L'Aiguillon (; ) is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie

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 ...

of southwestern

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 ...

Geography

Location

L'Aiguillon is part of the

natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecological point of view, the naturally occurring flora and ...

of Olmes Country and lies halfway between Lavelanet, the capital of the canton and Bélesta. It has a number of hamlets and localities including Terris, Durenat, Couchou, Pagès, Jordy, Ramoundino, Les Peyriquets, Saint Charles, and Roudière.IGN Map of L’Aiguillon

Géoportail Géoportail is a comprehensive web mapping service of the French government that publishes maps and geophysical aerial photographs from more than 90 sources for France and its territories. The service, first developed by two public agencies (the ...

, consulted on 13 June 2011 . The D117 road (the former National Route N117) passes through the commune and is joined in the centre of the village by the D16 road.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Source:

Hydrology

The Hers traverses the commune in the north at the foot of the ''Crète de l’Arse''. Several tributaries join it within the commune: streams of Benaix, Mede, and Bacref.

Geology and relief

The commune lies at the bottom of a gorge carved by the Hers in the Massif de Plantaurel of the Pyrenees Mountains. The village is sandwiched between the peak of Mede to the south which rises to

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

and the peak of the Arse to the north whose highest point is . The latter is cut off from the Bouchard peak by the Balussous Pass where the Hers turns north (see map).

Toponymy

L'Aiguillon was formerly spelled ''L’Éguillon''. In

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, spoken in parts o ...

L'Aiguillon is called ''agulhon'' which means "a sharp height".

History

The Lordship of L'Aiguillon came under

Mirepoix A mirepoix ( , ) is a mixture of diced vegetables cooked with fat (usually butter) for a long time on low heat without coloring or browning. The ingredients are not sautéed or otherwise hard-cooked, because the intention is to sweeten rather t ...

until the sharing of the fief in 1329 when it passed to the authority of Léran. From the 16th century L'Aiguillon was part of the barony of Bélesta with the lordships of Bélesta and Fougax. The village was part of the commune of Bélesta until its separation in 1926.''L’Aiguillon''
Jean-Jacques Pétris, histariege.com, consulted on 13 June 2011 . The main industries in the 19th and 20th centuries were, as is the case in all of Olmes Country, were those of

horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

comb A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...

manufacturing (formerly made of

boxwood ''Buxus'' is a genus of about seventy species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box and boxwood. The boxes are native to western and southern Europe, southwest, southern and eastern Asia, Africa, Madagascar, northernmost So ...

) and

spinning Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

Administration

List of mayors

Population

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aiguillonnois'' or ''Aiguillonnoises'' in French.

Sites and monuments

*A Sawmill in marble from the 19th century (built under an authorisation of

Charles X Charles X may refer to: * Charles X of France (1757–1836) * Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden * Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title See also * * King Charle ...

on 21 February 1827) was updated in 2005. *A building which was a Flour mill prior to 1747, was transformed into a factory making

s but is now in ruins.''A mill can conceal another''
, Laurence Cabrol, 28 October 2005, Ariège News, consulted on 13 June 2011 *The Church combines both classical and modern architectural features (especially the entrance). Formerly consecrated to the Virgin Mary, it is now dedicated to Saint Sernin. There was also a chapel dedicated to Saint Michael near the present church (late 15th century). *A

French formal garden The French formal garden, also called the , is a style of "Landscape architecture, landscape" garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. Its epitome is generally considered to be the Gardens of Versailles designed ...

next to the cemetery with a

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or Gun turret, turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden, or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. In British English, the word is also used for a tent-like can ...

at its centre. *There are also several Monumental Crosses.

Notable people linked to the commune

*Father Edouard Lafuste (died 17 November 1935 in L'Aiguillon), the village priest, was the author of numerous historical studies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aiguillon Communes of Ariège (department)