Aast, Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Aast
Commune
Town hall
Town hall
Coat of arms of Aast
Coat of arms
Location of Aast
Map
Aast is located in France
Aast
Aast
Aast is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Aast
Aast
Coordinates: 43°17′25″N 0°05′21″W / 43.2903°N 0.0892°W / 43.2903; -0.0892
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentPyrénées-Atlantiques
ArrondissementPau
CantonVallées de l'Ousse et du Lagoin
IntercommunalityNord-Est Béarn
Government
 • Mayor (2024–2026) Loïc Herve[1]
Area
1
4.75 km2 (1.83 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[2]
196
 • Density41/km2 (110/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Aastais, Aastaises
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
64001 /64460
Elevation367–393 m (1,204–1,289 ft)
(avg. 390 m or 1,280 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Aast (French pronunciation: [as(t)], locally [ɑ̃ːs])[3] is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. Aast is the first commune in France by alphabetical order.

Geography

Aast Drinking Trough

Location

The village is situated on the plateau of Ger and is composed of a dozen scattered houses. Aast is 20 km east of Pau and 20 km north of Lourdes. Access to the commune is by road D70 then D311 north-east from Gardères, road D64 north-west from Ger, and road D311 when coming south from Ponson-Dessus. Other country roads can also be used to access the commune.[4]

Hydrography

Located in the Drainage basin of the Adour, Aast is traversed by the Carbouère stream, a tributary of the Louet river.[5]

Localities and hamlets

  • Aast
  • Bayet
  • Bidou
  • Cadet
  • France
  • Gachau
  • Hourcade
  • Lasbordes
  • Lasserre
  • Lassus
  • Lescloupe
  • Mouly
  • Pouquet
  • Rémy
  • Toulou

[6]

Neighbouring communes and villages

Toponymy

Aast is the first French commune in alphabetical order. Previously, Aas, another commune in the Lower Pyrenees, came first until 1861, when it merged with the commune of Assouste to form the new commune of Eaux-Bonnes.

The commune's Béarnais name is also Aast.

According to Dauzat and Rostaing Aast comes from the Basque ast ("rock"). This seems unlikely given the physical setting. Michel Grosclaude[3] suggests that the name of the town derives from an anthroponym composed of Aner + Aster. Brigitte Jobbé-Duval[7] recalls that in 1429, Aast appeared as Hast, which means lance, and therefore advanced the theory that Aast could refer to a battle that occurred there.

The following table details the origins of the commune name.

Name Spelling Date Source Page Origin Description
Aast Hast 1429 Raymond
1
 Census Village
Ast 1544 Raymond
1
 Reformation
Aast 1750 Cassini

Sources:

  • Raymond: Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. (in French)[8]
  • Cassini: Cassini Map from 1750[9]

Origins:

  • Census: Census of Montaner[10]
  • Reformation: Reformation of Béarn[11]

History

There was a Lay Abbey in Aast which was abolished in 1791. The Lordship of Aast was owned by the Day family from 1674 until the French Revolution. In 1678, Jérome de Day, adviser to the king, bought the abbey and tithes with rights of patronage: he was to provide a priest and entitled to receive a portion of the tithe, to sit in the choir, to be first to receive the blessed bread, and to be buried in the church.[citation needed]

Heraldry

Arms of Aast
Arms of Aast
 Blazon:

Argent, two halberds sable saltirewise with an inescutcheon gules with two cows collared and belled in Or passing one over the other debruised in fess point overall.[12][13]



Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Aast[14]

Mayors from the French Revolution to 1942
From To Name
1800 1802 Jean Poublan
1802 1806 Matthieu Tisné
1806 1820 Jean Bidou
1820 1822 Michel Naude
1822 1824 Alexis Lassus
1824 1828 Michel Naude
1828 1835 Pierre Capdevielle
1835 1837 Alexis Lassus
1837 1852 Pierre Picourlat
1852 1865 Barthélémy Lassus
1865 1871 Jean Lassus (fils)
1871 1881 Jacques Tisné Daban
1881 1889 Jean Lasserre
1889 1892 Pierre Tisné Daban
1892 1904 Jean Lasserre
1904 1919 Jean Sarthou
1919 1942 Jacques Louis Lasserre
The Aast War Memorial
Mayors from 1942
From To Name Party Position
1942 1944 Dominique Picourlat
1944 1945 Célestin Tisné Daban
1945 1945 Jean Sylvain Lascassies
1945 1949 Célestin Tisné Daban
1949 1983 Jean Lassus
1983 2008 Jean-Noël Lacourrège RPR then UMP General Councillor
2008 2019 Romain Morlanne DVD
2020 2024 Jean-François Garnier
2024 2026 Loïc Herve

Population

The inhabitants are known as Aastois(es) in French.[15]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 140—    
1800 138−0.21%
1806 140+0.24%
1821 173+1.42%
1831 168−0.29%
1836 175+0.82%
1841 167−0.93%
1846 188+2.40%
1851 206+1.85%
1856 220+1.32%
1861 237+1.50%
1866 209−2.48%
1872 213+0.32%
1876 199−1.69%
1881 190−0.92%
1886 183−0.75%
1891 200+1.79%
1896 214+1.36%
1901 186−2.77%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1906 191+0.53%
1911 183−0.85%
1921 160−1.33%
1926 167+0.86%
1931 145−2.79%
1936 140−0.70%
1946 126−1.05%
1954 140+1.33%
1962 140+0.00%
1968 203+6.39%
1975 115−7.80%
1982 140+2.85%
1990 163+1.92%
1999 190+1.72%
2009 193+0.16%
2014 177−1.72%
2020 188+1.01%
2021 189+0.53%
Source: EHESS (1793-1999)[16] and INSEE[17]
A Wayside Cross in Aast

Culture and Heritage

Civil heritage

The town has a number of old farmhouses:

  • The Fray Farmhouse (17th century)[18]
  • A Farmhouse at Bayet (19th century)[19]
  • Houses and Farms (18th and 19th century)[20]

Religious Heritage

The Church of Saint Martin

The Church of Saint Martin (1854)[21] dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours was built under Napoleon III during the administration of Mayor Bartholomew Lassus. Recently renovated by the artist Villarubias, there are many objects in the church registered as historical objects:

  • A Processional Lantern (18th century)[22]
  • A Thurible (17th century)[23]
  • A Pail for holy water (19th century)[24]
  • A Painting: Christ on the cross with the Virgin, Saint Madeleine and Saint Martin (18th century)[25]
  • 2 Paintings: Saint Martin Bishop, and the Charity of St. Martin (19th century)[26]
  • Statue: Saint Joseph (19th century)[27]
  • Altar Pulpit (19th century)[28]
  • A Pulpit (18th century)[29]
  • 2 Altars and Tabernacles (19th century)[30]
  • The Main Altar (19th century)[31]
  • 5 stained glass windows by Henri Gesta (1927)[32]
  • The Furniture in the Church[33]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 16 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
  3. ^ a b Michel Grosclaude, Toponymical Dictionary of communes, Béarn, ed. Edicions reclams & Édition Cairn - 2006 ISBN 2-35068-005-3, page 201 (in French)
  4. ^ Google Maps
  5. ^ Sandre. "Fiche cours d'eau - Ruisseau de Carbouère (Q0400510)".
  6. ^ Géoportail Archived 2014-05-04 at the Wayback Machine, IGN, consulted on 14 October 2011 (in French)
  7. ^ Brigitte Jobbé-Duval, Dictionary of place names - Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 2009, ed. Archives and Culture ISBN 978-2-35077-151-9 (in French)
  8. ^ Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees Archived 2014-07-05 at the Wayback Machine, Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011 (in French)
  9. ^ Cassini Map 1750 – Aast Archived 2014-05-04 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Manuscript from 1429 in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  11. ^ Manuscript from the 16th to 18th centuries - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  12. ^ Arms of France Archived 2013-11-09 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Website for the Commune of Aast Archived 2013-02-10 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ List of Mayors of France Archived 2014-08-14 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
  15. ^ Pyrénées-Atlantiques, habitants.fr
  16. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Aast, EHESS (in French).
  17. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  18. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00027123 Fray Farmhouse (in French)
  19. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00027122 Farmhouse at Bayet (in French)
  20. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00027121 Houses and Farms (in French)
  21. ^ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00027125 Church of Saint Martin (in French)
  22. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000012 Processional Lantern (in French)
  23. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000011 Thurible (in French)
  24. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000010 Pail for holy water (in French)
  25. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000009 Painting: Christ on the cross with the Virgin, Saint Madeleine and Saint Martin (in French)
  26. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000008 2 Paintings: Saint Martin Bishop, and the Charity of St. Martin (in French)
  27. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000007 Statue: Saint Joseph (in French)
  28. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000006 Altar Pulpit (in French)
  29. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000005 Pulpit (in French)
  30. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000004 2 Altars and Tabernacles (in French)
  31. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000003 Main Altar (in French)
  32. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000002 5 stained glass windows by Henri Gesta (in French)
  33. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM64000001 Furniture in the Church (in French)
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