Baigts-de-Béarn 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 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 of the commune are known as ''Batchois'' or ''Batchoises''.

Geography

Baigts-de-Béarn is located some 6 km north-west of Orthez and 23 km east of

Peyrehorade Peyrehorade (; oc, Pèirahorada) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Peyrehorade station has rail connections to Bayonne, Pau and Tarbes. Population See also *Communes of the Landes department ...

. The western part of the northern border of the commune is also the departmental border between

and

Landes ''Landes'', or ''Lanas'' in Gascon, means moorland or heath. ''Landes'' and ''Lanas'' come from the Latin ''plānus'' meaning “‘flat, even, level, plain’”. They are therefore cognate with the English plain (and plane), the Spanish word '' ...

. Access to the commune is by road D817 from

Puyoô Puyoô () is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. Geography The town is situated on the Gave de Pau, a river running through the region, and some of the river's tributaries, including the streams of Latailla ...

in the west which passes through the south of the commune and the village and continues south-east to Orthez. The D415 (the old Route Imperiale) branches from the D817 west of the commune and passes through the village before continuing east to Orthez. The D315 goes north from the village then east to

Saint-Boès Saint-Boès (; oc, Semboès) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 546 communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiq ...

. The D915 goes north from the D315 to Saint-Girons-en-Béarn. The A64 autoroute passes through the southern tip of the commune but there is no exit with the nearest exit being Exit some 3 km west of the commune. The commune is mostly farmland with scattered forests.Google Maps
/ref> 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 ...

forms the southern border of the commune as it flows west to join the

Gave d'Oloron The Gave d'Oloron is a river of south-western France near the border with Spain. It takes its name from the city Oloron-Sainte-Marie, where it is formed from the rivers Gave d'Aspe and Gave d'Ossau. It joins the Gave de Pau in Peyrehorade to form ...

at Peyrehorade. Numerous streams rise in the commune and flow south to join the Gave de Pau including the ''Ruisseau de Montlong''. The ''Ruisseau de Lataillade'' forms the northern border of the commune as it flows west and forms part of the departmental border with Landes before joining the Gave de Pau west of Puyoô. The ''Arriou de Bardj'' rises in the north of the commune and flows west then south to join the Gave de Pau east of

Ramous Ramous is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 546 communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department of Fran ...

Places and hamlets

* Arritor * Balagué * Barroumères * Bassot * Bellevue (château) * Bergeras * Bernet * Bizens * Bordenave * Bourdieu * Brana * Brau * Capdebielle * Cassecour * Castéra * Castillon * Caubraque * Caupet * Cossou * Cuyoula * Domblides * Fayet * Gassiou * Gayou * Les Glycines * Grihou * Hau * Hourquebie * Hourquérou * Hourquet * Hours * Labasse * Labiste * Laborde * Laboudigue * Lacabanne * Lacarrère * Lacrouts * Lagouarde * Lagourque * Lahéouguère * Lalanne * Lanuque * Latéoulère * Laulhé * Loustaunau * Luns * Martimour * Mongay * Mousquès * Panaut * Parrabéou * Pédeboscq * Petit * Peyrou * Pierroulin * Pitche * Planté * Pommes * Poublan * Pourret * Régis * Rey * Riche * Saint-Laurent * Sére * Temple * Tilhète * Toucayré * Touriangle (château)

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

The commune name in béarnais is ''Vaths de Bearn''. The name ''Baigts'' means "valley" in Gascon but, according to

Michel Grosclaude Michel Grosclaude (; oc, Miquèu; 1926–2002) was a philosopher and French linguist, and an author of works on grammar, lexicography and Occitan onomastics. Biography Born on 8 July 1926 in Nancy at (Meurthe-et-Moselle). He was the son of ...

, ''Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn'', Edicions reclams & Édition Cairn - 2006, 416 pages, that meaning is to be avoided. According to him ''Baigts'' comes from the Gascon ''vaths'' which is derived from ''vallis'' meaning "hollow" or "depression" or from ''vallum'' meaning "palisade" or "entrenchment". In the old village there is a Rue de l'Embarrat meaning "fortified redoubt". 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 *Cassini:

Cassini Map The Cassini Map or Academy's Map is the first topographic and geometric map made of the Kingdom of France as a whole. It was compiled by the Cassini family, mainly César-François Cassini (Cassini III) and his son Jean-Dominique Cassini (Ca ...

from 1750Cassini Map 1750 – Baigts-de-Béarn
/ref> Origins: *

Fors de Béarn The Fors de Bearn, or fueros of Béarn, are a series of legal texts (privileges, rulings, judicial sentences, decrees, formularies) compiled over centuries (mostly the eleventh to thirteenth) in the Viscounty of Béarn. Together they formed th ...

Manuscript from the 14th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques *Béarn: Titles of Béarn,Titles of the

Viscounts of Béarn The viscounts of Béarn (Basque: ''Bearno'', Gascon: ''Bearn'' or ''Biarn'') were the rulers of the viscounty of Béarn, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinc ...

in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques *Garos: Notaries of

Garos Garos is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regi ...

Notaries of

in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques *Reformation: Reformation of BéarnManuscript from the 16th to 18th centuries - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques *Alienations: Alienations of the

Diocese of Dax The Diocese of Dax or Acqs was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in Gascony in south-west France. According to tradition it was established in the 5th century. It was suppressed after the French Revolution, by the Concordat of 1801 betwe ...

Registers of alienations from the old Imperial Library in the

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 ...

*Census: Census of BéarnManuscript from the 14th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques

History

Paul Raymond noted on page 19 of his 1863 dictionary that the commune depended on the

and was the capital of the Notary of Rivière-Gave, the name of an arch-priesthood of the diocese of Dax which gave its name to the

. In 1385 the commune had 59 fires.

Administration

List of Successive

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...

Inter-communality

The commune is part of three inter-communal structures: * the Communauté de communes de Lacq-Orthez; * the water and sanitation association of Trois Cantons; * the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques;

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 876 inhabitants.

Economy

In addition to an economy focused on agriculture (livestock and corn), the commune has a hydroelectric plant. 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 boun ...

(AOC) zone of

Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Bas ...

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

*The Chateau of Bellevue is a nursing home for disabled workers.

Religious heritage

*The Parish Church of Saint Vincent and Saint Bartholomew (17th century) is registered as an historical monument.Ministry of Culture, Mérimée

Facilities

The commune has a primary school.

References

External links

''Baigts'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baigtsdebearn Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques