Asson

Asson ( ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.

Geography

Asson is a large commune in the Ouzom Valley some 30 km south by south-east of Pau and 35 km east by south-east of Oloron-Sainte-Marie which almost completely surrounds the commune of Arthez-d'Asson. The south-eastern border of the commune is the border between the departments of Pyrenees-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées. Access to the commune is by the D 35 road from Igon in the east which passes through the village and continues west to Bruges-Capbis-Mifaget. The D 36 road comes from Nay in the north to join the D 35 just west of the village. The D 126 road goes south from the village to Arthez-d'Asson. The D 226 branches from the D 126 and goes east by a circuitous route to Lestelle-Betharram. The southern half of the commune is mountainous and heavily forested while the north is farmland with scattered small patches of forest. The Pyrénées-Atlantiques Interurban Network of buses has a stop in the commune on route 810 from Lys to Pau

Places and hamlets

Arnaude Arrestouilh Arrioucourt Arrouaus Aubuchou Ausone Barrabourg Bascou Batailles Bélile Bellocq (Pass - 437 metres) Berdeu Berdoulat Berduc Bernadou Bernatas Betbeu Betcabe Betpède Bonnehon Bourdila Bourié Brau Brouquet Brune Busoc Cabalou Carache Cassagne Cassou Castella Castet Mauheit Castet-Oussès Catala Cayeré Cotbracq Cot de Hosse Les Courades La Courgue Les Crabes Crouseilles Dagues Donzelot Douasous Dourron Ermitage d'Asson Espagna (ruins) Espoune-Carbou Estradère Fradi Gabouil Galibet Le Garroc Blanc Gestou Gourgues (vale of) Grabot Gracié Guillamasse Herran Hourc Hourcségou Hourquet Labarrère (mill) Labat Labedays Labielle Lacoume Lalanne Lamothe Lanardonne Larban Larruhat Lartigue Lasque Latapie (bridge) Loustalot Luppé (château) Mandrou Mansiou Marcadet Massey Matocq Mesplé Milhet Monge Montguillalou Montguillet Jean Moulié Mounicou Nabarrà Naspret Nérios Nougué L’Oustau Pabine Palu Pédeprade Péré Peyrade Peyroutet Pladepousaux Pousaux Pradou Regourt Rouby Sanguinet Sanguinet (pass - 512 metres) Sarrailhé Sarraméda Sendou Teich (pass - 1034 metres) Teulère Thou Thouet Touyarou Trencade (pass - 1273 metres)

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

The commune name in béarnais is also Asson. Michel Grosclaude said that the name probably comes from the basque aitz/as ("rocky point") with the locative suffix -on, giving "place where there is a high point". The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune. Sources: Raymond: Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrénées, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. Grosclaude: Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, 2006 Saint-Pé: Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Pé Reformation: Reformation of Béarn Lescar: Cartulary of Lescar Census: Census of Béarn Fors de Béarn Intendance: Intendance of Pau Cour Majour: Regulations of the Cour Majour Notaries of Nay Cassini: Cassini Map from 1750

History

Paul Raymond noted on p. 14 that before 1232 Asson was localised near the place called the Hermitage and that there was a Lay Abbey, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn. The village signed a Charter of Emancipation on 4 January 1282 with the consent of Gaston VII, Viscount of Béarn. In 1385, Asson had 57 fires and depended on the bailiwick of Nay. Asson came under the Notary of Nay as did Angaïs, Arros, Arthez-d'Asson, Baliros, Baudreix, Bénéjacq, Beuste, Boeil, Bordères, Bosdarros, Clarac, Coarraze, Igon, Lagos, Lestelle, Mirepeix, Montaut, Nay, Pardies, and Saint-Abit.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

Inter-communality

The commune is part of five inter-communal structures: the Communauté de communes du Pays de Nay; the association for water and sanitation of Pays de Nay; the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques; the inter-communal association of Gave de Pau; the joint association for the basin of the Gave de Pau;

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Assonais in French.

Economy

The commune is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone of Ossau-iraty and has protected geographical indications (PGI) namely: Tarbais haricots, Tomme des Pyrénées, Duck foie gras of the South-west, and Bayonne ham.

Culture and heritage

The local language is occitan-gascon, called locally béarnais. A bilingual class offers courses in béarnais in the commune school from kindergarten to CM2.

Civil heritage

There is a Metallic Glasshouse at Lalanne in the Asson zoo built in 1900. The owners of the Château of Abère have been known since the 12th century.

Religious heritage

The Church of Saint-Martin, partially dating from the 15th century, contains a Triptych of the Crucifixion from the 16th century. Asson is a stage on the Chemin du piémont pyrénéen (or el cami deu pé de la coste), a secondary itinerary on the Way of St. James.

Environmental heritage

The Bétharram Caves The Grottes de Bétharram (Bétharram Caves) are a series of Caves located on the border between the departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées. Their extent cover some of the communes of Asson and Lestelle-Bétharram in Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Saint-Pé-de-Bigorre in Hautes-Pyrénées. They can be explored on foot, by boat, or by a small train. Asson Zoo Covering five hectares, Asson zoo displays a zoological collection composed of endangered or unusual species in zoos. Mountains The following mountain peaks are found in the commune: The Castet-Ousset (718 metres) The Soum de Camlong (881 metres) The Céberi (891 metres) The Soum d’Arangou (892 metres) The Soum de la Bécole (947 metres) The Pène de la Hèche (1,326 metres) The Toupiettes (1,357 metres) The Soum de Martî-Peyras (1,464 metres) The Soume de Moulle (1,544 metres) The Peak of Monbula (1,583 metres)

Facilities

Éducation

Asson has two primary schools (The école du Bourg and the école du Pont Latapie).

Sport

Sports in Asson revolve around the Ladies Handball Championship of France, National 3.

External links

Asson commune website Asson on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website Aßon on the 1750 Cassini Map

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1353623486 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.

Names in other languages