Authon, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
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Authon (; oc, Auton) 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
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Alpes-de-Haute-Provence or sometimes abbreviated as AHP (; oc, Aups d'Auta Provença; ) is a department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France, bordering Alpes-Maritimes and Italy to the east, Var to the south, Vaucluse to the west ...
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
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...
region of south-eastern
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 ''Authoniers'' or ''Authonières''.


Geography

Authon is located in the northern part of the Digne foothills, some 15 km north-east of
Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...
and 22 km north by north-west of
Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Cô ...
.


Geology

The commune is located on the eastern boundary of the ''Baronnies Orientales'' on Provençal limestone formations of the
Upper Jurassic The Late Jurassic is the third epoch of the Jurassic Period, and it spans the geologic time from 163.5 ± 1.0 to 145.0 ± 0.8 million years ago (Ma), which is preserved in Upper Jurassic strata.Owen 1987. In European lithostratigraphy, the name ...
and
Lower Cretaceous Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eight ...
periods (sedimentary rocks from a former Alpine Ocean) between three main geological formations of the Alps: *the Digne
Nappe In geology, a nappe or thrust sheet is a large sheetlike body of rock (geology), rock that has been moved more than or above a thrust fault from its original position. Nappes form in compressional tectonic settings like continental collision z ...
at the level of the Valavoire lobe: there is a thrust sheet or
Nappe In geology, a nappe or thrust sheet is a large sheetlike body of rock (geology), rock that has been moved more than or above a thrust fault from its original position. Nappes form in compressional tectonic settings like continental collision z ...
- i.e. a slab about 5000 m thick which was moved to the south-west during the
Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but the ...
and at the end of the formation of the Alps. The lobes (or scales) correspond to the exposed edges to the west of the Nappe; *the Durance fault to the south-west in the valley; *the Plateau of Valensole to the south-east: a molassic basin of the
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
and
Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58detritic
sedimentary Sedimentary rocks are types of rock (geology), rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic matter, organic particles at Earth#Surface, Earth's surface, followed by cementation (geology), cementation. Sedimentati ...
rocks (deposited from the erosion of the mountains which appeared in the Oligocene).


Topography

The village is located at an altitude of 1,137 metres above sea level in the ''Massif des Monges''. The altitude varies from 881 metres (in the downstream gorges of the ''Vanson'' and the narrow valley in the west of the commune) to 2,114 metres at the top of ''Coste Belle'' along the Conaples ridge in the east. Mount Jouere is located in the north with the ridge of ''Clot des Martres'' being the northern boundary of the commune. The Planchettes ravine lies between this mountain and the Lieuron - the mountain overlooking the village. In the south, the ''Col de Font-Belle'', towards Le Castellard-Melan, lies between the Melan mountain and the escarpment of Géruen. Beyond this to the east are the ''Ravine des Barres'' and then the ''Col Saint-Antoine''.


Relief

The commune consists of mountainous topography belonging to the ''Massif des Monges''. The mountains and their ridges alternate with ravines and mountain passes.


Hydrography

Several rivers flow through the commune. Authon is traversed by the river ''Vançon'' which rises at Feissal, in the north of the commune at 1900 m altitude. Several streams flow into the Vançon: the ''Riou d'Authon'', the ''Ravin de la Bastié'', and the ''Verdachon''. There is also an enclosed spring north-west of the village.


Land use

The town has 800 hectares of woods and forests. Human occupation is dispersed across the commune in tiny hamlets, mostly in the western part: Les Fabres, le Vivier, Briançon, Bonnet, Lèbre, Théous, Champdolent. Feissal (location of the village in a former commune) and Bastide Blanche are located in the east. There is also a ''jas''A building of unmortared stone characteristic of Provence in this part, at a little over 1,800 metres: the ''jas Monges''. The Vanson Forest is found in the north, south, and east.


Transport

The
A51 autoroute The A51 autoroute is a partly completed motorway in southeast France. It is the long-term project to connect Marseille to Grenoble via Aix-en-Provence, the Durance Valley and the Hautes-Alpes department. Route The motorway passes the cities ...
passes to the west more than 10 kilometres from the commune in the Durance valley. It goes north towards Gap and south to
Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
. Access to the commune is by road D3 from
Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...
in the west via a tortuous route to the south of the commune and the village then continues south to
Barras Barras may refer to: Places * Barras, Cumbria, England * Barras, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France * Barras, Piauí, Brazil * Duas Barras, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil * Sete Barras, São Paulo, Brazil Other uses * Barras (surname) * Barras (market), ...
.Google Maps
/ref> Hiking is available on the GR 6 hiking trail which passes through the commune. The nearest railway station is located in Sisteron and is served by
TER Ter or TER may refer to: Places * River Ter, in Essex, England * Ter (river), in Catalonia * Ter (department), a region in France * Torre (river), (Slovene: ''Ter''), a river in Italy * Ter, Ljubno, a settlement in the Municipality of Ljubno ob ...
(Marseille-Briancon). There is also a bus station in Sisteron. The ''Sisteron-Theze Aeredrome'' is located 15 kilometres north-west of the commune at
Vaumeilh Vaumeilh (; oc, Vaumelha) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography It is a small Provençal village with narrow, winding streets which backs on to a hi ...
.


Natural and technological hazards

None of the 200 communes of the department is in a no seismic risk zone. The canton of Sisteron to which Authon belongs is zone 1b (low risk) according to the deterministic classification of 1991 based on the historical seismicity, and zone 4 (medium risk) according to the probabilistic classification EC8 in 2011. Authon also faces three other natural hazards: *forest fire, *flood (the Vanson and tributaries) *landslide: the town has an average to high hazard on some slopes. Authon is not exposed to any risk of technological origin identified by the prefecture. There is no risk prevention plan for foreseeable natural risks (PPR) nor is one planned for the commune and there is no DICRIM.


Climate

The nearest weather stations to Authon are located at
Thoard Thoard (; oc, Toard) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 communes of the Alpes-de-Haute- ...
, Beaujeu,
Sisteron Sisteron (; , oc, label=Mistralian norm, Sisteroun; from oc, label=Old Occitan, Sestaron) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, southeastern France. Sisteron is situated on the banks of the rive ...
, and
Turriers Turriers () is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Since 2016, it has been designated a key village in the UNESCO Geopark of Haute Provence because of its outstanding geological features, its rich biodiv ...
.Météo-France
Network of data from the South-East
, ''Climathèque'', consulted on 11 March 2013


Neighbouring communes and villages


Toponymy

The area appears for the first time in texts of 1237 (''de Autono''). According to Charles Rostaing the name designates a height (from 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 ...
''altus'' meaning "high" and the Gallic ''dunam''). Bénédicte Fénié has a slightly different explanation using as a base ''*Al-t-'' and he also saw an oronym in Authon. According to Ernest Nègre the name came from the Germanic proper name ''Alto''. The name ''Briançon'' is reported in 1190 and ''Feissal'' is reported in 1113. The name ''Saint-Michel'', near Briançon, is perhaps the name of the community church.


History

At Feissal there was a
priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of mon ...
of the
Abbey of Saint Victor, Marseille The Abbey of Saint-Victor is a former abbey that was founded during the late Roman period in Marseille in the south of France, named after the local soldier saint and martyr, Victor of Marseilles. History The crypts of the abbey contains artefa ...
which was first mentioned in 1113. The churches and communities of Authon and Briançon depended on the
Order of the Temple The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon ( la, Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici), also known as the Order of Solomon's Temple, the Knights Templar, or simply the Templars, was a Catholic military order, o ...
in the 13th century who also received the related income. After the dissolution of the Order they moved to dependence on the ''Commandery of Claret'' of the
Order of St. John of Jerusalem The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic Church, Catholic Military ord ...
. Among the fiefs covering these communities there was also Dromon. ''Rigaut de Montomat'' seized the castle on 4 November 1392 and established a substantial toll for passage to Maupas. He also ransomed the surroundings until the
Viguerie In Southern France, a ''viguerie'' (; la, vicaria) was a mediaeval administrative court. A ''viguerie'' is named for the place it serves or is found in, that is, the main town of the borough, which need not be its (administrative capital). Appear ...
of Sisteron raised an army equipped with artillery and put siege to the castle. In February Rigaut de Montomat abandoned the castle for 800
florin The Florentine florin was a gold coin struck from 1252 to 1533 with no significant change in its design or metal content standard during that time. It had 54 grains (3.499 grams, 0.113 troy ounce) of nominally pure or 'fine' gold with a purcha ...
s and a promise to set fire to it, a promise he kept. The Briançon community, which consisted of 42
fires Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames are pr ...
in 1315, was depopulated by the crises of the 14th century (the
Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
and the
Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...
) and was annexed by Authon in the 15th century. At the end of the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
a
Fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...
was held in Authon as it was located on one of the routes between the Sisteron bridge on the Durance and the Bléone valley. In the 12th century there was a lawsuit opposing the hospitallier commander of the village over an honorable ceremony (it brought honour to the peasants who were invited): the villagers brought wood at Christmas and the commander shared the family nectar (a superior quality drink), fine pastries, and grapes with their leaders. He wanted to move the ceremony to a variable date and replace the nectar with good wine. At the beginning of 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
the news of the
storming of the Bastille The Storming of the Bastille (french: Prise de la Bastille ) occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, when revolutionary insurgents stormed and seized control of the medieval armoury, fortress, and political prison known as the Bastille. At t ...
was welcomed but caused collective fear of an aristocratic reaction. Locally the
Great Fear The Great Fear (french: Grande Peur) was a general panic that took place between 22 July to 6 August 1789, at the start of the French Revolution. Rural unrest had been present in France since the worsening grain shortage of the spring, ...
came from
Tallard Tallard (; oc, Talard) is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Location Tallard is to the south of Gap, close to the road from Gap to Marseille. The motorway A51 ends ju ...
and was part of the flow of "Macon Fear", reaching the area of La Motte on the evening of 31 July 1789. The consuls of the village community were warned that a troop of 5-6,000 brigands were moving towards Haute-Provence after having looted the
Dauphiné The Dauphiné (, ) is a former province in Southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was originally the Dauphiné of Viennois. In the 12th centu ...
. The communities of La Motte,
Clamensane Clamensane (; oc, Clamençana) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Geography The village is located 700 m above sea level, at the confluence of Sasse and Vermeil rivers.de La Torre, 1989, p.72 Popul ...
,
Saint-Geniez Saint-Geniez (Vivaro-Alpine: ''Sant Giniés'') is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 commu ...
, Authon,
Curbans Curbans () is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 Communes of France, communes of the Alpes ...
,
Bayons Bayons ( oc, Baion) is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of south-eastern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Bayonnais'' or ''Bayonnaises''. Geography Bayons is lo ...
, and
Claret Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the ...
together constituted a group of 700 armed men. They put the Marquis d'Hugues de Beaujeu at its head who decided to meet the danger by monitoring the ferries on the Durance. On 2 August the panic settled and the news which was originally rumours were clarified. An important change took place however: the communities were armed and organized to defend themselves and their neighbours. A sense of solidarity was born within the communities and between neighbouring communities and the consuls decided to maintain the
National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...
. As soon as the fear subsided, however, the authorities recommended disarming the workers and the landless peasants and to keep only property owners in the National Guard. Between 1820 and 1874, four mills were built "suddenly" at Authon (flour, nut oil) in a rivalry with Saint-Geniez. They went bankrupt. Each 29 June until 1843, then on
Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity, Western Christian liturgical year, liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the ...
, there has been a pilgrimage of the faithful of the commune of Baume from Saint Vincent church to the Melan mountain (in Mélan commune). As with many communes in the department, Authon and Feissal endowed a school well before the
Jules Ferry laws The Jules Ferry Laws are a set of French laws which established free education in 1881, then mandatory and ''laic'' (secular) education in 1882. Jules Ferry, a lawyer holding the office of Minister of Public Instruction in the 1880s, is widely c ...
: in 1863 a school providing a primary education to boys already operated in both villages. No instruction was given to girls: the Falloux Act (1851), which required the opening of a girls' school in communes with more than 800 inhabitants, and the first Duruy law (1867), which lowered the threshold to 500 inhabitants, did not concern Authon or Feissal. It was only with the Ferry laws that the girls in the two communes were educated. The town suffered a major
rural exodus Rural flight (or rural exodus) is the migratory pattern of peoples from rural areas into urban areas. It is urbanization seen from the rural perspective. In industrializing economies like Britain in the eighteenth century or East Asia in the ...
. Authon lost population in 1793, earlier than elsewhere in the department (where the rural exodus began in the 1850s). Some men called to the front to die during the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The commune of Feissal (97 inhabitants in 1765) merged with Authon in 1936. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the department was occupied by Italy from 1942-1943 and then by Nazi Germany until August 1944. At that time the nearby town of Sisteron was bombed by the allies during the landings in Provence. Liberation came quickly after the landings and the commune became part of the liberated zone on 20 August. Unlike the departmental trend, population loss continued long after the war until 1982 when the town, had only 21 inhabitants. Population growth began at the end of the 20th century. Population reduced by 90% since 1793 with a population of only 40 in the 2000s.


Heraldry


Politics and Administration


Municipal administration

Based on its size the town has a council of 9 members (Article L2121-2 of the General Local Authorities Code). During the 2014 elections there was only one round and Alain Rahon was elected councilor with 56 total votes, or 94.91% of the vote. The turnout was 92.19%. He was then appointed mayor by the council


List of mayors

The mayoral election was an innovation of 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 November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
in 1789. From 1790 to 1795 mayors were elected by suffrage for 2 years. From 1795 to 1800 there was no mayor and the commune simply designated a municipal agent who was delegated to the ''Municipality of the Canton''. In 1799-1800, the
Consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth coun ...
returned to the election of mayors who were now appointed by the central government. This system was maintained by the following schemes except during the Second Republic (1848-1851). After keeping the authoritarian system the Third Republic liberalized the system by the law of 5 April 1884 Administration of Communes: the council, elected by universal suffrage, elects the mayor from among its members.


Administration

List of Successive Mayors


Judicial and administrative proceedings

Authon is one of fifteen communes in the
Canton of Sisteron The canton of Sisteron is an administrative division in southeastern France. At the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015, the canton was expanded from 5 to 15 communes: * Authon *Bevons * Châteauneuf-Miravail * Cur ...
. The canton was in the Arrondissement of Sisteron from 17 February 1800 to 10 September 1926 when it was moved to the
Arrondissement of Forcalquier The arrondissement of Forcalquier is an Arrondissements of France, arrondissement of France in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. It has 97 Communes of France, ...
and to the
Alpes de Haute Provence's 2nd constituency The 2nd constituency of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is a French legislative constituency in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence ''département''. Like all constituencies, it elects one MP via the two-round voting system. Members elected Notes ...
. Authon has been part of the canton of Sisteron since 1801 after having been in the Canton of Saint-Geniez from 1793 to 1801. Authon falls within the area of the ''
Tribunal d'instance In France, the ''Tribunal d'instance'' (literally "Court of First Instance") is a judicial lower court of record of first instance for general civil suits and includes a criminal division, the Police Court (''tribunal de police''), which hears case ...
'' (District court) of
Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Cô ...
the ''Tribunal de grande instance'' (High Court) of
Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Cô ...
, the ''Cour d'appel'' (Appeal court) of
Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
, the ''Tribunal pour enfants'' (
Juvenile court A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...
) of Digne-les-Bains, the ''
Conseil de prud'hommes In France, the Labour Courts or employment tribunals () resolve individual disputes arising out of an employment contract. The dispute is resolved by a judgment only if conciliation cannot be achieved by the court. Judges are not professionals; they ...
'' (Labour Court) of Digne-les-Bains, the ''
Tribunal de commerce In France, the ''tribunal de commerce'' (plural ''tribunaux de commerce'', literally "commercial courts") are the oldest courts in the French judicial organization. They were created at the end of the Middle Ages. The commercial court has juri ...
'' (Commercial Court) of
Manosque Manosque (; Provençal Occitan: ''Manòsca'' in classical norm or ''Manosco'' in Mistralian norm) is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the ''préfecture'' (capital) ...
, the ''Tribunal administratif'' (Administrative tribunal) of
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
, and the ''Cour administrative d'appel'' (Administrative Court of Appeal) of
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...


Taxation

The Regional part of the Residential tax is not applicable. In 2010 Business tax was replaced by the property contribution of enterprises (CFE) on the rental value of the property and the value added contribution of the business sector (CAVE) (both forming the territorial economic contribution (CET) which is a local tax introduced by the Finance Act 2010).Law No. 2009-1673
of 30 December 2009 for finance for 2010 (Légifrance)


Population and society

As with many communes in the department Authon has had a rural exodus. The commune has steadily lost population since 1765 although its population doubled between 1982 and 2007.


Population

After the crises of the 14th and 15th centuries and a long period of growth until the beginning of the 19th century, there was a period of "slack" where the population remained stable at a high level. This period lasted from 1806 to 1846. The
rural exodus Rural flight (or rural exodus) is the migratory pattern of peoples from rural areas into urban areas. It is urbanization seen from the rural perspective. In industrializing economies like Britain in the eighteenth century or East Asia in the ...
then caused long term population loss. In 1901 the town recorded the loss of more than half its population since 1800. The outwards movement of population continued until 1980. Since then the population has increased to over 60 people, 15% of its historical peak. Authon has an area of 4,016 hectares and a population of 45 and is ranked in the following table:


Education

The commune has neither a kindergarten nor a primary school. Students from the commune are assigned to the
Paul Arène Paul-Auguste Arène (26 June 1843 – 17 December 1896) was a Provençal poet and French writer. Biography Arène was born in Sisteron, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, the son of Adolphe, a clockmaker, and Reine, a cap presser. He studied in Marseill ...
Scholastic City in Sisteron.


Health

The nearest hospital is at Sisteron which depends on the inter-communal hospital of the Southern Alps headquartered in Gap.


Economy


Overview

In 2017, the active population amounted to 32 people, including 3 unemployed. These workers are in majority not employees (74%), and are in majority employed in the commune (65%).Dossier complet: Commune d'Authon (04016)
/ref> At the end of 2015 businesses active in the commune were mainly farms (8 out of 19) and services (6).


Agriculture

At the end of 2015 the primary sector (agriculture, forestry, fisheries) had 8 businesses under the INSEE definition and 10 according to the Agreste Department of Agriculture survey. The farms are sheep and polyculture farms. The utilized agricultural area (UAA) has almost doubled in ten years from 572 to 1,056 hectares with almost all of the area being devoted to livestock. Authon is included in the boundaries of an
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) Designation for
Lavender oil Lavender oil is an essential oil obtained by distillation from the flower spikes of certain species of lavender. There are over 400 types of lavender worldwide with different scents and qualities. Two forms of lavender oil are distinguished, ''la ...
(''Huile essentielle de lavande de Haute-Provence'') and nine Geographically Protected Indications (IGP):. *''Pommes des Alpes de Haute-Durance'' (Apples of Alpes de Haute-Durance) *''Miel de Provence'' (Honey of Provence) *''Agneau de Sisteron'' (Sisteron Lamb) *''Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (VDP) blanc, rouge, and rosé'' *''VDP de Méditerranée'' blanc, rouge, and rosé


Lavender

Lavender has been harvested for centuries in the wild until cropping was organized in the 16th century along with the distillation of its flowers.Jean-Paul Bonnefoy, p. 125. Its golden age was at the beginning of the 20th century although it was during the 1920s that there was a real fever for planting. After the crisis of 1929 and the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the market saw renewed demand from 1955 only to go into crisis five years later.Jean-Paul Bonnefoy, p. 126 Mechanization of harvesting, better organization of the market, and obtaining an AOC for "Lavender essential oil from Haute-Provence" in 1981 should have boosted production.Jean-Paul Bonnefoy, p. 127. Production fell however from approximately 200 tonnes in the early 1980s to 25 tonnes in 1990 then finally increased to 80 tons in 2003.Jean-Paul Bonnefoy, p. 128.


Sisteron lamb

''Sisteron lamb'' is a lamb raised by its mother in the Alps or Drôme of Provence for a minimum 60 days with an age between 70 and 150 days and weighing 13 to 19 kg. It comes from traditional farms with Merino, Mourerous, or Prealpes du Sud mothers who breastfeed for at least two months on a pastoral area with less than 10 sheep per hectare and with a minimum of 10 hectares in area. Lambs who meet these criteria can be sold under the control of the INAO with the red ''Sisteron lamb'' label granted by a governmental decree dated 3 January 2005. These quality requirements put an end to the practice of flocks being reared in the same conditions but from other regions. Each year nearly 400,000 animals used to pass through the slaughterhouses of Sisteron enjoying a certain laxity sought to usurp their provenance.


Apples of Alpes de Haute-Durance

Apples from Alpes de Haute-Durance received a Protected Geographical Indication which was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 17 April 2010. The IGP covers the apple varieties ''Golden Delicious'' and ''Gala'' from six cantons in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and thirteen cantons in Hautes-Alpes located between 450 metres and 900 metres above sea level. The quality of these apples is linked to their soil and, in particular, the climate of Haute-Durance with over 300 days of sunshine per year. The prevailing cold nights during the maturation of apples prevents the degradation of acids while a strong diurnal temperature range allows them to yellow and even become pink.INAO page on the IGP for Apples from Alpes de Haute-Durance
17 April 2010, INAO


Honey of Provence

Honey from Provence is protected by a red label associated with a protected geographical indication for honey from all flowers as well as for honey from lavender and lavandin. There are a number of
Beekeepers A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees. Beekeepers are also called honey farmers, apiarists, or less commonly, apiculturists (both from the Latin '' apis'', bee; cf. apiary). The term beekeeper refers to a person who keeps honey bees i ...
estimated at about 4,500 of which 700 have between 70 and 150 hives. Regional production is around 2,000 tonnes/year or 8% of the production of France Many practice
transhumance Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and lower vall ...
along a path from the coast to Haute-Provence. Summer is the prime season for lavender honey and beehives are located in an area bounded in the north by a line from Montelimar to Digne and in the south
Mont Ventoux Mont Ventoux (; oc, Ventor, label= Provençal ) is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the department of Drôme. At , it is the highest m ...
, the ''Plateau d'Albion'', ''Lure mountain'', the Vaucluse Mountains, and
Luberon The Luberon ( or ; Provençal: ''Leberon'' or ''Leberoun'' ) is a massif in central Provence in Southern France, part of the French Prealps. It has a maximum elevation of and an area of about . It is composed of three mountain ranges (from wes ...
. Honey from other flowers is produced in a wide area bounded by
Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...
,
Montélimar Montélimar (; Vivaro-Alpine: ''Montelaimar'' ; la, Acumum) is a town in the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in north Provence, Southeastern France. It is the second-largest city in the department after Valence. In 2018, ...
, Gap,
Digne-les-Bains Digne-les-Bains (; Occitan: ''Dinha dei Banhs''), or simply and historically Digne (''Dinha'' in the classical norm or ''Digno'' in the Mistralian norm), is the prefecture of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in the Provence-Alpes-Cô ...
,
Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
,
Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
,
Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
, and
Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...
.Transhumance of provençal hives


Service activities

At the end of 2010 the tertiary sector (trades and services) had 6 businesses (no employees) plus three administrative entities employing one person. According to the Departmental Observatory of tourism, tourism is very important for the commune with more than 5 tourists per resident per year. Nevertheless accommodation is rare in the commune since one small cottage is the only collective accommodation accessible to tourists: there is no hotel nor camping nor furnished accommodation, nor cottages. Second homes provide more capacity with 29 secondary residences out of 63 housing units (46%).


Sites and Monuments

Near the
Calade Calade is a French term for a harmonious, decorative and useful arrangement of medium-sized pebbles, fixed to the ground. Rue en calade describes a road with a surface composed in this way—essentially a cobblestone road. These are found predo ...
passage of Malpas between Authon and Saint-Geniez there is an engraved stone, dated 1849, depicting a devil or demon, smiling and with feline features like the ''Matagot des Hautes-Alpes''. There are remains of a castle destroyed in 1393 in the hamlet of Briançon. The Sainte-Marie-Madeleine church in the village is a simple rectangular shape and capped in timber except for the choir which is surmounted by a bower of slats. It is considered to be "without style" by Raymond Collier. Its walls are deformed. There is also the Church of Notre-Dame (formerly Sainte-Marie-Madeleine) at Feissal. The Sainte-Marthe Chapel was completely rebuilt on its remains in 2007.


See also

*
Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department of France. The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):

External links


Authon on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Authon'' on the 1750 Cassini Map


Notes and references


Notes


References

{{authority control Communes of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence