Arnave (; oc, Arnava) is a commune in the Ariège department of southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

Geography

Arnave is situated in the Pyrenees and is served by Highway D20. The town sits in a deep valley between mountain peaks, the tallest of which is above sea level. Arnave was built on the banks of a stream by the same name. The source of this stream is at an approximate altitude of , at the foot of Mount Fourcat . It is fed by two other streams, the Ruisseau de la Sécaille and, further downstream, the Ruisseau de la Montagne. The former descends by way of

Cazenave-Serres-et-Allens Cazenave-Serres-et-Allens is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ariège department The following is a list of the 327 Communes of France, communes of the Ariège (department) ...

and its source is at the base of le Pic du Han (). The source of the latter is further to the north and on the other side of the Cazenave mountain, at the Lauzate peak. The Arnave stream is also fed by other smaller streams and springs. The Arnave stream itself empties into the river Ariège four kilometres downstream from the town of Arnave, at the site of Bompas, Ariège. The Arnave stream winds through high valleys with many

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

s, some of which are impressive. One in particular is known as "la poêle" (the "stovetop" or "frying pan") for its being difficult to access.

Population

Inhabitants of Arnave are called ''Arnavais''. In 2010 the town counted 217 inhabitants. Censuses of the town going back to 1793 have tracked the change in population. Starting in the 21st century, French municipalities with a population under 10,000 undergo a survey every 5 years, compared with annual surveys in larger municipalities.

Sites and monuments

The Chapel Saint-Paul d'Arnave is an example of

Romanesque Architecture Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this lat ...

and is considered one of the oldest in the department. The building dates to the 10th and 11th centuries. Jules d'Ancelin, the baron of Labaume, is interred here. The chapel was part of the Labaume Barony until the mid-20th century, when it was ceded to the town for restoration. The site is also known for its black stone, believed to cure "Haut-Mal", or

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

, when the afflicted sleeps an entire night with his head beneath it. The site was a longtime

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

destination thanks to legends of miraculous cures. A gypsum quarry from the last century is known for

anhydrite Anhydrite, or anhydrous calcium sulfate, is a mineral with the chemical formula CaSO4. It is in the orthorhombic crystal system, with three directions of perfect cleavage parallel to the three planes of symmetry. It is not isomorphous with t ...

specimens.D. DESCOUENS (1984): Les Mines de gypse d'Arnave et Arignac. Monde et Minéraux, 62, 16-17.

References

Communes of Ariège (department) {{Ariège-geo-stub