Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette
Altzai-Altzabeheti-Zunharreta
Commune
The church of Alçabéhéty
The church of Alçabéhéty
Coat of arms of Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette
Coat of arms
Location of Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette
Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette is located in France
Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette
Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette
Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette
Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette
Coordinates: 43°05′46″N 0°54′27″W / 43.0961°N 0.9075°W / 43.0961; -0.9075
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentPyrénées-Atlantiques
ArrondissementOloron-Sainte-Marie
CantonMontagne Basque
IntercommunalityPays Basque
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Anicet Erreçarret[1]
Area
1
34.40 km2 (13.28 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2021)[2]
208
 • Density6.0/km2 (16/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
64015 /64470
Elevation217–1,535 m (712–5,036 ft)
(avg. 344 m or 1,129 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette (French pronunciation: [alsaj alsabe.eti synaʁɛt]; Basque: Altzai-Altzabeheti-Zunharreta)[3] is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France.

Geography

Location

Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette is located in the former province of Soule.[3] It is located some 35 km west by south-west of Oloron-Sainte-Marie and 10 km north of Larrau.

Access

The commune can be accessed by the small D247 road from the village to Tardets-Sorholus in the north-east. The D149 branches off this road in the commune and goes north to Camou-Cihigue. There is also the D117 road which goes west from the village to Mendive.[4]

Hydrography

Located in the drainage basin of the Adour, most of the southern border of the commune is formed by the Alphoura river (18 km long) which also flows through the village and continues northeast to join the Saison near Alos-Sibas-Abense. The Alphoura is fed by many tributaries rising in the commune including the Azaléguy and Ardounc. The Escalérako erreka rises in the south and flows west with its many tributaries.[4]

Paul Raymond[5] mentioned the Arangaïxa, a brook that rises at Alçay and flows into the Alphoura.

Localities and hamlets

  • Aguer (Barn)
  • Albinzé (cayolar)
  • Alçabéhéty
  • Alçay
  • Ampo
  • Andoche (cayolar)
  • Arangaitz (Pass)
  • Arhansus (cayolar)
  • Arhex Borde
  • Atheis
  • Azaléguy
  • Azaléguiko Karbia (Cave)
  • Bagadoya
  • Bagazaguita (cayolar)
  • Bagothusta
  • Belhy
  • Berrayde
  • Bethalia
  • Bidalunia
  • Bordagagna
  • Borda Iribarneko
  • Bordapia
  • Burdin Olatzé (cayolar)
  • Burgance
  • Çaro
  • Chaldupia
  • Chuburu
  • Croix Garat (la)
  • Elichabeborda
  • Eltzegagnia (cayolar)
  • Erbinia
  • Espoulapia
  • Esquirassy (district)[6][7]
  • Etcheberri Borda
  • Etcheverry[5]
  • Etchecopar Borda
  • Eyhéraber
  • Ezpalako Larria
  • Goyheneix Borde
  • Gutux Borde
  • Habrague (cayolar)
  • Handia (Borda)
  • Haquits (Mill)
  • Harizmendy
  • Harristolatzia
  • Houretaborda
  • Ibarburia (Pass)
  • Ibarria
  • Illaberria
  • Inharchoury
  • Irriko Borda
  • Kamitchel
  • Kharalda
  • Lapistoy
  • Larramendia
  • Laxunia
  • Laze
  • Lechardoy
  • Lecharria (cayolar)
  • Lekayborda
  • Leziague (fountain)
  • Lomendi
  • Luchiloa
  • Lucu
  • Lutogagne
  • Maraizolatzé
  • Méthola
  • Miranda
  • Néquézaurborda
  • Ourdanberhartia
  • Oxapuria
  • Oxibar (Pass)
  • Pista Uthurria
  • Poyuko Borda
  • Sallaberriko borda
  • Sobieta (Grange)
  • Sunharette
  • Thipinka
  • Ursoy (cayolar)
  • Utzidoy
  • Uztarila (cayolar)
  • Uztubulia

[8]

Toponymy

View of Alçay village
Saint Peter's Church and the cemetery at Alçay
Old Hilarri at Alçabéhéty
The Church at Sunharette

The commune name in Basque is Altzai-Altzabeheti-Zunharreta.[3][9]

According to Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, the base (h)altz meaning "aulne" was used for both the toponyms Alcay and Alçabéhéty. beheti means "at the bottom".[10]

The name Sunharette comes from the Basque zunhar (Name from Soule meaning "elm" or "poplar") using the romanized locative suffix ette meaning the "place of elm".[10]

The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.

NameSpellingDateSourcePageOriginDescription
AlçayAucet Suson1337Orpustan
196
Village
Alsay1385Raymond
4
Duchesne
Ausset-Suson1479Raymond
4
Ohix
Alçay1520Orpustan
196
Aucet Suson1690Orpustan
196
Auset Suson1690Orpustan
196
Alsai17th centuryRaymond
4
Chronicles
AlçabéhétyAucet Juson1337Orpustan
196
Village
Ausec-Juson1385Raymond
4
Duchesne
Auset Juzon1385Orpustan
196
Auzat Juzon1385Orpustan
196
Aucet Juzon1690Orpustan
196
Alcabehety1793Cassini1
Alçabehety1801Cassini1Bulletin des lois
SunharetteSunarte1337Orpustan
196
Village
Sunharrete1475Raymond
165
Ohix
Sunharrette1690Orpustan
196
Sunarrette1690Orpustan
196
Sonharette1793Cassini2
Sunharrette1801Cassini2Bulletin des lois
ArangaïxaL'Arangaïxa1863Raymond
8
Stream
ArhansusArhansus1863Raymond
10
Wood
AthaguyAthagui1520Raymond
16
SouleFarm
Atagui1520Raymond
16
Soule
BelhyBelhy1863Raymond
27
Mountain
BurunolatxéLe Col de Burunolatxé1863Raymond
37
Pass
CouhourreCouhourre1863Raymond
53
Wood
EsquirassyEsquirassy1863Raymond
62
Mountain
EtcheverryEtcheberri17th centuryRaymond
63
ChroniclesFief, under the Viscounts of Soule
HandiagueHandiague1863Raymond
75
Mountain

Sources:

Origins:

  • Duchesne: Duchesne collection volume CXIV[13]
  • Ohix: Contracts retained by Ohix, Notary of Soule[14]
  • Chronicles: Chronicles of Arthez-Lassalle[15]
  • Soule: Custom of Soule[16]

History

In 1790 Sunharette was the chief town of a canton which was part of the District of Mauleon. The canton included the communes of Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette, Alos-Sibas-Abense, Camou-Cihigue, Etchebar, Lacarry-Arhan-Charritte-de-Haut, Lichans-Sunhar, and Ossas-Suhare.

In 1833, the three communes of Alçay, Alçabéhéty, and Sunharette merged to form a single joint commune.

Heraldry

Arms of Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette
Arms of Alçay-Alçabéhéty-Sunharette
 Blazon:

Azure, a wolf argent passant at dexter in front of a beehive of Or to sinister and accompanied by 6 bees at dexter chief, 3 bees at sinister chief, one bee at sinister, and 4 bees in base the same.[17]



Administration

List of Successive Mayors[18]

FromToName
19832001Arnaud Dascon
20012026Anicet Erreçarret

Inter-communality

The town is part of seven intercommunal organisations:

  • the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque
  • the association to support Basque culture;
  • the SIVOM of the canton of Tardets;
  • the intercommunal association of the gaves d'Oloron and Mauléon
  • the SIVU for Tourism in Haute-Soule and Barétous;
  • the AEP association for Soule Country
  • the association for remediation of Soule Country

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 298—    
1975 262−1.82%
1982 283+1.11%
1990 273−0.45%
1999 246−1.15%
2007 219−1.44%
2012 228+0.81%
2017 226−0.18%
Source: INSEE[19]

Economy

Activity is mainly focused on agriculture (livestock and pasture). The town is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone of Ossau-Iraty cheese.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has two sites that are registered as historical monuments:

  • The Seven Ibarnaba Tumuli in the Esquirassy district[6]
  • The Ten Ibarletta Tumuli in the Esquirassy district[7]
Other sites of interest
  • The Gaztelu zahar (Basque meaning "fortified place") of Maide korralea meaning "the enclosure of Maide" is attributed to Maidé, mythological beings incorporating some of the traits of Jentils and Laminak.

Religious Heritage

  • The Romanesque Parish Church of Saint-Pierre (Middle Ages) is registered as an historical monument.[20] The church contains a Processional Cross (16th century) which is registered as an historical object.[21]

Environmental heritage

  • The Belhygagne peaks (also called the peak of Vultures) and Gaztelia are the highest points in the commune at, respectively, 1,072 and 1,345 metres high.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 ALTZAI-ALTZABEHETI-ZUNHARRETA, Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia (in Spanish)
  4. 1 2 3 Google Maps
  5. 1 2 3 Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011 (in French)
  6. 1 2 Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00084309 Seven Ibarnaba Tumuli (in French)
  7. 1 2 Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00084308 Ten Ibarletta Tumuli (in French)
  8. 1 2 Géoportail, IGN (in French)
  9. ↑ Brigitte Jobbé-Duval, Dictionary of placenames - Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 2009, Archives and Culture, ISBN 978-2-35077-151-9 (in French)
  10. 1 2 3 Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, New Basque Toponymy, Presses universitaires de Bordeaux, 2006, ISBN 2 86781 396 4 (in French)
  11. ↑ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Alçabéhéty, EHESS (in French).
  12. ↑ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Sunharette, EHESS (in French).
  13. ↑ Duchesne Collection, volumes 99 to 114, containing the papers of Oihenart, former Imperial Librarian - Bibliothèque nationale de France
  14. ↑ Manuscripts from the 15th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  15. ↑ Titles of the Arthez-Lassalle family at Tardets (in French)
  16. ↑ Custom of Soule in 1520, printed at Pau in 1760 (in French)
  17. ↑ Guy Ascarat Archived November 9, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ List of Mayors of France
  19. ↑ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  20. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA64000703 Parish Church of Saint-Pierre (in French)
  21. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000026 Processional Cross (in French)
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