Aigues-Vives (; oc, Aigasvivas) is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region of southwestern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aigues-Vivesiens'' or ''Aigues-Vivesiennes''.Aigues-Vives
, Jean-Jacques Pétris, website of the Historical Society, consulted on 3 June 2011.

Geography

Location

Aigues-Vives is located both in the ''Pays d'Olmes'' and the ''Canton of Mirepoix'' on the D625 main road (formerly

Route nationale A ''route nationale'', or simply ''nationale'', is a class of trunk road in France. They are important roads of national significance which cross broad portions of the French territory, in contrast to departmental or communal roads which serve ...

N625) which runs from Saint-Quentin-la-Tour in the north through the heart of the commune and the town to Laroque-d'Olmes in the south. It is about 90 km in a direct line south by south west of

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...

. Augues-Vives can also be accessed from the east on Highway D28 from Léran. Apart from the Aigues-Vives town there is one other residential area to the north of the town called Le Kartare. The commune is forested to the west and the east with the centre of the commune farmland (apart from the town).Google Maps
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Neighboring communes and villages

Hydrography

The ''Countirou'' stream, which has its source in the nearby village of Tabre, passes through the commune of Aigues-Vives, along the D625 road, and comes to an end at Hers-Vif near Mirepoix. A number of streams traverse the commune and flow into Coutirou including the: ''Fontaine de Toustou'', the ''Couxou'', the ''Ribalerie'', and the ''Saint-Paul'').Géoportail
IGN Lake Montbel is located three kilometres south-east of the commune and is visible from the hills above ''Aigues-Vives''.

Geology and terrain

The village is located in an area formed during the

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

period with a soil which is a mix of

conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** ...

and

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...

, on strata called the "conglomerates of Palassou" located on the North Pyrenees faultline. Aigues-Vives is surrounded by several hills, the highest being 630m above sea level, on the western edge of the commune. The village itself is 420m high on average with the lowest point being 391m.

Seismicity and disasters

According to decree No. 2010-1255 of 22 October 2010 on the delimitation of the seismicity of the French territory, Aigues-Vives is exposed to a risk level of 3 (moderate). Other risks facing Aigues-Vives are forest fires, industrial hazards, and risks due to transport of dangerous goods. Past disasters include the November 1982 storm, flooding and mudslides in January 1992 and mudslides in November–December 1996.

Toponymy

''Aigues-Vives'' or in Occitan ''Aigas Vivas'' meaning "whitewater" takes its name from springs in the surrounding hills.Official Site of Aigues-Vives
consulted on 16 May 2011 There were also these old forms: ''Aygas vivas'' (1300) ''Aquisvivis'' (1377), and ''Aiguesvives'' (1801).

History

The first written mention of Aigues-Vives dates to 1301. The village was under the control of Mirepoix, ten miles to the north, until 1329, when Gaston de Lévis-Léran appropriated the castle and the surrounding lands. The village remained in the possession of the Lévis-Léran family until the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

. The main industries in the 20th century were the making of "horn combs" and textiles, as is the case for much of the ''Pays d'Olmes''.

Heraldry

Policy and administration

Municipal administration

Based on the number of inhabitants (more than 100, less than 499), the town has a council of 11 members. List of mayors

Population and society

Population

Pyramid of ages

The population of the town is relatively young. Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Aigues-Vives and Ariege Department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Aigues-Vives (09002)
/ref>

Education

Aigues-Vives has a kindergarten and primary school, with 68 students (for the academic year 2010–2011).

Sports

Several sports facilities exist in Aigues-Vives: a football club, a gymnasium, a

Tai-chi Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called " shadowboxing", is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and meditation. T ...

group, a bicycle club, and a leisure centre which has a go-karting track and a mini-golf area.

Health

There is no pharmacy or doctor in Aigues-Vives with the closest being at Laroque-d'Olmes about 3 kilometres away. The nearest hospital is in

Lavelanet Lavelanet (; ''L'Avelhanet'' in the Languedocian dialect of Occitan) is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Population Its inhabitants are called ''Lavelanetiens.'' Tour de France In 20 ...

seven kilometres away.

Economy

Incomes of the population and taxation

In 2017, the median net household income was €19,290.Dossier complet: Commune d'Aigues-Vives (09002)
INSEE, consulted on 9 September 2020

Employment, business and trade

The rate of unemployment in 2017 was 15.5% and slightly higher among women than men. There are several companies in the building trades, particularly masonry and housepainting in Aigues-Vives and there is also a textile company and a website design business. There is an Asian caterer, a camping ground, and a Karting Club. Agriculture and livestock is another sector of activity in Aigues-Vives: wheat, forage grass, and vines are grown, while cattle and sheep are also raised. The nearby forests are exploited and are rich in mushrooms.

Wind farm project

A project to create a wind farm on the ridges of the ''Serre du Tut'' was launched and then abandoned due to strong opposition, especially from the Association for the Preservation and Tourism and the Sites in the Pyrénées Mountains.

Local culture and heritage

Sites and monuments

*A Romanesque Church dedicated to

Saint Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

with a bell tower. There is an old

baptismal font A baptismal font is an article of church furniture used for baptism. Aspersion and affusion fonts The fonts of many Christian denominations are for baptisms using a non-immersive method, such as aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring). ...

with an octagonal

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

basin and

base (1657). It has been transformed into a

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a " sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design. In mo ...

and is registered as an historical object. The War Memorial is also in the church.Aigues-Vives War Memorial
Gérard Doucet, online 28 January 2011, consulted on 1 June 2011. File:Église d'Aigues-Vives, Ariège-edit.jpg, The church from the Northwest File:Vitrail de l'église Saint-Étienne d'Aigues-Vives, Ariège.jpg, File:Autel de l'église d'Aigues-Vives, Ariège.jpg, The altar *Several Wayside crosses'' scattered around the village were used as

Oratories Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech deliver ...

. Processions in honour of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

are organized there. File:Croix à Aigues-Vives, Ariège-edit.jpg, Cross at Aigues-Vives 1 File:Croix à Aigues-Vives, Ariège 2-edit.jpg, Cross at Aigues-Vives 2 File:Croix à Aigues-Vives, Ariège 3.jpg, Cross at Aigues-Vives 3 File:Croix à Aigues-Vives, Ariège 4.jpg, Cross at Aigues-Vives 4 *A Column with a square pedestal, topped by a statue of the Virgin is located in the parking lot near the church. It is about four metres high. File:Colonne à Aigues-Vives, Ariège-edit.jpg, The Column File:Statue sur la colonne à Aigues-Vives, Ariège.jpg, Statue on the Column *An Old Fountain with a hand pump which is in no state to use. *Dry stone huts in ruins, formerly used by farmers. * Lake Montbel is 5 km southeast of the commune. *The Ecomuseum of Camping in the Serre.

Notable people

*Faust Nadal, a colonial physician. Born in Aigues-Vives *Jean Pelissier (1883-1939), a historian, sociologist, and journalist born in Aigues-Vives

References

External links

Aigues-Vives on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Aiguesvives'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aiguesvives Communes of Ariège (department)