Abitain | |
|---|---|
 The road into Abitain | |
 Location of Abitain | |
  Abitain  Abitain | |
| Coordinates:43°25′16″N0°59′17″W / 43.421°N 0.988°W /43.421; -0.988 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Pyrénées-Atlantiques |
| Arrondissement | Oloron-Sainte-Marie |
| Canton | Orthez et Terres des Gaves et du Sel |
| Intercommunality | Béarn des Gaves |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2024–2026) | Christophe Nicolas[1] |
Area 1 | 6.59 km2 (2.54 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 115 |
| • Density | 17.5/km2 (45.2/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Abitainois, Abitainoises |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 64004 /64390 |
| Elevation | 28–136 m (92–446 ft) (avg. 62 m or 203 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Abitain (French pronunciation:[abitɛ̃];Basque:Abitaine) is acommune in thePyrénées-Atlantiquesdepartment in theNouvelle-Aquitaineregion in southwesternFrance.
Abitain is bordered on the eastern side by theGave d'Oloron about 20 km southeast ofPeyrehorade and 11 km southwest ofSalies-de-Béarn. Access to the commune is by road D936 fromEscos in the north, passing south down the eastern side of the commune through the village and continuing toAutevielle-Saint-Martin-Bideren in the south.
Located in theDrainage basin of theAdour, the commune's eastern border is theGave d'Oloron, which joins theGave de Pau atPeyrehorade which flows a further 10 km as theGaves Réunis before joining the Adour river. A number of small streams flow in the commune including Le Crabé which flows into the Gave d'Oloron at the northern border of the commune and the Arrioutèque creek.
Places adjacent to Abitain | |
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The commune's name inBéarnais isAvitenh.
Michel Grosclaude proposed aLatin etymology ofAvitus (name of a man called "Avit") plus theGascon suffix-enh.[5]
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
| Name | Spelling | Date | Source | Page | Origin | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abitain | Bitengs | 13th century | Raymond | 2 | Bayonne | Village |
| Bitenh | 1385 | Raymond | 2 | Census | ||
| Abithen | 1439 | Raymond | 2 | Notaries | ||
| Sent-Pee d'Abitehn | 1472 | Raymond | 2 | Notaries | ||
| Havitenh | 1538 | Raymond | 2 | Reformation | ||
| Avitenh | 1546 | Raymond | 2 | Reformation | ||
| Aviteing | 1608 | Raymond | 2 | Insinuations | ||
| Avitein | 1786 | Raymond | 2 | Regulations | ||
| Abitain | 1750 | Cassini | ||||
| Aunès | l'ostau d'Ones | 1385 | Raymond | 17 | Census | Farm and Fief, Barony created in March 1775, vassal of theViscounts of Béarn |
| La maison noble de Donez | 1666 | Raymond | 17 | Reformation | ||
| Omeix | 1666 | Raymond | 17 | Denombrement | ||
| Aunez | 1863 | Raymond | 17 | |||
| Bonnefont | Bonehont | 1385 | Raymond | 33 | Census | Fief, dependent on the Marquisate of Gassion |
| Bonafont | 1538 | Raymond | 33 | Reformation | ||
| Lafite | L'ostau de Lafite d'Abitenh | 1538 | Raymond | 89 | Reformation | Fief, dependent on theViscounts of Béarn |
| Parlabriu | L'ostau de Part-l'Arriu d'Abitenh | 1385 | Raymond | 132 | Census | Farm and Fief, vassal of theViscounts of Béarn and subject to thebailiwick of Sauveterre |
| Partarriu | 1546 | Raymond | 132 | Reformation | ||
| Pallarriu | 1778 | Raymond | 132 | Terrier | ||
| La Peyre | La Peyre | 1863 | Raymond | 134 | Census | Place |
| Pouey | Poey | 1755 | Raymond | 136 | Denombrement | Fief, vassal of theViscounts of Béarn |
| Poey | 1863 | Raymond | 136 | |||
| La Tuilerie | La Teulere | 1537 | Raymond | 169 | Chapter | Fief |
| La Tuilerie | 1863 | Raymond | 169 |
Sources:
Origins:
The village of Abitain formed on the left bank of theGave d'Oloron around itsLay Abbey, vassal of theViscounts of Bearn, a building which still remains.[3] The families of Belloc then Claverie were the abbot patrons of the parish. The tomb of the last lay abbot of Abitain, who died in 1785, is in the church of Saint-Pierre.
Paul Raymond, on page 2 of his 1863 dictionary, noted that in 1385 the town had 15fires and depended on the bailiwick ofSauveterre.[3]
In 1648 the barony ofLons became a marquisate, which included Abitain,Anoye,Baleix,Castillon,Juillacq, Le Leu (hamlet Oraàs),Samsons-Lion, Lons,Maspie,Oraàs, Peyrède (fief Oraàs),Sauvagnon, andViellepinte.[16]
The village had two mills: one at Leü (which actually depended on Oraàs) and one at Séguabache - now a sawmill.
In 1856, Ferdinand Carrère, heir to the lastLay Abbey demolished the old abbey castle to build Carrère castle in Escos.
In February 1814, the town was occupied by the troops of General Morillo and by the English, facing the French entrenched inOraàs.
A famous ferry - where there was a tragic accident in 1845 - has long been in service between Moliède and Athos.
 |
List of Successive Mayors of Abitain[17]
| From | To | Name | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | 1940 | Pierre de Chevigné | |
| 1945 | 1965 | Pierre de Chevigné | MRP |
| 1995 | 2001 | Denise Saint-Pé | UDF |
| 2001 | 2008 | Victor Masero | DVD |
| 2008 | 2014 | Didier Lasserre | |
| 2014 | 2024 | Marc Seguin | |
| 2024 | 2026 | Christophe Nicolas |
The town is a member of seven inter-communal organisations:
The inhabitants are known asAbitainois, orAbitaonoises in French.[18]
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The activity of the commune is mainly agricultural. A sawmill is also in operation.
The town is part of theAppellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone designation ofOssau-iraty.
There are only the ruins of the Leu mill which have been the subject of numerous lawsuits. Another mill, called Séguabache, is the current sawmill and is easily visible in the commune.
During the construction of the clock tower in 1926 what remained of the old lay abbey was destroyed. In the old abbey there was a special room where the Lord of the Manor could overlook the church choir and follow the Mass without being in the crowd. The abbey enclosure can still be seen.
TheTombstone of the last lord of Abitain was discovered during the restoration of the church. It was marked on the wall of the church to preserve its memory.
TheParish Church of Saint Pierre (19th century),
[21] ofRomanesque origin, still has the arms of the Abitain abbots (Blason: Azure, with two stars Or in chief) from the burial of the last abbot. There is a 16th-century window of Germanic origin. Also in the church (in the attic) is an altarpiece from the 17th century.
TheCemetery contains the graves of priests and that of Father Joffre, Capuchin missionary in Canada who died at Abitain in 1909. There is also the tomb of Colonel CountPierre de Chevigne, Companion of the Liberation, one of the greats of béarnaise politics and a strong and faithful supporter ofGeneral de Gaulle. The coat of arms of Chevigne are engraved on his tomb with the motto "Quod decet". He donated land and equipment to the communes of Abitain and Escos.
