| Axat | ||
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 Axat
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Location within Languedoc-Roussillon region
Axat
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| Coordinates: 42°48′16″N 2°14′10″E / 42.8044°N 2.2361°ECoordinates: 42°48′16″N 2°14′10″E / 42.8044°N 2.2361°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Languedoc-Roussillon | |
| Department | Aude | |
| Arrondissement | Limoux | |
| Canton | Axat | |
| Intercommunality | Canton of Axat | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (1989–2020) | Marcel Martinez | |
| Area1 | 11.77 km2 (4.54 sq mi) | |
| Population (2010)2 | 640 | |
| • Density | 54/km2 (140/sq mi) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 11021 / 11140 | |
| Elevation | 394–1,330 m (1,293–4,364 ft) (avg. 398 m or 1,306 ft) |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. |
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Axat (Atsat in Occitan) is a French commune in the Aude department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Axatois or Axatoises.[1]
Contents
Geography[edit]
Axat is located in Cathar country at the doors of the Aude Pyrenees some 45 km west by north-west of Perpignan and 10 km south-east of Quillan. Access to the commune is by the D117 road from Belvianes-et-Cavirac in the north which passes east through the top of the commune and continues to Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes. Access to the village is by the D118 which branches from the D117 in the north of the commune and goes south to the village then continues south through the length of the commune before turning west to follow a mountain ridge to Puyvalador. The commune is alpine in nature with extensive forests and rugged terrain. The village is in a valley in the north of the commune.[2]
Axat is a pretty tourist town situated in the high valley of the Aude. Surrounded by mountains and gorges, the narrowest Gorge of Saint Georges is only 3 km away. The River Aude is in a picturesque setting and is a popular whitewater sports location. There are 300 metres of fly fishing stretches where the quality of oxygen in the water attracts salmon and trout.
A 100-year-old railway: the Carcassonne to Rivesaltes tourist railway (Train du pays Cathare et du Fenouillèdes) passes through the commune between Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet and Quillan with a station just west of the village. It links Axat to Rivesaltes with 60 km of track running over impressive viaducts and through tunnels on open air carriages.
The Aude river flows through the length of the commune from south to north then continues north-west at the start of its journey to the Mediterranean Sea. Many tributaries rise in the commune on both banks and flow into the Aude including the Ruisseau d'Artigues (which rises in Artigues), the Ruisseeau de Seilles, and many other unnamed streams.[2]
Neighbouring communes and villages[2][edit]
 |
Cailla | Saint-Martin-Lys | |
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| Artigues |  |
Lapradelle-Puilaurens | ||
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| Le Clat | Sainte-Colombe-sur-Guette | Salvezines |
Toponymy[edit]
In ancient times the Aude basin did not belong to the Sordones but to other iron producers inhabiting Atax country: the Atacini who made swords as well as axes. The nearest village to the Sordones and part of the land occupied by the Aticini was called Axat and this name, which is a simple inversion of Atax marks the exact point of division between the two tribes of Sordones and Atacini.
History[edit]
The Barony became a Marquisate in 1776 according to Eric Thiou[3] and was extinguished in 1788.[4] It became a courtesy title borrowed by Philippe du Puy de Clinchamps.[5]
Heraldry[edit]
 |
Blazon: Argent, a fesse Vert, in chief three square lozenges the same. |
Administration[edit]
List of Successive Mayors[6]
| From | To | Name | Party | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | 1971 | Emile Gorse | ||
| 1971 | 1983 | Alexandre Raynaud | ||
| 1983 | 1985 | Jean Paul Raynaud | ||
| 1985 | 1989 | Yves Ipavec | ||
| 1989 | 2020 | Marcel Martinez |
(Not all data is known)
Demography[edit]
In 2010 the commune had 640 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger communes that have a sample survey every year.[Note 1]
| 1793 | 1800 | 1806 | 1821 | 1831 | 1836 | 1841 | 1846 | 1851 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 284 | 335 | 361 | 411 | 546 | 582 | 278 | 594 | 540 |
| 1856 | 1861 | 1866 | 1872 | 1876 | 1881 | 1886 | 1891 | 1896 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 538 | 529 | 458 | 452 | 444 | 425 | 450 | 454 | 558 |
| 1901 | 1906 | 1911 | 1921 | 1926 | 1931 | 1936 | 1946 | 1954 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 838 | 695 | 912 | 863 | 968 | 1,010 | 901 | 930 | 1,006 |
| 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2010 | - |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 993 | 997 | 911 | 1,021 | 919 | 832 | 711 | 640 | - |
Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)
Culture and heritage[edit]
Civil heritage[edit]
- A Viaduct built in 1900
- A Bridge
Religious heritage[edit]
The Church of the Assumption of Notre-Dame, built in 1630, contains a Statue: the Immaculate Conception (17th century)
which is registered as an historical object[7]
The New Provisional Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
- A Statue: Saint John the Evangelist (17th century)
[8] - A Statue: Virgin with pedestal (17th century)[9]
- A Painting: Saint Michel vanquishing the demon (18th century)[10]
- A Painting: The Assumption (18th century)[11]
Local life[edit]
Sports[edit]
- Water activities: rafting, whitewater swimming, canoeing
- Axat Football Club, a soccer club founded in 1940.
- Outdoor sports: hiking (walking, horse riding, mountain biking), climbing
There is also an outdoor swimming pool which is open from June to September with great mountain views.
Notable people linked to the commune[edit]
- The Dax family, originally from Carcassonne, have been linked to Axat since the middle of the 15th century, when its members were Lords of Axat.
- Henri Rouzaud, born in Axat on 14 November 1855, died at Narbonne on 17 July 1935, professor and politician
- Albert Cauneille, norn on 4 October 1910 in Axat. He was twice a finalist in the 1932–33 French Rugby Union Championship. He played centre three-quarters (he was 1.72m tall and weighed 82 kg). Clubs: Carcassonne and Narbonne.[12]
- Henri Gleyzes, born on 18 May 1901 in Axat and died on 15 October 1969. He was a finalist in the 1924–25 French Rugby Union Championship with Carcassonne. He played wing three-quarter.[13]
- Patrick David, born on 3 May 1954 in Axat. Rugby player. He was a finalist in the 1976–77 French Rugby Union Championship with Perpignan. He played prop (he was 1.83m tall and 87 kg).
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
- Axat on the old IGN website (French)
- Axat on Lion1906
- Axat on Google Maps
- Axat on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (French)
- Axat on the 1750 Cassini Map
- Axat on the INSEE website (French)
- INSEE (French)
Notes and references[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by Law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002, the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" allows, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For communes with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these communes is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force in 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.
References[edit]
- ^ Inhabitants of Aude (French)
- ^ a b c Google Maps
- ^ Éric Thiou, Dictionary of titles and land titles in France under the Ancien Régime, éditions Mémoire et Documents, Versailles, 2003, (p.58) (French)
- ^ Gustave Chaix d'Est-Ange, Dictionary of ancient French families and notables at the end of the 19th century, vol. 13 (French)
- ^ Charondas, What title?, vol. 36, 1970 (French)
- ^ List of Mayors of France (French)
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM11002546 Statue: the Immaculate Conception (French)
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM11001718 Statue: Saint John the Evangelist (French)
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM11001717 Statue: Virgin, with pedestal (French)
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM11000603 Painting: Saint Michel vanquishing the demon (French)
- ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM11000602 Painting: The Assumption (French)
- ^ Rugby website (French)
- ^ Rugby website (French)
