Ayssènes (; oc, Aissenas) 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

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants of ...

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

Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...

region of southern

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 ar ...

Geography

Ayssènes is located some 25 km west of

Millau Millau (; oc, Milhau ) is a commune in the Aveyron department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. One of two subprefectures in Aveyron alongside Villefranche-de-Rouergue, it is located to the southeast of the prefecture, Rodez. With a ...

and 7 km south-east of

Alrance Alrance (; oc, Alrança) is a commune in the Aveyron department in the Occitanie region of southern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Alrançais'' or ''Alrançaises'' Geography Alrance is located some 30 km west of M ...

. Access to the commune is by the D510 road from

Villefranche-de-Panat Villefranche-de-Panat (; oc, Vilafranca de Panat ) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Aveyron department The following is a list of the 285 communes of the Aveyron departme ...

in the west which passes through the commune by a circuitous route to the village then continues south across the river to join the D200 on the opposite bank. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of: *Ardennes *Le Bastizou *Cabière *Calmels *Le Caussanal *La Caze *La Clerguie *Coupiaguet *Le Crouzet *Les Esclots *Lescure *Melet *Le Pouget *Rentières *Saint-Rémy *Vabrette *Valergues *Verdalle *Vernet The commune is mainly forest with large areas of farmland.Google Maps
/ref> The southern border of the commune is formed by the Tarn river which is dammed just south-west of the commune to form a long lake along the southern border. From the dam the Tarn continues south-west to eventually join the

Garonne The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux – a ...

just west of

Moissac Moissac () is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. The town is situated at the confluence of the rivers Garonne and Tarn at the Canal de Garonne. Route nationale N113 was constructed through ...

. The ''Ruisseau de Vernobre'' rises in the north of the commune and flows south, gathering many tributaries, to join the Tarn. The ''Ruisseau de Coudols'' flows from the north-east, gathering some tributaries in the commune, and joins the Tarn at the same point as the Ruisseau de Vernobre.

Neighbouring communes and villages

History

Middle Ages

The village was built on a ridge overlooking the Tarn and was a direct link between the Lévézou Plateau and Raspes du Tarn. There was once a fortress on the peak of Roc Saint-Jean. It belonged to the Count of Rodez who maintained a garrison in order to maintain his influence over the southern Rouergue. Prestigious guests stayed at this location including the King of France, Charles VII, on 13 May 1437 while returning from

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximatel ...

where he had been to restore order.

Modern Era

The castle was the subject of much covetousness during the

wars of religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

. In October 1586 the army of the

Duke of Joyeuse The Viscounty of Joyeuse was elevated to a Duchy in 1581 by King Henry III of France for his favourite Anne de Joyeuse. House of Joyeuse *1581-1587 : Anne de Joyeuse (1560 † 1587), son of Guillaume de Joyeuse and Marie de Batarnay. *1587-1592 ...

Anne de Joyeuse Anne de Batarnay de Joyeuse, Baron d'Arques, Vicomte then Duke of Joyeuse (1560 – 20 October 1587) was a royal favourite and active participant in the French Wars of Religion. An intimate friend of Henry III of France, he was keeper of the k ...

- brother of King Henry III, tried to besiege it. The Captain of the garrison made a ploy and the duke's army retreated towards the plateau of Saint-Victor which was where the garrison captain attacked the camp at night - taking fifty horses and capturing several soldiers. The fortress became dangerous for the kingdom and was destroyed in 1629 by order of

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

. Today nothing remains but the location has one of the most beautiful views in the region.

Contemporary era

The commune consisted of four parishes in the second half of the 19th century with a population of around 1500. Today there are no more than 213 year-round residents.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Ayssenols'' or ''Ayssenoles'' in French.

Sites and monuments

*The Old Ayssènes Cemetery (graves from the early 19th century). *The Roc Saint-Jean (The castle disappeared after Richelieu ordered its destruction) *The Roc du Cavalier *The Church of the Nativity of Mary (Ayssènes) (19th century) *The Church of Saint-Amans (at Coupiaguet) (19th century) *The Church of Saint Rémy (at Saint-Rémy) (19th century) *The Church of Saint-Blaise or of the Purification of Notre-Dame (at Vabrette) (19th century). The church contains two items that are registered as historical objects: **A

Chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Easter ...

(18th century) **A Chasuble (18th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy *The House of

Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelate ...

s File:Saint-Rémy .jpg, Church of St-Rémy. File:Saint-Amans.jpg, Church of Saint-Amans. File:Saint-Blaise.jpg, Church of Saint-Blaise. File:Nativité-de-Marie XIX.jpg, Church of the Nativity of Mary.

Notable people linked to the commune

*'' Antoine Salvanh'' (1479-1555). Architect specialising in religious buildings, builder of the bell tower on

Rodez Cathedral Rodez Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rodez) is a Roman Catholic church located in town of Rodez, in the department of Aveyron in the Occitanie region of Southern France. The cathedral is a national monument Cathédrale Notre-Dame and ...

between 1513 and 1526. *''Guillaume Molinier-Lamothe'' (1736-1794). Refractory priest jailed in 1793 in Rodez then deported to the ''Fort du Hâ'' at

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture ...

the following year where he died. *''Georges Connes'' (1890-1974). Senior lecturer at the University of Dijon, Doctor of Literature, Dean of the University of Dijon in 1946 and 1947, resistance fighter in 1943, Mayor of Dijon after the liberation of the city in September 1944. *''Pierre-Damien Hèbles'' (1864-1954). Priest for Ayssènes from 1903 to 1944, member of the literary society of Aveyron, historian for the Raspes du Tarn region. He wrote three manuscripts on local history after 40 years of research in the departmental archives and deeds. *''Gaston Boulouis'' (1908-1991) Priest, Professor of Literature at the Seminary Minor of Saint Pierre and at the Sainte Marie de Rodez Institution. Canon, historian and occitan scholar at the end of his life. He published several historical books on the region as well as an autobiography and a collection of

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; ...

proverbs. *''

Alain Marc Alain Marc (born 29 January 1957) is a member of the French Senate, who represents the department of Aveyron. He was elected to the Senate on 28 September 2014. Marc served in the National Assembly of France The National Assembly (french ...

'' (born in 1957). Politician, Municipal councillor for Ayssènes from 2001 to 2004, he has been MP for Aveyron since 2007.