ...

in the ''Massif des Arbailles'' some 30 km west by south-west of Oloron-Sainte-Marie and 25 km east of

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (literally "Saint John t theFoot of hePass"; eu, Donibane Garazi; es, San Juan Pie de Puerto) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean foothi ...

. Access to the commune is by road D147 from

Idaux-Mendy Idaux-Mendy ()IDAUZE-MENDI

Béhorléguy to Alçay and Aussurucq passes through the ''Col d'Aphanize'' (without crossing it) and generally follows the line of the

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

along the ''Col de Burdin Olatzé''. The commune is mostly rugged and heavily forested however there is some farmland in the north.Google Maps
/ref> The ''Ruisseau de Guessalia'' rises in the south of the commune and flows north-east gathering some tributaries to join the ''Apouhoura'' north of the commune. The ''Arangorena'' forms the north-western border as it flows north-east to join the Saison near

Gotein-Libarrenx Gotein-Libarrenx ()Gotaine-Irabarne

. The

Bidouze The Bidouze is a left tributary of the Adour, in the French Basque Country (Pyrénées-Atlantiques), in the Southwest of France. It is long. Geography The Bidouze rises at the base of ''Eltzarreko Ordokia'' in the Arbailles massif. It drains ...

rises in the south of the commune and flows north to eventually join 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. ...

north of Bardos.

Places and Hamlets

* Abeheaborda * Ahancetaborda * Ahanzolha * Ahusquy: known for its spring of the same name * Althabéa (ruins) * Althabegoïty * Ambukoborda * Ardiaénéa * Ascune (rocks) * Athekaketa * Bagadoy * Barnexborda * Baskinabe * Behegayborda * Beherégaray (barns) * Burdin-Clatze (col) * Capara (barn) * Carriquiborda * Chalunia * Cumba * Elsareko Ordokia * Erbinia (cayolar) * Etchakokoua * Etchaltia (rocks) * Etchebidea * Etchecopar * Etchekolaz * Exaltia (cayolar) * Gettaborda * Goyheneix * Guessalia * Harribiribile * Hasgagnia * Haspia (rocks) * Héguilloré (cayolar) * Hidogaratia (col) * Hidondo * Ibarrondoa * Ihatia * Inharpu (col) * Istaurdy (cayolar) * Jaguiborda * Jaragoyhen * Karkatz * Lagay * Lapistoy * Lapitz (field) * Larraguy * Larramendy * Latchéra * Lecharegaratia (cayolar) * Lecharéguibela (cayolar) * Leycharzepia (fountain) * Lhastéria * Lohiolha * Lucugnébehety (cayolar) * Miadore (cayolar) * Mouchako * Naboleguy (cayolar) * Nébélé (fountain) * Nékolha * Olhatzezarre (cayolar) * Otxolatzé (fontaine) * Potcho (cayolars) * Sallaberria * Sorzauqui (col) * Souhourtia (cayolar) * Thartassu * Udoya (cayolar) * Uhalberryborda * Uhaldéa * Uhaltéberria * Uhartéa * Urrutchoya * Urrutia (château) * Uthurbietta (fountain) * Uthurieta (cayolar) * Zouhourtia Géoportail
IGN

Toponymy

The commune name in basque is ''Altzürükü''. Jean-Baptiste Orpustan indicated that the name comes from the basque ''altzu'' (" alder tree") which is explained by the position of the valley covered in alder trees. The second part of the name is more enigmatic. According to Orpustan it could be from ''Urru'' ("the other side") or ''iri'' giving ''alzu-(i) ri-ku'' meaning "place in the Alder field". The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune. Sources: *Orpustan: Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, ''New Basque Toponymy''Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, ''New Basque Toponymy'', Presses universitaires de Bordeaux, 2006, * Raymond:''
''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: *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 ...

*Notaries: Notaries of

Navarrenx Navarrenx (; oc, Navarrencs, ; eu, Nabarrengose, eu, label=Zuberoan, Nabarrenkoxe) is a town and commune in the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (Béarn) and the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The demonym is Navarre. Since 2014, the ...

Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques *Chapter: Titles of the Chapter of

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 r ...

Chapter of Bayonne in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques *Soule: Customs of

Customs of

in 1520, printed at Pau in 1760

History

In the

Middle Palaeolithic The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Pale ...

era

was already populated as remains of

Neanderthal Neanderthals (, also ''Homo neanderthalensis'' and erroneously ''Homo sapiens neanderthalensis''), also written as Neandertals, are an Extinction, extinct species or subspecies of archaic humans who lived in Eurasia until about 40,000 years ag ...

prehistoric man have been found in the ''Xaxixiloaga'' caves in Aussurucq. A

tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or '' kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones ...

was also reported at shepherd's cabins in Potxo along the D147 road. The central part of Soule is also called the ''Messagerie des Arbailles'' between ''Basabürü'' and ''Pettarra'' (in the Sauguis-Saint-Étienne, Aussurucq, and

Barcus Barcus (; eu, Barkoxe) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France in the former province of Soule. The inhabitants of the commune are known in French as ''Barcusiens'' or ''Bar ...

regions).

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Inter-communality

The commune is part of six inter-communal structures: * the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque; * the sanitation association for Pays du Soule; * the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques; * the inter-communal association of Arbailla; * the inter-communal association for transport from Musculdy to Ordiap; * the inter-communal association to support Basque culture.

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 245 inhabitants.

Economy

Economic activity is based on agriculture (livestock and pasture). 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 bo ...

(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 Béa ...

Culture and Heritage

The village features a dynamic scene related especially to Basque culture. The inhabitants of the village performed the

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depict ...

''Ürrüti Jauregiko Peirot'' in 2002, a play written by the son of the village Niko Etxart, an acclaimed Basque musician.

Civil heritage

*The Chateau of Ruthie (11th century) is registered as an historical monument. *A Gaztelu Zahar (

Castellum A ''castellum'' in Latin is usually: * a small Roman fortlet or tower,C. Julius Caesar, Gallic War; 2,30 a diminutive of (' military camp'), often used as a watchtower or signal station like on Hadrian's Wall. It should be distinguished from ...

) is at a place called ''gaztelu'' at an altitude of 582 metres.

Religious heritage

The town has a church with a

Trinitarian steeple A trinitarian steeple is a 3-point steeple typical of the province of Soule of Basque Country in France. The three points symbolize the Holy Trinity.Philippe Veyrin, ''Les Basques'', page 241 - Arthaud, 20 décembre 1975 The steeple is generall ...

or a tower surmounted by three points of nearly equal height. The church contains a processional cross (17th century) which is registered as an historical object.

Environmental heritage

At the end of the 19th century, the Arbailles Forest covered parts of the communes of Aussurucq, Béhorléguy, Camou-Cihigue,

Musculdy Musculdy (; eu, Muskildi)MUSKILDI

Ordiarp, and Saint-Just-Ibarre. A wealth of heritage in Aussurucq commune is contained in its sub-soil. Most of the territory of the commune is

karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, Dolomite (rock), dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathe ...

ic. The environment is characterized by the presence of natural cavities in complex shapes that have not all yet been discovered or much less explored to date. Departmental cavers have undertaken the exploration, description, and publication of this heritage respecting the environment and the local population. One of the most beautiful caves in the commune is the ''Nébélé'' which has been the subject of works and regular explorations since 1972. The peak of ''Ascune'' stands at 860 m, ''Echagorry'' is 935 m, ''Elsarré'' is 1,153 m, ''Sihigue'' is 1,193 m, and ''Etchecortia'' is 1,204 m. In the south-west of the commune, ''Bohorcortia'' is 1,214 metres high.

Amenities

The town has a primary school (Garaibie).

Notable people linked to the commune

*Pierre V de Charritte de Ruthie, born in Aussurucq, was chaplain to

François I Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...

.Claude de Vic,

Joseph Vaissète Dom Joseph Vaissète (or Vaissette) (1685 – 1756) was a scholarly French Benedictine monk who wrote a history of Languedoc and a geography of the world as it was known in his day. Vaissette's ''Histoire générale de Languedoc'' is still conside ...

, and Alexandre Du Mège, ''General History of Languedoc: with notes and justification pieces'', J.B. Paya, 1841 *Gilen Epherre, born at Aussurucq in 1911 and died in Bayonne in 1974, was a writer, priest, scholar and important cultural player in the post-war period

References

External links

ALTZÜRUKÜ in the Bernardo Estornés Lasa - Auñamendi Encyclopedia (Euskomedia Fundazioa)

*[http://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/accueil?c=-0.9325,43.1503&z=7.92265E-5&l=GEOGRAPHICALGRIDSYSTEMS.MAPS.3D$GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS@aggregate(1)&l=ADMINISTRATIVEUNITS.BOUNDARIES$GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS(1)&permalink=yes Aussurucq on Géoportail], Institut géographique national, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Anßuruc'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques