Arcens () is a commune in the

Ardèche Ardèche (; , ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Southeastern France. It is named after the river Ardèche (river), Ardèche and had a population of 328,278 as of 2019.department in the

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...

region of southern

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 ...

Geography

Arcens is located some 55 km east by south-east of

Le Puy-en-Velay Le Puy-en-Velay (, ; , before 1988: ''Le Puy'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Loire Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of south-central France. Located near the rive ...

and 60 km west of Valence. It can be accessed by the D237 road from Saint-Martin-de-Valamas in the north-east passing through the commune and the village and continuing south-west to

Saint-Martial Martial of Limoges (3rd century), whose name is also rendered as Marcial, Martialis, and Marcialis, and is also called "the Apostle of the Gauls" or "the Apostle of Aquitaine," was the first bishop of Limoges. Venerated as a Christian saint, Mar ...

. Apart from the village there are also the hamlets of Massas and Les Allayauds in the south-west. The entire commune is heavily forested.Google Maps
/ref> The ''Eysse'' river flows through the commune and the village from south-west to north-east gathering numerous tributaries on the way. It forms part of the northern border of the commune before continuing north to join the ''Eyrieux'' at Saint-Martin-de-Valamas.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

It appears that the origin of the commune name ''Arcens'' was from a hamlet in the 14th century and the area occupied by the current commune was divided between three Lords in 1464.

History

Arcens is a village divided between the plateau and the valley and in the Middle Ages was the borders of three lordships ( Brion,

Chanéac Chanéac (; ) is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France. Population See also *Communes of the Ardèche department The following is a list of the 335 communes of the Ardèche department of France. The communes coo ...

, and Fourchades). The first mention that is often recounted, of ''Mansus de Arcenno'' in 1024, does not apply to Arcens, but to a manse near Escoulenc (Saint-Andéol-d'Escoulenc in Erieux). In 1164

Pope Alexander III Pope Alexander III (c. 1100/1105 – 30 August 1181), born Roland (), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 September 1159 until his death in 1181. A native of Siena, Alexander became pope after a Papal election, ...

confirmed the Arcens church to the chapter of Puy but this date is controversial. On 17 April 1195 the next pope,

Adrian IV Pope Adrian (or Hadrian) IV (; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear); 1 September 1159) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 until his death in 1159. Born in England, Adrian IV was the first Pope ...

, confirmed the church to the abbey of Saint-Chaffre. In 1620, the Acens church depended on the chapter of Puy whose canons named the priests. The Lordship of Arcens appears only in the 15th century in the Brion family: thence it passed to Crussol and in the 18th century was in the hands of the Aiguillon family, one of the most powerful of the time. The revolutionary period left some traces: the sales of church property, theft from the tax collector, then a strange resignation of the council. The lord of Arcens (de Brion) was meanwhile guillotined.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Arcensois'' or ''Arcensoises'' in French. Arcens Landscape

Distribution of Age Groups

The population of the commune is older than the departmental average. Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Arcens and Ardèche Department in 2017 Source: INSEEÉvolution et structure de la population en 2017: Commune d'Arcens (07012)
/ref>Évolution et structure de la population en 2017: Département de l'Ardèche (07)
/ref>

Sites and Monuments

*Source of gaseous

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. It is usually still, but may be sparkling ( carbonated/ effervescent). Traditionally, mineral waters were used or consumed at t ...

. *A Chateau from the 16th century. *A Church from the 19th century.

Notable people linked to the commune

*Rémy Roure, resistance fighter, editor-in-chief of ''

Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

'', founder of the Democratic Party then the

UDSR The Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance (, UDSR) was a French political party founded after the liberation of France from German occupation, mainly active during the Fourth Republic (1947–58). It was a loosely organised "cadre par ...

. *Rene Baumer (1906-1982), painter, resistance fighter and deportee. Wrote two novels about Soutron.