Ahetze () is a village and a
commune in the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...
department in the
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Nouvelle-Aquitaine () is the largest Regions of France, administrative region in France by area, spanning the west and southwest of Metropolitan France. The region was created in 2014 by the merging of Aquitaine, Limousin, and Poitou-Charentes ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
in southwestern
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. The commune is part of the
urban area
An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...
of
Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
, and of the traditional
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
province of
Labourd
Labourd (; ; ; ) is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques '' département'' of Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. It is one of the traditional Basque provinces, and identified as one of the territorial component pa ...
.
[AHETZE]
Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia
Geography
Location
The commune is located some 13 km southwest of Bayonne and 30 km northeast of Donostia-San-Sebastion and only 4 km from the Atlantic beaches of
Bidart and
Guéthary.
Access
Ahetze village is at the intersection of departmental roads D655 from
Arbonne
Arbonne (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in French Basque Country, a region of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France.
Geography
Arbonne is located some 6 km ...
to
Bidart and D855 from
Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle to
. The commune can be accessed from Exit 4 (
Biarritz
Biarritz ( , , , ; also spelled ; ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. It is a luxu ...
La Négresse) and Exit 3 (
nord) from the
A63 autoroute A63 or A-63 may refer to:
* A63 road, a road in England connecting Leeds and Hull
* A63 motorway (France), a road connecting Bordeaux and the border with Spain
* A63 motorway (Germany), a road connecting Mainz and Kaiserslautern
* A63 motorway (Spai ...
.
The
Biarritz–Anglet–Bayonne Airport is 15-minute drive from the village.
Hydrography
The river
Zirikolatzeko erreka, a tributary of the
Uhabia, flows through the commune, as well as several of its tributaries, including the Amisolako, Uroneko, and Besaingo.
Paul Raymond also stated in his ''Topographical dictionary of Bearn-Basque Country'' in 1863
that a tributary of the Alborga: the ''Haïstéchéhé'' flows through Ahetze after rising in
Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle.
Localities and hamlets
* Adamenea
* Aguerria
* Amizola
* Arrakotenea
* Belhardiko Errota
* Biperenborda
* Borda
* Dorrea
* Etxebiaga
* Haroztegia
* Harrieta
* Ithurbidea
* Ithurbidenborda
* Laharraga
* Larramendia
* Larreluzea
* Larretxeberria
* Larrunta or Larruntaldea
* Martikotenea
* Mulienea
* Olhagaina
* Ostaleriaborda
* Solorzano
* Uhartea
* Xaharrenea
* Ximikoenea
* Xirrikenea
[Géoportail]
IGN
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
Toponymy
The commune name in
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
is also ''Ahetze''.
Jean-Baptiste Orpustan suggested that ''Ahetze'' comes from ''aiz'' meaning "stone" and by extension "high rock" (''see also:
Ahaitz'').
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
Sources:
* Orpustan: Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, ''New Basque Toponymy''
*
Raymond
Raymond is a male given name of Germanic origin. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷ� ...
: ''Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees'', 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table.
[ (Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011)]
* Lhande: Pierre Lhande, ''Basque-French Dictionary'' 1926
Origins:
* Bayonne:
Cartulary
A cartulary or chartulary (; Latin: ''cartularium'' or ''chartularium''), also called ''pancarta'' or ''codex diplomaticus'', is a medieval manuscript volume or roll ('' rotulus'') containing transcriptions of original documents relating to the fo ...
of
Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
or ''Livre d'Or'' (Book of Gold)
[Manuscript from the 14th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques ]
* Chapter: Titles of the Chapter of
Bayonne
Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
[Chapter of Bayonne in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques ]
According to Eugène Goyheneche:
[Eugène Goyheneche, ''Basque Country: Soule, Labourd, Lower Navarre'', Société nouvelle d'éditions régionales et de diffusion, Pau, 1979, BnF FRBNF34647711 ] "two houses (…) had medieval names of ''Akarreta'' and ''Haranbillaga''".
History
In the Middle Ages the
Compostela pilgrims who chose the passage along the Atlantic coast passed near Ahetze,
Ibarron and the hospital (''Ospitale Zaharra'') in
Sare. Others preferred to fork through part of Ahetze to reach the chapel Saint-Jacques of
Serres
Serres ( ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki.
Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece. The c ...
and also visit
Vera
Vera may refer to:
Names
*Vera (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
* Vera (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name)
**Vera (), archbishop of the archdiocese of Tarr ...
by passing by
Olhette and the Ibardin Pass.
Heraldry
Administration
List of Successive Mayors of Ahetze
Inter-Communality
Ahetze is a member of 8 Intercommunal organisations:
* the
Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque
* the union of Ouhabia
* the intercommunal association of secondary schools of Saint-Jean-de-Luz
* the intercommunal association ''Nive-Nivelle''
* the mixed association of ''Bizi Garbia''
* the association to support Basque culture
* the joint association for drinking water from the Ura
* the joint sanitation association of the Ura
The commune is a member of the ''Basque Eurocity Bayonne - San Sebastian''.
Population
The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aheztars'' in French.
Economy
The flea market takes place every third Sunday of the month and regularly attracts lovers of antiques from the Paris region, to the Spanish communes all around and contributes to the economic revitalization of the village which has mainly agricultural activity.
The commune is part of the
Appellation d'origine contrôlée
In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...
(AOC) zone of
Ossau-iraty.
Culture and heritage
Languages
The ''Map of the Seven Basque Provinces'' established by Prince
Louis-Lucien Bonaparte in 1863 indicated that the Basque dialect spoken in Ahetze was
Labourdin.
Festivals
Established in 1971, the Committee of Festivals of Ahetze (''Ahetzeko Mozkor Banda'') organises the following events: wheat threshing, dance evenings, a gala of
Basque rural sports
Basque rural sports, known as ''Deportes Rurales'' in Spanish language, Spanish or ''Herri Kirolak'' in Basque language, Basque, is the term used for a number of sports competitions rooted in the traditional lifestyles of the Basque people. The t ...
, ''loto'', and employers' festivals that take place between 25 October and 11 November.
Civil heritage
* The Ostalapia farm, now a restaurant, is a former way station on the road to
Saint Jacques de Compostela and long before was a haven for the
Guethariars and
Bidartars when they were attacked by pirates from the ocean or by robbers. There are some boulders once used for walls in the parking area.
* Some old
Baserri dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, some of which have been extended over time. New construction follows the Labourdin style.
File:Ahetze Linteau 1655.JPG, Lintel dating from 1655
File:Ahetze Maison Réhaussée.JPG, House extension
File:Ahetze Harrieta.JPG, Modern Baserri (late 20th century)
File:Ahetze Maison basque.JPG, Basque House under a storm
File:Ahetze Stèle.JPG, Hilarri
Religious heritage
The
Church of Saint Martin (16th century) is registered as an historical monument. The church contains a number of items that are registered as historical objects:
** A
Retable
A retable is a structure or element placed either on or immediately behind and above the altar or communion table of a church. At the minimum, it may be a simple shelf for candles behind an altar, but it can also be a large and elaborate struct ...
and 7 Paintings (1700)
** A Processional Cross (15th century). This cross, whose arms are garnished with bells, was used in witchcraft trials in the year 1609 to the outrage of Councilor Lancre who saw it as an evil object. The carvings on the Cross represent the faces of Christ, the Virgin, Saint John, a pelican, and two women's heads. On the back of the cross there is the representation of a bishop, undoubtedly Saint Martin.
** A Statue: Virgin of the Assumption (18th century)
** A Statue: Saint Jacques dressed as a pilgrim (18th century)
Eugène Goyheneche
noted that the church quite exceptionally possessed a register of Catholics in
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
.
;The Church Picture Gallery
File:Ahetze 2005-01-01.jpg, Church of Saint-Martin
File:Ahetze Rue.JPG, The bell tower seen from the village
File:Ahetze Statue.JPG, Entrance to the Church
File:Ahetze Aurore.jpg, The Church
File:Ahetze Cloches.JPG, Close up of the Bells in the church
File:Ahetze (Pyr-Atl, Fr) Choeur de l'église.JPG, The choir of the church
File:AHETZE - Eglise Saint-Martin 02.jpg, Interior of the church
File:Ahetze (Pyr-Atl, Fr) Autel.JPG, Altar with two pelerins of St. James
File:Ahetze (Pyr-Atl., Fr) Détail du retable, l'Annonciation.JPG, Altar piece detail: The Annunciation
File:Ahetze (Pyr-Atl., Fr) détail du retable, Anne salue Marie.JPG, Altar piece detail: Anna greeting Maria
File:Ahetze (Pyr-Atl., Fr) Vitrail Notre Dame du Rosaire, Mater purissima.JPG, Stained glass in the church
File:Ahetze (Pyr-Atl., Fr) Vitrail notre Dame du Rosaire, Rosa mystica.JPG, Stained Glass, Lady of the Rosary
Environmental heritage
On the heights of Ahetze all the Basque mountains near the Atlantic are visible: the
Rhune, the
Mondarrain, the
Artzamendi, and the
Ursuia in France as well as the ''Three Crowns'' in Spain.
File:Ahetze Mondarrain Artzamendi.jpg, View of the ''Mondarrain'' (750m) and the ''Artzamendi'' (906m)
File:Rhune Ahetze.JPG, La Rhune view from Ahetze
File:Trois Couronnes Ahetze.jpg, The Three Crowns, (Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
)
File:Ahetze Besaingo.JPG, The Besaingo erreka
File:Ahetze Moulin.JPG, Watermill on the Besaingo erreka
Facilities
Sports and sports facilities
Ahetze has two
Frontons, one is old and built into the wall of the town hall, a second was completed in 2008 as part of the new development of the town.
A
Trinquet called ''Pantxoa Sein'' is next to the primary school.
A marked ''fitness trail'' runs through the south-east of the village.
File:Ahetze Fronton.jpg, The Fronton next to the Town Hall
File:Ahetze Trinquet.JPG, Plaque at the entrance to the Trinquet
Education
Ahetze has a primary school and a nursery.
Health
Ahetze has several health services: a general practitioner, a dentist, a nurse, a physiotherapist, and a speech therapist.
Notable People linked to the commune

* , born on 11 November 1916 in Ahetze and died on 22 July 1981 in the same commune, was a
Bertsolari (singer of
bertso) renowned in
French Basque Country
The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided ...
.
* , born in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
and died in 1982, was a North American
Anthropologist
An anthropologist is a scientist engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropologists study aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms, values ...
who, during the 1960s, conducted the first research that highlighted specific
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
haematology
Hematology ( spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to blood. It involves treating diseases that affect the production ...
with the entire population of the villages of
Macaye and Ahetze.
[The results of these studies were published in 1967 (''The Basques Natural History'', New York, J. Dausset, L. Legrand, M. H. Levine M. H., J. C. Quilice, M. Colombani, J. Ruffié), 1972 (''Genetic Structure and Distribution of HL-A Antigens in a Basque village, in "Histocompatibility Testing"'', Copenhague, J. Ruffie, M. H. Levine, M. Blanc, P. Richard), 1972 (''A New lmmunoglobulin haplotype Gm (-1, -17, 21) in a Kurdish isolate and in a French Basque village'', M. H. Levine, J. Ruffie, H. Darrasse) and in 1973 (''Basque Isolation: I A Hemaypological Survey of Basque Villages'')] These studies put in evidence in relation to the surrounding population the high frequency of
blood group O and
Rh negative and the particularities of distribution of Gm antigens and HL-A.
See also
*
Arrondissements of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
*
Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
The following is a list of the 545 Communes of France, communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunalities (as of 202 ...
Notes
References
External links
*
25 photos of Ahetze
{{authority control
Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques