Ailhon () 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 Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southern

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 area ...

. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Ailhonnais'' or ''Ailhonnaises''

Geography

Location

Located at an altitude of 406 metres, Ailhon is a commune in the

canton of Aubenas-2 The Cantons of France, canton of Aubenas-2 is an administrative division of the Ardèche departments of France, department, southern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Aube ...

and the

arrondissement of Largentière The arrondissement of Largentière is an arrondissement of France in the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It has 151 communes. Its population is 101,490 (2016), and its area is . Composition The communes of the arrondisse ...

, some 5 km south-west of

Aubenas Aubenas (; oc, Aubenàs) is a commune in the southern part of the Ardèche department in Southern France. It is the seat of several government offices. The mountainous and rugged countryside is popular for vacation homes. The river Ardèche fl ...

. It can be accessed by the D223 road from Prades in the north, a tortuous mountain road which continues south through the commune, without passing near the village, to join the D103. Access to the village is by the D235 from Aubenas in the north-east to the hamlet of La Charberterie in the north of the commune then the D359 south to the village continuing south to Merzelet. The commune is characterised by a large area with mountainous terrain heavily forested with a network of small mountain roads and many scattered hamlets.Google Maps
/ref> Numerous streams cover the commune with the ''Ruisseau du Gary'' rising in the north and flowing the length of the commune gathering many tributaries south-west to join ''La Lanche'' which forms the south-western border of the commune. There is also the ''Auzon'' which rises just north of the commune and forms the eastern border gathering many tributaries and continues south to join the Ardeche near Saint-Sernin. The ''Ruisseau d'Ailhon'' flows through the village east to join the Auzon.

Neighbouring communes and villages

History

A prehistoric tomb at Gay and many vestiges at Daus attest to human presence since antiquity. It was in 1298 when the name of the noble family of ''Ailhon'' (''Ailhou'' in patois and ''Alho'' in Latin) appeared for the first time when Pierre d'Ailhon sold a nearby fortified house to the house of Mirabel. During the

Wars of Religion A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war ( la, sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion. In the modern period, there are frequent debates over the extent to wh ...

, particularly from 1586 to 1591, the village paid a heavy price: the fort was taken and retaken and nothing remains except a tower in the Chabert house south of the village. In 1670, Ailhon participated in the ''Roure Revolt'', a rebellion caused by a disastrous harvest followed by a rumour of an increase in taxes. The insurgents armed only with scythes and sticks were massacred by the king's armies on the plain of Lavilledieu. The leader of the revolt, Anthoine du Roure, was arrested in

Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (literally "Saint John t theFoot of hePass"; eu, Donibane Garazi; es, San Juan Pie de Puerto) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is close to Ostabat in the Pyrenean footh ...

and broken on the wheel in Montpellier on 29 October 1670. His body was then exposed on the high road from Montpellier to Nimes and his head placed on top of the Porte Saint-Antoine in

. A square ''Jacques Roure'' was dedicated to his memory in Aubenas (on the proposal of Councillor Durand in 1896). Another square (Anthoine du Roure) also bears his name in Lachapelle-sous-Aubenas. The disorder during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

resulted in a band of brigands led by Fourniquet de Chassiers (executed at Saint-Cirgues-de-Prades in May 1800) scouring the territory.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Ailhon

;Mayors from 1977

Population

Distribution of Age Groups

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Ailhon and Ardèche Department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Ailhon (07002)
/ref>

Sites and Monuments

*Daus (a Celtic

tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones bu ...

): prehistoric site *The Church of Saint André (13th century) is registered as an historical monument. The church was enlarged and revised until the beginning of the 16th century and it houses many sculptures. There is a huge trunk of an

Elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of North ...

tree planted in 1593 - as in many parishes - by order of

Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully Maximilien de Béthune, 1st Duke of Sully, Marquis of Rosny and Nogent, Count of Muret and Villebon, Viscount of Meaux (13 December 156022 December 1641) was a nobleman, soldier, statesman, and counselor of King Henry IV of France. Historians emp ...

, to celebrate the conversion to the Catholic religion of Henry IV. Two items in the church are registered as historical objects: **A Sarcophagus cover (15th century) **A

Stoup A holy water font or stoup is a vessel containing holy water which is generally placed near the entrance of a church. It is often placed at the base of a crucifix or religious representation. It is used in the Catholic Church, Anglican Churches ...

(18th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy

Picture Gallery

Image:Facade église romane d'Ailhon.JPG, Front of the Romanesque church Image:Porche église romane d'Ailhon.JPG, Church Porch Image:place du village d'Ailhon.JPG, Village Square Image:Village de Ailhon.jpg, View of the village

Panoramic views

References

External links

Ailhon official website

Ailhon on the old National Geographic Institute website

Ailhon on Géoportail
National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
''Ailhon'' on the 1750 Cassini Map
{{authority control Communes of Ardèche