Arles-sur-Tech (, literally ''Arles on Tech''; ; ) is a commune in the

Pyrénées-Orientales Pyrénées-Orientales (; ; ; ), also known as Northern Catalonia, is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France, adjacent to the northern Spain, Spanish ...

department in 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 ...

.INSEE commune file
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Geography

Location

Arles-sur-Tech is located in the

canton of Le Canigou The canton of Le Canigou is an administrative division of the Pyrénées-Orientales department, in southern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda. ...

and in the

arrondissement of Céret The arrondissement of Céret is an arrondissement of France in the Pyrénées-Orientales department ( Northern Catalonia) in the Occitanie region. It has 64 communes. Its population is 134,629 (2021), and its area is . Composition The commune ...

. Arles-sur-Tech is situated in the southernmost valley in mainland France before Spain, the

Vallespir Vallespir (; ) is a historical Catalan comarca in Northern Catalonia, part of the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales. Geography The capital of the comarca is Ceret, and it borders the comarques of Conflent, Rosselló, Alt Empordà ...

, through which the long river "Tech" flows. This small town is surrounded by the eastern Pyrenees which dominate the skyline around Arles-sur-Tech. The town sits on the only main road which passes through the valley, the D 115, making it accessible from Spain in the west and the plane of

Roussillon Roussillon ( , , ; , ; ) was a historical province of France that largely corresponded to the County of Roussillon and French Cerdagne, part of the County of Cerdagne of the former Principality of Catalonia. It is part of the region of ' ...

and

Perpignan Perpignan (, , ; ; ) is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales departments of France, department in Southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the Me ...

in the east. It is located close to the larger and more well-known spa town of

Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. It is situated in the Tech valley, and combines the old and the new with a mix of narrow cobbled streets and modern accommodation. It has b ...

History

At the end of the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

Arles-sur-Tech was the site of a camp housing Republican escapees from

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 ...

. It was used as an initial sorting camp.

Government and politics

Mayors

International relations

Arles-sur-Tech is twinned with: *

Cubelles Cubelles () is a municipality in Catalonia, in the province of Barcelona, 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, ...

Population

Sites of interest

* Abbey of Saint Mary : Arles-sur-Tech is best known for its abbey, which allegedly holds the relics of Saints

Abdon and Sennen Abdon and Sennen, variously written in early calendars and martyrologies Abdo, Abdus, and Sennes, Sennis, Zennen, are recognized by the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church as Christian martyrs, with a feast day on 30 July."Martyrologium ...

in a sarcophagus called ''Sainte Tombe'', traditionally believed to have been brought from Rome by Abbot Arnulf in the middle of the tenth century. Its waters are traditionally believed to hold miraculous healing properties.Milburg Francisco Mansfield, ''Castles and chateaux of old Navarre and the Basque provinces: including also Foix, Roussillon and Béarn'' (I. Pitman, 1908). * The Caixa de Rotllan, a dolmen. * Saint-Stephen church * Saint-Saviour church * Saint-Peter church * Holy Cross church * The Fou canyon, said to be the world's narrowest.

Bibliography

*Abbé Adolphe Crastre, ''Histoire du martyre des saints Abdon et Sennen, de leurs reliques, de leurs miracles, de leur culte et de l'eau miraculeuse du sarcophage'' (Amélie-les-Bains, 1932). Facsimile reprint, Nîmes: Les Éditions Lacour-Ollé, 2005.

References

External links

Official site
Communes of Pyrénées-Orientales {{PyrénéesOrientales-geo-stub