Aveyron (; ) is a department in the

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 ...

Occitania Occitania is the historical region in Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasses much of the southern third of France (except ...

Southern France Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...

. It was named after the river

Aveyron Aveyron (; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron (river), Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyro ...

. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants of Aveyron's

prefecture A prefecture (from the Latin word, "''praefectura"'') is an administrative jurisdiction traditionally governed by an appointed prefect. This can be a regional or local government subdivision in various countries, or a subdivision in certain inter ...

Rodez Rodez (, , ; , ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat of the communau ...

, are called ''Ruthénois'', based upon the first settlers in the area, the Ruteni. With an area of and a population of 279,595, Aveyron is a largely rural department with a population density of .

History

Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. The earliest known inhabitants of the region were the Rutenii tribe, though the area was inhabited prior to their tenure. The department has many prehistoric monuments, including over a thousand

dolmen A dolmen, () or portal tomb, is a type of single-chamber Megalith#Tombs, megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the Late Neolithic period (4000 ...

s, the most of any department in France. During the medieval and early modern periods, and until the 1790s, the territory included within Aveyron was a

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

known as Rouergue. In 1797, Victor of Aveyron (a

feral child A feral child (also called wild child) is a young individual who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, with little or no experience of human care, social behavior, or language. Such children lack the basics of primary and ...

) was found wandering the woods in the area. The story of Victor is told in the film ''

The Wild Child ''The Wild Child'' (, released in the United Kingdom as ''The Wild Boy'') is a 1970 French film by director François Truffaut. Featuring Jean-Pierre Cargol, François Truffaut, Françoise Seigner and Jean Dasté, it tells the story of a chil ...

''. In 1817, a local prosecutor, Antoine Bernardin Fualdès, was assassinated. The sordid circumstances of his death, following which his body was found floating in the river Aveyron, led to the matter becoming publicised as a ''cause célèbre''. Recent studies have indicated that he met his end at the initiative of a right-wing royalist organisation known as the ''Chevaliers de la Foi'' (Knights of Faith).

Heraldry

Geography

Aveyron is the centre of a triangle formed by the cities of

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, , ; or simply ; ) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population of 147,284 (2020). Its metropolitan area () had 504,157 inhabitants at the 2018 ...

, and

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

. The department approximately follows the outline of the former province of Rouergue. It is the 5th largest department in metropolitan France in terms of area (). Its prefecture is

. The department comes under the jurisdiction of the Academy of Toulouse and the Montpellier

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

. The INSEE and Post Code is 12. Aveyron is located in the south of the Massif Central. The highest point in the department is the summit of the '' Signal de Mailhebiau'' at 1469m on the Plateau of Aubrac. The Aveyron department is divided into several natural regions such as the Grand Causses and Rougiers. Aveyron department consists of an ancient high rocky plateau of great geological diversity. The

Truyère The Truyère () is a river in south-western France, right tributary of the Lot (river), Lot. Its source is in the south-western Massif Central, north of Mende, Lozère, Mende. It flows generally west through the following ''département in France ...

, Lot,

, and Tarn rivers have carved a number of deep gorges. The department is surrounded by those of Tarn,

Tarn-et-Garonne Tarn-et-Garonne (; ) is a Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southern France. It is traversed by the rivers Tarn (river), Tarn and Garonne, from which it takes its n ...

, Lot,

Hérault Hérault (; , ) is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault (river), Hérault River, its Prefectures in France, prefecture is M ...

Gard Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;Lozère Lozère (; ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie in Southern France, located near the Massif Central, bounded to the northeast by Haute-Loire, to the ...

and

Cantal Cantal (; or ) is a rural Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region of France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Aurillac. Its other principal towns are Saint-Flour, Cantal, Saint-Flou ...

. The

Lac de Villefranche-de-Panat Lac de Villefranche-de-Panat () is a lake in Aveyron, France. At an elevation of 727 m, its surface area is 1.92 km2. It lies in the Communes of France, communes of Villefranche-de-Panat and Alrance. Description The Lac de Villefranche-de-Pa ...

is used as a reservoir to provide drinking water supplies for the region.

Climate

Demography

In 2017, the department had 279,206 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through the population censuses conducted in the department since 1793.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is

, the prefecture. Of the department's population, 25% live in the four largest communes:

Millau Millau (; ) is a commune in Occitania, France. Located at the confluence of the Tarn and Dourbie rivers, the town is a subprefecture of the Aveyron department. Millau is known for its Viaduct, glove industry and several nearby natural ...

, Onet-le-Château, and Villefranche-de-Rouergue. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:Populations légales 2019: 12 Aveyron
INSEE

Second homes

As of 2020, 17.3% of available housing in the department were second homes.

Politics

Departmental Council

The Department Council of Aveyron has 46 seats. The President of the Departmental Council has been Jean-François Galliard of the

Union of Democrats and Independents The Union of Democrats and Independents (, , UDI) is a Liberalism, liberal List of political parties in France, political party in France and former electoral alliance founded on 18 September 2012 on the basis of the UDI and Independents group, e ...

(UDI) from 2017 to 2021. The President has been Arnaud Viala since 2021.

Members of the National Assembly

Following the 2017 legislative election, Aveyron elected the following representatives to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

Culture

Regional sub-dialect

The regional sub-dialect spoken in Aveyron is a form of

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately . History ...

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

called ''Rouergat''. Faced with the risk of disappearance of the language several associations asked the State and political communities for an ambitious language policy.Article in ''La Dépêche.fr'' on 24 October 2009
consulted on 29 December 2009 In Rouergat, ''Aveyron'' is written: *''Avairon'' (traditional Occitan spelling) – e.g. "Roergue forma lo despartament de l'Avairon" *Oboyróu (spelling of Father Vayssier) – e.g. "Rouergue fouórmo lou desportomén de l'Oboyróu"

Tourism

Aveyron contains part of the Cévennes National Park. Tourist attractions include the castle of Najac, a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

ruin perched high on a hill, and other castles and monasteries such as Conques Abbey, Sylvanès Abbey, Bonneval Abbey and Loc-Dieu Abbey, located near Martiel in a region with many

s. The small city of

is the site of the world's tallest bridge, the

Millau viaduct The Millau Viaduct (, ) is a multispan cable-stayed bridge completed in 2004 across the Canyon, gorge valley of the Tarn (river), Tarn near (west of) Millau in the Aveyron department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Region, i ...

, opened by President Chirac in December 2004. Activities include horseriding, fishing, swimming in the ''Lacs du Lévézou'' and hiking/camping. The inhabitants are also very good craftsmen, and Aveyron is full of various craft objects, handmade, that can be found locally. Examples include the '' couteau de Laguiole'', the world famous ''

Roquefort Roquefort () is a sheep milk blue cheese from southern France. Though similar cheeses are produced elsewhere, European Union law, EU law dictates that only those cheeses aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon may bear the na ...

'' cheese, from the village of the same name and other local produce. Markets take place every Saturday on market places around the region. Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance is the commune where the feral child Victor of Aveyron was found in the late 18th century. File:Rodez cathedrale.JPG, Rodez Cathedral File:Estaing - Ville -JPG1.jpg, Estaing File:Chateau de severac le chateau.jpg, Sévérac-le-Château File:Château de Peyrelade-2.JPG, Château de Peyrelade File:Château Najac.jpg, Château de Najac File:Montpellier-le-Vieux Porte-de-Mycene.jpg, Chaos de Montpellier-le-Vieux

''Les Plus Beaux Villages de France''

Ten towns in Aveyron fall within the classification of a 1901 association ''

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (, ) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of 2024, it numbers 176 member villages (independent Communes of France, ''communes'' or part ...

'': * Belcastel * Brousse-le-Château * La Couvertoirade *

Conques Conques (; Languedocien: ''Concas'') is a former commune in the Aveyron department in Southern France, in the Occitania region. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Conques-en-Rouergue. Geography The village is located at t ...

* Estaing * Najac * Peyre * Saint-Côme-d'Olt * Sainte-Eulalie-d'Olt * Sauveterre-de-Rouergue.

Other tourist spots

* Roquecézière * Saint-Geniez-d'Olt * Loc-Dieu Abbey * Bonneval Abbey * Coupiac * Aubrac Mountains * Causse du

Larzac Larzac (, ), also known as the Causse of Larzac (French: ''Causses, Causse du Larzac''; ), is a limestone karst plateau in the south of the Massif Central, France, situated between Millau (in the Departments of France, department of Aveyron) ...

* Château de Sévérac * Bournazel * Baraqueville * Château de Calmont d'Olt *

*Pons *Medieval villages in the Muse Valley: **

Castelnau-Pégayrols Castelnau-Pégayrols (''Castèlnòu de Leveson in Occitan'') is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. In addition to its castle and three churches it has a unique mediaeval irrigation system recognised in 1996 as of global i ...

** Saint-Beauzély ** Montjaux * Villefranche-de-Rouergue * Villeneuve *The ''Trou de Bozouls'' *The ''Tindoul de la Vayssière'' *Vale of Marcillac, Vineyards and towns: ** Marcillac-Vallon ** Salles-la-Source ** Clairvaux-d'Aveyron ** Muret-le-Château *The Lakes of

Lévézou The Lévézou () is a geographical region in the Aveyron department in southern France. It is an impervious crystalline plateau with an average altitude of around 900m. Its highest point is Mont Seigne (1 128 m). Though its borders are not strictly ...

* Laguiole *The Gorges du Tarn * Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon * Salles-Curan and the Lac de Pareloup * Salvagnac-Cajarc *

Roquefort-sur-Soulzon Roquefort-sur-Soulzon (; , ) is a commune in the Aveyron department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Roquefort is located on the Causse du Larzac and is famous for its ewe derived products including milk, wool, and meat. Much ...

* Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance, classed as a historic area with the "

Feral child A feral child (also called wild child) is a young individual who has lived isolated from human contact from a very young age, with little or no experience of human care, social behavior, or language. Such children lack the basics of primary and ...

": Victor of Aveyron * Peyrusse-le-Roc *Grotto of Foissac *The Basin of Decazeville ( Decazeville, Aubin, Cransac, Firmi and Viviez) with old

coal mines Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

Societies

*''Central Agricultural Society of Aveyron'', founded in 1798 *''Society of letters, sciences and arts of Aveyron'', founded in 1836

Notable people linked to the department

*Déodat Alaus, master mason of the 15th century, builder of the city ramparts of the Templars and Hospitallers city of

*Ambrose Crozot, painter, born in

at the end of the 17th century * Denis Auguste Affre, Archbishop of Paris (1793–1848) * Georges d'Armagnac, Bishop of Avignon, cardinal and Bishop of Rodez (died in 1585) *Marie–Auguste de Balsac, high functionary *Louis Balsan, archaeologist, caver, one of the last great disciples of Martel (1903–1988) *Adolphe de Barrau, naturalist (1803–1884) *Hippolyte de Barrau, founder of the Society of Letters, scholar (1794–1863) *Justin Bessou, Occitan poet (1845–1918) *Adolphe Boisse, engineer and politician (1810–1896) * Louis Gabriel Ambroise de Bonald, philosopher (1754–1840) * Louis-Jacques Maurice de Bonald, bishop (1787–1870) *

Émile Borel Félix Édouard Justin Émile Borel (; 7 January 1871 – 3 February 1956) was a French people, French mathematician and politician. As a mathematician, he was known for his founding work in the areas of measure theory and probability. Biograp ...

, mathematician (1871–1956) * José Bové, anti-globalizationist, MEP since 2009, farmer, activist and former spokesman of French farmers union ''Confédération paysanne'', peasant in the cause of

(1953 -) * Michel Bras (1946 -), chef. * Jean Carrier, clergyman of the 15th century, the last supporter and successor of the

Antipope Benedict XIII Pedro Martínez de Luna y Pérez de Gotor (25 November 1328 – 23 May 1423), known as () or Pope Luna, was an Aragonese nobleman who was antipope with the regnal name Benedict XIII during the Western Schism. Early life Pedro Martínez de Lu ...

under the name of Benedict XIV * Edouard de Castelnau, General (1851–1944) *Marc Cenci, former president of the Regional Council of Midi-Pyrénées, former mayor of Rodez (1936 -) *Hippolyte Coste, botanist (1858–1924) *Jean-Louis Cromières, artisan farmer who "revived" the Laguiole knife *François d'Estaing, Bishop of Rodez (1501–1529) *François Fabié, poet (1846–1926) *

Jean-Henri Fabre Jean-Henri Casimir Fabre (; 21 December 1823 – 11 October 1915) was a French naturalist, entomologist, and author known for the lively style of his popular books on the lives of insects. Biography Fabre was born on 21 December 1823 in Saint- ...

, French entomologist and writer (1823–1915) * Robert Fabre, founder of the Movement of Radicals of the left, Ombudsman (1915–2006) * Maurice Fenaille, patron (1855–1937) * Denis-Luc Frayssinous, bishop and tutor of the Dauphin *Antoine Bernardin Fualdes, prosecutor, assassinated (1761–1817) *

Gustave Garrigou Cyprien Gustave Garrigou (; 24 September 1884 – 23 January 1963) was one of the best professional racing cyclists of his era. He rode the Tour de France eight times and won once. Of 117 stages, he won eight, came in the top ten 96 times a ...

, winner of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

in 1911, born in

Vabre-Tizac Vabre-Tizac (; Languedocien dialect, Languedocien: ''Vabre e Tisac'') is a former Communes of France, commune in the Aveyron Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region in sout ...

* Alexandre Geniez, racing cyclist *Charles Girou de Buzareingues, agronomist and philosopher *Jacques d'Izarn Valady, officer, deputy, shot (1766–1793) * Guy Lacombe, football coach (1955–) *Amédée-Jean-Baptiste Latieule, Bishop of Vannes (1838–1903) *Jean-Claude Luche, Chairman of the General Council of Aveyron * Cardinal Marty, Archbishop of Paris (1904–1994) * Amans-Alexis Monteil, historian (1769–1850) *Antoine de Morlhon, bishop (1753–1828) *Auguste de Morlhon, bishop (1799–1862) *

Alain Peyrefitte Alain Peyrefitte (; 26 August 1925 – 27 November 1999) was a French scholar and politician. He was a confidant of Charles de Gaulle and had a long career in public service, serving as a diplomat in Germany and Poland. Peyrefitte is remembered ...

, writer, minister, member of the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

(1925–1999) * Pierre Poujade, politician, was born and lived in Labastide l'Evêque * Denys Puech, sculptor, director of the Villa Medicis (1854–1942) * Jean Puech, former President of the General Council of Aveyron, Senator, and former minister (1942 -) *Jacques Puel, Ruthénois physician specializing in cardiothoracic surgery (1949–2008) * Guillaume-Thomas Raynal, historian, philosopher (1713–1796) * Emilie de Rodat, founder of the congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Villefranche (1787–1852) * Richard Sainct, motorcycle rider (1970–2004) *

Pierre Frédéric Sarrus Pierre Frédéric Sarrus (; 10 March 1798, Saint-Affrique – 20 November 1861) was a French mathematician. Sarrus was a professor at the University of Strasbourg, France (1826–1856) and a member of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris (184 ...

, mathematician (1798–1861) * Pierre Soulages, painter (1919–2022) * Jean Verdier, Cardinal Archbishop of Paris (1864–1940) * Eugène Viala, painter, poet (1859–1913) * Auguste Denayrouze, Scientist, Inventor, writer (1837–1883) * Gaëtan Roussel, songwriter (1972–) *Father Aimé Vayssier, ecclesiastical bachelor of letters, author of the ''French patois dictionary of the department of Aveyron'' (1821–1875) *Dom Pierre Guérin, ecclesiastic from Nantes, Rouergat poet (1608–1698) * Jules Merviel, cyclist active in the 1930s, born in Saint-Beauzély (1906–1976) * Bertrand Delanoe, French politician and Mayor of Paris (1950–) * Cyril Lignac, French chef and TV host * Jean Boudou, Occitan writer born in Crespin (home of Joan Bodon) * Bernard Laporte, rugby coach (1964–) *

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include mélodie, songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among th ...

, Composer (1899–1963)

Bibliography

*Encyclopedia Bonneton, ''Aveyron'', Christine Bonneton, 2005 *Jean-Michel Cosson, ''Dictionary of Aveyron'', Loubatières, *Daniel Crozes, ''The Guide to Aveyron'', Éditions du Rouergue, *Aue/Miche, ''Aveyron (Discovered)'', MSM, *Dominique Auzias, Jean-Paul Labourdette, ''The small clever Aveyron'', Collectif, Nouvelles Éditions Université, *Paul Astruc, ''Major Criminal cases of Aveyron'', Éditions De Borée, *Christian Bernard, ''Aveyron in flowers: Illustrated inventory of vascular plants of Aveyron department'', Éditions du Rouergue, *Francine Claustres, ''Aveyron Cuisine'', Sud Ouest, *''Aveyron: Farming Yields'', Du Curieux, *French Hiking Federation, ''Aveyron on foot'', Guide FFRP, *French Hiking Federation, ''The most beautiful villages in Aveyron… on foot: 20 walks and hikes'', FFRP, *Hubert Calmette, ''The paths of Émilie in Aveyron'', French Hiking Federation, *Richard André, Romain Pages Éditions, ''Le Parc naturel régional des Grands Causses'', *Rémi Soulié, ''The old Rouergue: Land of Aveyron'', Paris, *Alain Marc, ''Aveyron, Logbooks'', Éditions du Rouergue, *Laurent Millet, ''Family names of Aveyron'', Archives Cult, *Laurent Barthe, ''Of Rouergue in Aveyron'', Empreinte, *''Aveyron 1900–1920'' Édition De Boree, *Jean-Michel Cosson, Stéphane Monnet, ''Aveyron in the 1939–1945 war'', Éditions De Boré, *Jill Dawson, Béatrice Dunner, ''The wild child of Aveyron'', Du Rocher, *Jean Itard, ''Victor de l'Aveyron'', Allia, *Dagonet/Christian, ''Regards to Aveyron'', De Borée, *Nicole de Bertier, ''Meeting in Aveyron'', '' Equinoxe,

References

External links

Prefecture website

Departmental council of Aveyron's website

Aveyron's bulletin board
* {{Authority control Massif Central 1790 establishments in France Departments of Occitania (administrative region) States and territories established in 1790