Sarpourenx | |
|---|---|
 The road through Sarpourenx | |
Location of Sarpourenx  | |
  Sarpourenx  Sarpourenx | |
| Coordinates:43°27′27″N0°42′39″W / 43.4575°N 0.7108°W /43.4575; -0.7108 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Nouvelle-Aquitaine |
| Department | Pyrénées-Atlantiques |
| Arrondissement | Pau |
| Canton | Le Cœur de Béarn |
| Intercommunality | Lacq-Orthez |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Jean-Jacques Lascabes[1] |
Area 1 | 3.35 km2 (1.29 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 290 |
| • Density | 87/km2 (220/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 64505 /64300 |
| Elevation | 59–78 m (194–256 ft) (avg. 71 m or 233 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Sarpourenx (French pronunciation:[saʁpuʁɛ̃ks];Béarnese:Sarporens) is acommune in thePyrénées-Atlantiquesdepartment in south-westernFrance, notable for once having forbiddendeath by mayoral decree.
Never a large community, the population of Sarpourenx was reported as 25 households in 1385. The town was then part of thebailiwick of Larbaig.
French historian andarchivist Paul Raymond (1833–1878) recorded the existence in Sarpourenx of anabbaye laïque (a small, independentparish operated for the profit of an influential local), administered by theviscounts of Béarn.[3]
The name "Sarpourenx" is also historically attested in the variant forms "Sarporencx" (1385 Béarncensus), "Sarporencxs", and "Sarporenxs" (from the 1538 and 1546 redistrictings ofBéarn, respectively).[3]
Sarpourenx is located in the historic former province ofBéarn, on the left bank of the riverGave de Pau. Its territory includes at least one smallhamlet, Le Gave, and a tributarystream of the Gave de Pau, Géu Mort.[4] Neighboring communes includeCastétis (north),Argagnon (east),Biron (west),Castetner (west),Maslacq (south), andOrthez (southeast). Via road, Sarpourenx is accessible byDepartmental Route 9, near exit 8 ofAutoroute A64.
Thedemonym isSarpourenois in French.[5]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 205 | — |
| 1975 | 199 | −0.42% |
| 1982 | 208 | +0.63% |
| 1990 | 220 | +0.70% |
| 1999 | 240 | +0.97% |
| 2007 | 269 | +1.44% |
| 2012 | 269 | +0.00% |
| 2017 | 338 | +4.67% |
| Source: INSEE[6] | ||
Sarpourenx is part of theappellation zone for production ofOssau-Iraty, asheep's milkcheese.
| Term | Name |
|---|---|
| 1971–2008 | Gérard Lalanne |
| 2008–2020 | Emmanuelle Lacroix-Chague |
| 2020–incumbent | Jean-Jacques Lascabes |
On 13 February 2008, then-mayor Gérard Lalanne issued a municipal orderforbidding death within the commune's jurisdiction, threatening severe punishment for offenders. His action was a symbolic protest — Sarpourenx's smallcemetery was becoming crowded, and a judge's decision had rejected the commune's request to expropriate private farmland for burial ground.[7] Lalanne himself died ten months later.
 | This Pyrénées-Atlantiques geographical article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
