Ahetze () is a village and a commune in the

Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlant ...

department in the

Nouvelle-Aquitaine Nouvelle-Aquitaine (; oc, Nòva Aquitània or ; eu, Akitania Berria; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Novéle-Aguiéne'') is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

in 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 ...

. The commune is part of the

urban area An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, ...

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine ...

, 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 c ...

province of

Labourd Labourd ( eu, Lapurdi; la, Lapurdum; Gascon: ''Labord'') is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques ''département''. It is one of the traditional Basque provinces, and identified as one of the territorial c ...

.AHETZE
Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aheztars''.

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 to Bidart and D855 from Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle to

Saint-Jean-de-Luz Saint-Jean-de-Luz (; eu, Donibane Lohitzune,Donibane Lohitzune

Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) 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 Sp ...

La Négresse) and Exit 3 (

Saint-Jean-de-Luz Saint-Jean-de-Luz (; eu, Donibane Lohitzune,Donibane Lohitzune

A63 autoroute. 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

Toponymy

The commune name in

is also ''Ahetze''. Jean-Baptiste Orpustan suggested that ''Ahetze'' comes from ''aiz'' meaning "stone" and by extension "high rock" (''see also:

Ahaitz Ahaitz or Ahaize is a Basque place name referring to flat areas in mountain, favorable to human settlement.Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, ''Nouvelle toponymie basque'', Presses Universitaires de Bordeaux, {{ISBN, 2-86781-396-4. It may refer to: *Ahaize, a ...

''). 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. 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 ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ...

: ''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 f ...

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

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 Sérres ( el, Σέρρες ) 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 Nort ...

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 Tarrag ...

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 communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque ( eu, Euskal Hirigune Elkargoa), is the ''communauté d'agglomération'', an Communes of France#Intercommunality, intercommunal structure, centred on the Communes of France, cities of Bayonne and Bia ...

* 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

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 An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...

(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 or ''Herri Kirolak'' in Basque, is the term used for a number of sports competitions rooted in the traditional lifestyles of the Basque people. The term ''force basque'' is used in Fren ...

, ''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 structur ...

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

. ;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 Larrun (modern French: ''La Rhune'', IPA: a'run - 'good pasture', possibly a folk etymology, in French until the 20th century: ''Larhune'' ) is a mountain (905 m) at the western end of the Pyrenees. It is located on the border of France and Spa ...

, 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 , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

) 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 Bertsolaritza or bertsolarism is the art of singing extemporaneously composed songs in Basque according to various melodies and rhyming patterns. Bertsos can be composed at a variety of occasions but are performed generally by one or various '' ...

) renowned in

French Basque Country The French Basque Country, or Northern Basque Country ( eu, Iparralde (), french: Pays basque, es, País Vasco francés) is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitu ...

. * , born in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

and died in 1982, was a North American Anthropologist who, during the 1960s, conducted the first research that highlighted specific

haematology Hematology ( always 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 produc ...

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.

References

External links

*
25 photos of Ahetze

{{authority control Communes of Pyrénées-Atlantiques