Aigues-Vives, Ariège

Aigues-Vives
Commune
View of Aigues-Vives, Léran and the Lac de Montbel
Coat of arms
Aigues-Vives
Location within Occitanie region  Aigues-Vives
Coordinates: 42°59′51″N 1°52′35″E / 42.9975°N 1.8764°E / 42.9975; 1.8764Coordinates: 42°59′51″N 1°52′35″E / 42.9975°N 1.8764°E / 42.9975; 1.8764
Country	France
Region	Occitanie
Department	Ariège
Arrondissement	Pamiers
Canton	Mirepoix
Intercommunality	Pays Mirepoix
Government
• Mayor (2014-2020)	Christian Mascarenc
Area1	5.16 km2 (1.99 sq mi)
Population (2014)2	632
• Density	120/km2 (320/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	09002 /09600
Elevation	391–621 m (1,283–2,037 ft) (avg. 410 m or 1,350 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Aigues-Vives is a French commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Aigues-Vivesiens or Aigues-Vivesiennes.^[1][2]

Geography

Location

Aigues-Vives is located both in the Pays d'Olmes and the Canton of Mirepoix on the D625 main road (formerly Route nationale N625) which runs from Saint-Quentin-la-Tour in the north through the heart of the commune and the town to Laroque-d'Olmes in the south. It is about 90 km in a direct line south by south west of Narbonne. Augues-Vives can also be accessed from the east on Highway D28 from Leran. Apart from the Aigues-Vives town there is one other residential area to the north of the town called Le Kartare. The commune is forested to the west and the east with the centre of the commune farmland (apart from the town).^[3]

Neighboring Communes and Villages^[3]

Adjacent places of Aigues-Vives, Ariège
	Limbrassac	Saint-Quentin-la-Tour	Alaigne
	Ventenac		Leran
		Aigues-Vives
	Tabre	Laroque-d'Olmes

Hydrography

The Countirou stream, which has its source in the nearby village of Tabre, passes through the commune of Aigues-Vives, along the D625 road, and comes to an end at Hers-Vif near Mirepoix. A number of streams traverse the commune and flow into Coutirou including the: Fontaine de Toustou, the Couxou, the Ribalerie, and the Saint-Paul).^[4]

Lake Montbel is located three kilometres south-east of the commune and is visible from the hills above Aigues-Vives.

Geology and terrain

The village is located in an area formed during the Tertiary period with a soil which is a mix of conglomerate and sandstone,^[5] on strata called the "conglomerates of Palassou" located on the North Pyrenees faultline.^[6]

Aigues-Vives is surrounded by several hills, the highest being 630m above sea level, on the western edge of the commune. The village itself is 420m high on average with the lowest point being 391m.^[4]

Seismicity and disasters

According to decree No. 2010-1255 of 22 October 2010 on the delimitation of the seismicity of the French territory, Aigues-Vives is exposed to a risk level of 3 (moderate).^[7]

Other risks facing Aigues-Vives are forest fires, industrial hazards, and risks due to transport of dangerous goods.^[8] Past disasters include the November 1982 storm, flooding and mudslides in January 1992 and mudslides in November–December 1996.^[9]

Toponymy

Aigues-Vives or in Occitan Aigas Vivas meaning "whitewater" takes its name from springs in the surrounding hills.^[10][11] There were also these old forms: Aygas vivas (1300) Aquisvivis (1377), and Aiguesvives (1801).^[2]

History

The first written mention of Aigues-Vives dates to 1301.^[11] The village was under the control of Mirepoix, ten miles to the north, until 1329, when Gaston de Lévis-Léran appropriated the castle and the surrounding lands. The village remained in the possession of the Lévis-Léran family until the Revolution.^[2]

The main industries in the 20th century were the making of "horn combs"^[12] and textiles, as is the case for much of the Pays d'Olmes.^[2]

Heraldry

Blazon: Or, paly of 2 vert and in chief the same.

Policy and Administration

Municipal Administration

Based on the number of inhabitants (more than 100, less than 499), the town has a council of 11 members.^[13]

List of Successive Mayors of Aigues-Vives^[14]

From	To	Name	Party	Position
2001	2008	Ange Fernand Mendes
2008	2020	Christian Mascarenc

(Not all data is known)

Population and Society

Demography

In 2009, the commune had 559 inhabitants (an increase of 11% compared to 1999). The town held the 15,508th place at the national level, while it was at 15,641st place in 1999, and 61st out of 332 at the departmental level.

The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known through the population censuses conducted in the town since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.^{[Note 1]}

Population change (See database)

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851
333	396	404	509	410	443	423	433	441

1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896
410	400	411	394	383	414	368	372	351

1901	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
318	320	288	273	256	246	232	217	209

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2007	2008
210	188	197	339	462	486	515	523	541

2009	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
559	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)

Pyramid of Ages

The population of the town is relatively young. The rate of people above the age of 60 years (16.5%) is lower than the national rate (21.6%) and the departmental level (28.3%). Unlike national and departmental allocations, the male population of the town is greater than the female population (52.2% against 48.4% nationally and 48.8% at the departmental level).

The distribution of the population of the municipality by age groups is, in 2007, as follows: 52.2% of men (0–14 years = 21.9%, 15–29 years = 15%, 30 to 44 years = 21.9%, 45–59 years = 26.5% over 60 years = 14.6%); 47.8% of women (0–14 years = 17.2%, 15–29 years = 9.7%, 30–44 years = 23.9%, 45–59 years = 30.7%, more than 60 years = 18.5%).

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Aigues-Vives and Ariege Department in 2007

	Aigues-Vives	Aigues-Vives	Ariege	Ariege
Age Range	Men	Women	Men	Women
0 to 14 Years	21.9	17.2	16.9	15.4
15 to 29 Years	15.0	9.7	15.6	13.9
30 to 44 Years	21.9	23.9	19.5	18.9
45 to 59 Years	26.5	30.7	22.3	21.0
60 to 74 Years	13.1	10.9	15.8	16.5
75 to 89 Years	1.5	6.3	9.3	12.7
90 Years+	0.0	1.3	0.6	1.6

Sources: Local INSEE 1968 INSEE Population Census of 2007 for Ariege

Education

Aigues-Vives has a kindergarten and primary school, with 68 students (for the academic year 2010-2011).^[15]

Sports

Several sports facilities exist in Aigues-Vives: a football club, a gymnasium, a Tai-chi group, a bicycle club, and a leisure centre which has a go-karting track and a mini-golf area.^[11]

Health

There is no pharmacy or doctor in Aigues-Vives with the closest being at Laroque-d'Olmes about 3 kilometres away. The nearest hospital is in Lavelanet seven kilometres away.

Economy

Incomes of the population and taxation

In 2008, the median household income tax was €17,598, placing Aigues-Vives in 14,462th place out of the 31,604 communes of more than 50 households in France.^[16]

Employment, business and trade

The rate of unemployment in 2007 was 13.6% and slightly higher among women than men.^[17]

There are several companies in the building trades, particularly masonry and housepainting in Aigues-Vives and there is also a textile company and a website design business. There is an Asian caterer, a camping ground, and a Karting Club.^[18]

Agriculture and livestock is another sector of activity in Aigues-Vives: wheat, forage grass, and vines are grown, while cattle and sheep are also raised. The nearby forests are exploited and are rich in mushrooms.^[19]

The Wind farm project

A project to create a wind farm on the ridges of the Serre du Tut was launched and then abandoned^[20] due to strong opposition, especially from the Association for the Preservation and Tourism and the Sites in the Pyrénées Mountains.^[21]

Local Culture and Heritage

Sites and Monuments

• A Romanesque Church dedicated to Saint Stephen with a bell tower. There is an old baptismal font with an octagonal limestone basin and sandstone base (1657). It has been transformed into a font and is registered as an historical object.^[22] The War Memorial is also in the church.^[23]

• 
  The church from the Northwest
• 
  Stained glass window depicting the martyrdom of Saint Stephen
• 
  The altar

• Several 'Wayside crosses scattered around the village were used as Oratories. Processions in honour of the Virgin Mary are organized there.^[11]

• 
  Cross at Aigues-Vives 1
• 
  Cross at Aigues-Vives 2
• 
  Cross at Aigues-Vives 3
• 
  Cross at Aigues-Vives 4

• A Column with a square pedestal, topped by a statue of the Virgin is located in the parking lot near the church. It is about four metres high.

• 
  The Column
• 
  Statue on the Column

• An Old Fountain with a hand pump which is in no state to use.

• Dry stone huts in ruins, formerly used by farmers.
• Lake Montbel is 5 km southeast of the commune.
• The Ecomuseum of Camping in the Serre.

Notable People linked to the commune

• Faust Nadal, a colonial physician. Born in Aigues-Vives
• Jean Pelissier (1883-1939), a historian, sociologist, and journalist born in Aigues-Vives

See also

• Communes of the Ariège department
• Lake Montbel

Bibliography

• History and Heritage of Mirepoix Country, Mirepoix Tourist Office, 1999, p. 115-119. (in French)

External links

• Aigues-Vives on Lion1906
• Aigues-Vives on Google Maps
• Aigues-Vives on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
• Aiguesvives on the 1750 Cassini Map
• Aigues-Vives on the INSEE website (in French)
• INSEE (in French)

Notes and references

Notes

1. ↑ At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002 Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine., the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" which allow, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For municipalities with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these municipalities is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References

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