Azille (; oc, Asilha lo Comtal) is a commune in the

Aude Aude (; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it "Ca ...

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...

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 ...

of southern France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Azillois'' or ''Azilloises''.

Geography

Azille is located at the foot of the

Montagne Noire The Montagne Noire ( oc, Montanha Negra, known as the 'Black Mountain' in English) is a mountain range in central southern France. It is located at the southwestern end of the Massif Central at the juncture of the Tarn, Hérault and Aude departm ...

some 25 km east by north-east of

Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the ...

and 25 km west by north-west of Narbonne. The commune is traversed by the D610 from Homps to

Puichéric Puichéric (; oc, Puègeric) is a commune in the Aude department in southern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and ter ...

in the south-east and also by the D11 from

La Redorte La Redorte (; oc, La Redòrta) is a commune in the Aude department in southern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and terr ...

to Rieux-Minervois in the west. Access to the town is by the D206 from Rieux-Minervois which goes to the village then continues north-east to

Pépieux Pépieux (; oc, Pepius) is a commune in the Aude department in southern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territori ...

. The D72 comes from La Redorte in the south and passes through the town going north to join the D52. The D272 goes north-west from the town to La Livinière. The D606 goes south-east from the town to Homps. Apart from a large lake in the east of the commune (the Lac de Jouarres), which also forms the departmental border between

and

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.Google Maps
/ref> The river

forms the south-eastern border of the commune with the parallel

Canal du Midi The Canal du Midi (; ) is a long canal in Southern France (french: le Midi). Originally named the ''Canal royal en Languedoc'' (Royal Canal in Languedoc) and renamed by French revolutionaries to ''Canal du Midi'' in 1789, the canal is considere ...

passing through the south-east of the commune. Several streams rise in the north-west of the commune and flow south-east to join the Aude including the ''Ruisseau de Georges'', the ''Ruisseau de l'Etang de Jouarres'', and the ''Ruisseau de l'Aiguille''.

Neighbouring communes and villages

History

Azille contains

Prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

remains of past civilisations including cremation graves from the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

, many of which are preserved in the Olonzac museum. There is a superb Roman villa displayed at Billery and there is a statue of Silenus in Greek style, which could be a representation of the

Satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr ( grc-gre, :wikt:σάτυρος, σάτυρος, sátyros, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( grc-gre, :wikt:Σειληνός, σειληνός ), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears ...

Marcyas, displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Narbonne. The recent discovery of a

Visigoth The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...

necropolis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...

at the edge of the village indicates habitation since earliest times. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, Azille was one of the most important towns in the Archidiocese of Narbonne. In the 14th century the village supported the church of Saint Julien which was part of the chapter of Saint Just of Narbonne. There were also two convents: the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

s and the Royal Abbey of Saint Clare. Unusually, apart from the episcopal city, the town was the only one to have two

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

es: Saint-Julien and Saint-André. The parish of Saint-André, which is known today only from ruins and the name of a quarter in the town, was united with Saint-Jacques-de-Béziers in 1096, then with the

Abbey of Lagrasse The Abbey of St. Mary of Lagrasse (French: ''Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse'' or ''Abbaye Sainte-Marie-d'Orbieu'') is a Romanesque abbey in Lagrasse, southern France, whose origins date to the 7th century. It is located in Languedoc, near the Co ...

in 1118, then finally with Saint-Sebastian-de-Narbonne. Saint-Julien was the seat of the

Archpriest The ecclesiastical title of archpriest or archpresbyter belongs to certain priests with supervisory duties over a number of parishes. The term is most often used in Eastern Orthodoxy and the Eastern Catholic Churches and may be somewhat analogous ...

of Minervois. In the 14th century it was made a "county": ''Azilhan lo Comtal'' which it remained until the end of the 16th century. A town free of all lordly power from 1483, it belonged to the crown and its arms were those of the king. It was administered by an elected council. Built on a rocky outcrop, the town was surrounded by walls with multiple doors and towers both round and square. The city became too crampd inside its walls and several suburbs were created to the east beyond the Narbonne gate - the oldest of which had its own wall. At the beginning of the 13th century Azille was part of the Cathar inspiration and contained a house of Perfects which was destroyed in the period of the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade (; 1209–1229) was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown ...

. In 1289, 63 years after the death of

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

, Eustache de Lévis founded or restored the

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

Franciscans , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans , abbreviation = OFM , predecessor = , ...

outside the walls to the north of the city. In 1331 his daughter, Isabelle de Lévis - widow of Bertrand de l'Isle, founded The Royal Abbey of Saint Claire (the Abbey of Poor Clares) inside the walls. The remains of the walls and some monuments are still visible today. The town's economy was traditionally based on wheat: Azille wheat being highly prized in the 19th century. The commune was also the largest producer of olive oil in the region and there was also wine. The multitude of springs in the area allowed tanners and drapers to prosper. By the end of the 19th century, with the arrival of the railway (the

Moux Moux is a commune in the Aude department in southern 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 an ...

Caunes-Minervois Caunes-Minervois is a small medieval town and commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is known particularly for its ancient Abbey, dating from the eighth century, and the outstanding red marble that has been ...

line), further commerce developed which in turn led to building large houses such as the Château Gallimard where the musician César Franck stayed. The

, built in 1666, traverses the commune for four kilometres. There is a lock in the commune and the Riquet de Jouarres bridge.

Heraldry

Administration

List of successive mayors

Population

Economy

Wineries

Azille, with an area of 2,333 hectares, includes 14 areas: *Jouarres is one of the last wineries from the 19th century with wooden barrels. An area traversed by the

and the Aude river. The Ruisseau de l'Aiguille is cut by a secondary Roman road near Fans. *The Hamlet of Jouarres, near the Jouarres lake, is now converted into a leisure park. *Les Cascals has a significant Aqueduct between the Aude and the Canal du Midi. *Les Fans was once owned (1700) by the Lord of Massiac of Gazel and is traversed by a secondary Roman road. *Sainte-Marie on the banks of the Canal du Midi *Saint-Julien (biological products). *The Chateau of Floris, a 19th-century building, it was founded in 1536 on the way to Rieux. *Massiac a stronghold built in 1697. *Vaissière and its Romanesque church from the 12th century at Saint-Étienne de Tersan, near the Argent -Double river. On both sides of the road from Rieux to

the Argent Double river also borders: *La Chouppe, La Rèze, and Les Salices, which all belonged to the Poor Clares. *The "Moulin des Nonnes (Nuns' Mill) is an abandoned property that belonged to the Royal Abbey of Saint-Clair-d'Azille in the Middle Ages and which had a water mill. *The Domain of the 3 Angels where the vineyard is located on the Liviniere, Siran, and next to Jouarres Lake. The commune is also remarkable for the diversity of its

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

and its

flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...

with its typically Mediterranean Garrigue and

olive tree The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' 'M ...

s. The cultivation of olives has been increasing for a decade.

Transport

From 1887 to 1939 Azille was served by the Moux to Caunes-Minervois railway line. The station remains visible as well as a large part of the structures and embankments.

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has a number of sites that are registered as historical monuments: *The Canal du Midi (1679) *The Maison Cros (Cros House) (14th century) *The War Memorial 1914-1918 (1921) ;Other sites of interest *The Château of Vaissières contains a Bas-relief (Late Middle Ages) which is registered as an historical object. *The Cemetery on the Route de Siran contains a Priests' Monument which is registered as an historical object. *The Ramparts from the Middle Ages: Partially destroyed in the 18th century, they were for the most integrated with houses built on its frontage. It is possible to follow the line along the boulevards that replaced the old moat. Some portions are visible in several places, especially near the visitor centre. *Witnesses to the great wine era (1870-1910): The Jouarres aging cellar *The Chateau and its neo-Gothic portal near the canal bridge *The neo-Renaissance Chateau at Floris. *Jouarres Lake.

Religious heritage

The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments: *The Church of Saint-Julien and Saint-Basilisse (14th century). The church is a remarkable example of Southern Gothic with a wide nave with three vaulted transepts, a broad framed

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...

, and a bell tower 36 m high. It contains a chapel of the Brotherhood of Saint Jacques with statues and shrines in gilded wood. This chapel was used as headquarters for the brotherhood of pilgrims. Azille was once a starting place of pilgrimage to Compostela. The church also houses one of the finest achievements of Southern Gothic sculpture: a Virgin and ChildMinistry of Culture, Palissy in polychrome stone, considered one of the finest achievements of Gothic sculpture of the 14th century in southern France. It was displayed as such in two exhibitions in Paris notably at the

Grand Palais The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées ( en, Great Palace of the Elysian Fields), commonly known as the Grand Palais (English: Great Palace), is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arro ...

. The church contains several items that are registered as historical objects: **A Bronze Bell (1776) **A Bronze Bell (1611) **A Bronze Bell (1607) **A

Pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

(18th century) **A Painting: Christ on the Cross between Saint Julien, Saint Basilisse, and Saint Madeleine (1688) **A Painting: The Ecstasy of Saint Francis (18th century) **A Painting: Saint Barthélémy (17th century) **A Painting: Saint Michel between a martyred pope and Saint Sebastian (17th century) **A Painting: Saint Francis receiving the drawstring bag (18th century) **A Monumental Harmonium (1860) **A Statue: Virgin and child (14th century) *The Chapel of Vaissière (12th century). This small pre-Romanesque chapel is none other than the former church of Saint-Etienne de Tersan and was probably built before 1184. The chapel has a basilical plan with three naves and three apses. The tripartite nave and two of the apses date back to the 10th century. Part of the vaulting over the nave was built in the 11th century. The

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

to the south of the choir was attributed to the workshop of the

Master of Cabestany The Master of Cabestany is the name given to an anonymous sculptor active in the second half of the 12th century. He was identified in the 1930s after the discovery of several pieces remarkable for their workmanship and their style; chief among t ...

. It was created in the 12th century during the reconstruction of the great apse. *The old Chapel of the Poor Clares (15th century). It was decommissioned and sold to individuals under the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, the remains can be seen in the church square. ;Other religious sites of interest *The Monastery of Poor Clares. The Poor Clares returned to Azille in 1891 and built their monastery near the road to Liviniere. In 2008 the Poor Clares have passed the monastery to th
''Chanoinesses de la Mère de Dieu''
The building contains two items that are registered as historical objects: **A Painting: the death of Saint Clare (17th century) **A Head: Christ (16th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy *The Saint-André spring flowed from a Gothic shrine in the 14th century which was vaulted by a ribbed vault. It is named after the parish that existed in the 11th century and was destroyed in 1791. *The former Rectory, presumably the ''Tinal'' for the archpriests: a room with a floor supported by diaphragm arches at three points, chamfered, visible at the tourist office. St. Clair monastery religious Clare returned to Azille in 1891 and built their monastery near the road to Liviniere. 2008 3, the Poor Clares have passed the baton to Chanoinesses of the Mother of God. The convent of the Cordeliers, founded in the 13th century, sold to the Revolution, you can still see the remains of the Franciscan church homes. Several stone carvings on the facades of buildings in the city from it without doubt. The arches of the choir of the church are visible from the aisles Pol-Lapeyre.

Festivals

The town hosts a

Feria In the liturgy of the Catholic Church, a feria is a day of the week other than Sunday. In more recent official liturgical texts in English, the term ''weekday'' is used instead of ''feria''. If the feast day of a saint falls on such a day, the ...

for several days around 1 May. It is managed by 120 volunteers and attracts about 30,000 people. It had its 10th anniversary in 2012.

Notable people

* Pol Lapeyre, a young Saint-Cyrien born in Azille, died at 20 years old after struggling to defend his position for 60 days and nights during fighting in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

in 1925. * Gabriel Delort, General Counsel for Aude from 1799 to 1830.