Auriol (; ) is a commune in the Huveaune valley in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

Southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

. The commune has been awarded one flower by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom. Located west of Roquevaire and northwest of

Aubagne Aubagne (; according to the classic norm or according to the Mistralian norm) is a Commune in France, commune in the southern French Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône. In 2020, the commune was awarded three flowers by the ...

, it will be served by two stations of the Aubagne tramway when the northern Line T extension opens in 2023.

Geography

Auriol is located some 22 km east by north-east of

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

and 10 km north by north-east of

. The eastern border of the commune is the departmental border between Bouches-du-Rhône and Var. Access to the commune is by the A52D autoroute which separates from the

A52 autoroute A5 and variants may refer to: Science and mathematics * A5 regulatory sequence in biochemistry * Androstenediol, A5, the abbreviation for the androgen Androstenediol * Annexin A5, a human cellular protein * ATC code A05 ''Bile and liver therapy'', ...

at the western border of the commune and ends at the D560 road just east of the town. The D560 road branches from the D96 on the western border of the commune and passes east through the town and continues east to Saint-Zacharie. The D45A comes from La Bouilladisse in the north-west and passes through the commune south to join the D2 in the south of the commune. The D2 continues east to Plan-d'Aups-Sainte-Baume. Apart from the main town there are the urban areas of Le Pujol, Pont de Joux, Les Artauds, Le Maltrait, La Douronne, Moulin de Redon, Le Moulin de Redon, Le Plan des Moines, Les Helianthes, Le Braou, La Gardy, Basson, and Vede. The commune is urbanised through the centre with rugged terrain to the south and north.Google Maps
/ref> The Huveaune river flows through the centre of the urban area from east to west then continues south to join the ocean in the 8th arrondissement of Marseille. The ''Ruisseau de la Gestaude'' rises in the south of the commune and flows north to join the Huveaune. The village of Moulin de Redon is closer to Saint-Zacharie but is under the Auriol administration authority. The legend said that there was a race between town mayors. On a particular date, at the sun rising, the first mayor who reaches Moulin de Redon by foot will receive the village under his administration. Saint Zacharie is less than 2 km to Moulin de Redon, while Auriol is 5 km. The mayor of Saint Zacharie, deeply convinced of his victory slept too much, and arrived after the mayor of Auriol. It illustrates "The fable of the hare and the turtle" by

Jean de La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, ; ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French Fable, fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''La Fontaine's Fables, Fables'', which provided a model for subs ...

History

There are many caves (Inferent caves, burial caves) in the Vède valley and shelters in the tuffs of Pont-de-Joux (tombs,

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

hatchets, skulls). The

Ligures The Ligures or Ligurians were an ancient people after whom Liguria, a region of present-day Northern Italy, north-western Italy, is named. Because of the strong Celts, Celtic influences on their language and culture, they were also known in anti ...

were absorbed by the

Celt The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...

s in the Celto-Ligurian period. There are many oppida such as the oppidum of Bau Redon and the oppidum of Bau Rouge. The

Phoenicians Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic group of people who lived in the Phoenician city-states along a coastal strip in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily modern Lebanon and the Syrian coast. They developed a maritime civi ...

arrived from the 6th century BC (Trésor d'Auriol) and the Romans from the 2nd century BC. The Battle of Arc resulted in victory for Marius over the

Teutons The Teutons (, ; ) were an ancient northern European tribe mentioned by Roman authors. The Teutons are best known for their participation, together with the Cimbri and other groups, in the Cimbrian War with the Roman Republic in the late seco ...

at ''Campus Putridi''. Marseille was taken by

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

in 49 BC. There is an early Christian site at Saint-Pierre d'Auriol (early Christian altar with 12 doves, a church crypt, relics of Saint-Victor, the Cassian cult, Marie-Madeleine). Isnard de Mauconseil (?-1395), squire and native of Aix, was co-lord of Auriol in 1378 with Squire Mison. The death of Queen Joanna I of Naples created a crisis of succession for the County of Provence. The cities of the ''Union of Aix'' (1382–1387) supported Charles de Duras against Louis I of Anjou. The Auriol community initially supported Charles but were overrun by the troops of Louis early in the war (before 1385). Auriol was ravaged by the plague of 1576–1584. The Castle was devastated by the Duke of Épernon in 1593. The Coat of arms of the village date back to 1697. In July 1981 the commune was the scene of an infamous massacre involving the Service d'Action Civique (SAC) in which police inspector Jacques Massié and his entire family were massacred.

Heraldry

Administration

List of successive mayors:

Population

Its inhabitants are known as ''Auriolais'' or ''Auriolaises'' in French.

Economy

The economy of the commune is based on

viticulture Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

and shopping (Pujol Commercial Centre).

Culture and heritage

The Wine-growing Cooperative building at Place Charles-Adrien (1924) is registered as an historical monument. The War Memorial is registered on the Ministry of Culture's Mémoire database. The Church of Saint-Pierre contains one item that is registered as an historical object, a painting: ''Adoration of Shepherds'' (18th century).Ministry of Culture, Palissy

Notable people linked to the commune

* Thierry Amiel (born 1982), singer and songwriter, grew up in Auriol * Alain Cantareil (born 1983), footballer for FC Istres * Mouss Diouf (1964–2012), French-Senegalese actor, comedian and humorist, buried in Auriol * Mathieu Flamini (born 1984), footballer for Arsenal F.C. * Charles Plumier (1646–1704), French botanist * Henri Raybaud (1879–1942), French sculptor, made the War Memorial in Auriol

References

External links

Auriol official commune website

Auriol Ensemble

{{DEFAULTSORT:Auriol, Bouches-du-Rhone Communes of Bouches-du-Rhône