Ille-sur-Têt (; ; Catalan: ''Illa'' or ''Illa de Tet'') is a commune in the

Pyrénées-Orientales Pyrénées-Orientales (; ; ; ), also known as Northern Catalonia, is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France, adjacent to the northern Spain, Spanish ...

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. There are a total of 101 ...

in southern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

.INSEE commune file
/ref> Its

inhabitants In law and conflict of laws, domicile is relevant to an individual's "personal law", which includes the law that governs a person's status and their property. It is independent of a person's nationality. Although a domicile may change from time ...

are called ''Illois''.

Geography

The commune is situated in the Ribéral region along the route nationale 116 and is crossed by the river Têt (in the north), as well as by its tributary, the Boulès (in the south). It is one of the gateways to the

Fenouillèdes Fenouillèdes (; ; ) is a French comarca and a traditional Occitan-speaking area in the '' département'' of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca is Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet (''Sant Pau de Fenolhet''). Fenouillèdes has been part ...

region (towards Montalba-le-Château or Bélesta). Ille-sur-Têt is located in the canton of La Vallée de la Têt and in the

arrondissement of Prades The arrondissement of Prades is an arrondissement of France in the Pyrénées-Orientales department (Northern Catalonia) in the Occitanie region. It has 123 communes. Its population is 60,536 (2021), and its area is . Composition The communes ...

Geology and relief

The commune covers an area of 3,167 hectares. The altitude varies between 110 and 446 metres. The commune is classified in seismicity zone 3, corresponding to moderate seismicity. The commune is also geologically characterised by the existence in its territory of chimney-like structures which have been named the "Orgues" (organ pipes) of Ille-sur-Têt. These have been cut into Pliocene sediments. The Pliocene outcrop in the commune lies between the foot of the granite plateau and the Têt river, around one kilometre north of the town. The town of Ille-sur-Têt itself was built on a river terrace which is located just to the south of the River Têt and its current

floodplain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...

, at an altitude of a few metres above that floodplain. A number of natural springs occur on or near the northern edge of that terrace, where it slopes down to the floodplain. Some of those springs have been used for centuries as "fonts" (fountains), supplying fresh water to the town and its surrounding area. An example is the "Font de la Vila", which is located at the bottom of some steps, just inside the town's old walls. The river terrace ("Fy" on the geological map) is thought to have formed towards the end of the most recent (Würm, or Devensian) glacial period. The flood plain ("Fz") is of recent (

Holocene The Holocene () is the current geologic time scale, geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago. It follows the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene to ...

) age.

Population

Sites of interest

* The 17th century Saint-Étienne Church * The 12th century Sainte-Marie de la Rodona Church * The 17th century

Hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

Saint-Jacques d'Ille-sur-Tet (''Hospici d'Illa'' in Catalan) * The geological site of the Orgues d'Ille-sur-Têt, 10–12 m tall hoodoosOrgues pliocènes d'Ille-sur-Têt
Inventaire national du patrimoine naturel

Notable people

* Jean Bardou (1799-1852), industrialist, born in Ille-sur-Têt. *

Charles Dupuy Charles Alexandre Dupuy (; 5 November 1851 – 23 July 1923) was a French statesman, three times prime minister. Biography He was born in Le Puy-en-Velay, Haute-Loire, Auvergne, where his father was a minor official. After a period as a prof ...

(1851-1923), died in Ille-sur-Têt in 1923,

President of the Council of Ministers The president of the Council of Ministers (sometimes titled chairman of the Council of Ministers) is the most senior member of the cabinet in the executive branch of government in some countries. Some presidents of the Council of Ministers are ...

under Presidents Sadi Carnot,

Jean Casimir-Perier Jean Paul Pierre Casimir-Perier (; 8 November 1847 – 11 March 1907) was a French politician who served as President of France from June 1894 to January 1895. Biography Jean Casimir-Perier was born in Paris on 8 November 1847, the son of Augu ...

Félix Faure Félix François Faure (; 30 January 1841 – 16 February 1899) was President of France from 1895 until his death in 1899. A native of Paris, he worked as a tanner in his younger years. Faure became a member of the Chamber of Deputies for Seine- ...

and

Émile Loubet Émile François Loubet (; 30 December 183820 December 1929) was the 45th Prime Minister of France from February to December 1892 and later President of France from 1899 to 1906. Trained in law, he became Mayor (France), mayor of Montélimar, w ...

. * Joseph-Sébastien Pons (1886-1962), poet, born and dead in Ille-sur-Têt. * Xavier de Gaulle (1887-1955), civil engineer (mines), Second World War ''résistant''. Arrested but released as a veteran, the

Vichy regime Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...

sent him to Ille-sur-Têt as a tax inspector but he remained under police surveillance. He fled to Switzerland where in 1944 he was made Consul Général de France, a post he held until 1953. * Pierre Fouché (1891-1967), died in Ille-sur-Têt, linguist. *

Jean Galia Jean Galia (born 20 March 1905 in Ille-sur-Têt, Pyrénées-Orientales, died 17 January 1949 in Toulouse) was a French rugby union and rugby league footballer and champion boxer. He is credited with establishing the sport of rugby league in Fra ...

(1905-1949), born in Ille-sur-Têt,

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

and

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

player. * Louis Amade (1915–1992), born in Ille-sur-Têt, writer, songwriter for

Gilbert Bécaud François Gilbert Léopold Silly (24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001), known professionally as Gilbert Bécaud (), was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-know ...

and

Édith Piaf Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963), known as Édith Piaf (), was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popu ...

among others. * Paul Blanc (1937-), former

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

for Pyrénées-Orientales and mayor of Sournia, born in Ille-sur-Têt. *

Paul Loridant Paul Loridant (22 April 1948 – 22 December 2020) was a French politician. A member of the Citizen and Republican Movement, he served as a French Senator for Essonne, a General Councillor for the Canton of Les Ulis, and the Mayor of Les Ulis. ...

(1948-), born in Ille-sur-Têt,

for

Essonne Essonne () is a department in the southern part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659, across 194 communes.Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, an import ...

's short story ''

La Vénus d'Ille LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

'' takes place in Ille-sur-Têt.

References

External links

Official site of the town
File:Les Orgues Ille-sur-Tet1.jpeg File:Les Orgues Ille-sur-Tet2.jpeg File:Orgues Ille-sur-Têt - Canigou.jpg File:Ille-sur-Têt.jpg File:Les Orgues d'Ille-sur-Têt.jpg {{DEFAULTSORT:Illesurtet Communes of Pyrénées-Orientales