Azille | |
|---|---|
 The old railway station | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location of Azille | |
  Azille  Azille | |
| Coordinates:43°16′40″N2°39′30″E / 43.2779°N 2.6584°E /43.2779; 2.6584 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Occitania |
| Department | Aude |
| Arrondissement | Carcassonne |
| Canton | Le Haut-Minervois |
| Intercommunality | Carcassonne Agglo |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | Georges Saliège[1] |
Area 1 | 23.33 km2 (9.01 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | 1,125 |
| • Density | 48.22/km2 (124.9/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 11022 /11700 |
| Elevation | 39–120 m (128–394 ft) (avg. 84 m or 276 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Azille (French pronunciation:[azij]ⓘ;Occitan:Asilha lo Comtal) is acommune in theAudedepartment in theOccitanieregion of southern France.
Azille is located at the foot of theMontagne Noire some 25 km east by north-east ofCarcassonne and 25 km west by north-west ofNarbonne. The commune is traversed by the D610 fromHomps toPuichéric in the south-east and also by the D11 fromLa Redorte toRieux-Minervois in the west. Access to the town is by the D206 fromRieux-Minervois which goes to the village then continues north-east toPépieux. The D72 comes from La Redorte in the south and passes through the town going north to join the D52. The D272 goes north-west from the town toLa Livinière. The D606 goes south-east from the town to Homps. Apart from a large lake in the east of the commune (the Lac de Jouarres), which also forms the departmental border betweenAude andHérault, the commune is all farmland. Apart from the village there is the hamlet of Vaissiere in the west.[3]
The riverAude forms the south-eastern border of the commune with the parallelCanal du Midi passing through the south-east of the commune. Several streams rise in the north-west of the commune and flow south-east to join the Aude including theRuisseau de Georges, theRuisseau de l'Etang de Jouarres, and theRuisseau de l'Aiguille.[3]
Places adjacent to Azille | |
|---|---|
Azille containsPrehistoric remains of past civilisations including cremation graves from theIron Age, many of which are preserved in theOlonzac museum. There is a superbRoman villa displayed at Billery and there is a statue ofSilenus in Greek style, which could be a representation of theSatyr Marcyas, displayed in the Archaeological Museum of Narbonne. The recent discovery of aVisigothicnecropolis at the edge of the village indicates habitation since earliest times.
In theMiddle Ages, Azille was one of the most important towns in theArchidiocese of Narbonne. In the 14th century the village supported the church of Saint Julien which was part of the chapter of Saint Just of Narbonne. There were also two convents: theFranciscans and the Royal Abbey of Saint Clare. Unusually, apart from the episcopal city, the town was the only one to have twoparishes: Saint-Julien and Saint-André. The parish of Saint-André, which is known today only from ruins and the name of a quarter in the town, was united with Saint-Jacques-de-Béziers in 1096, then with theAbbey of Lagrasse in 1118, then finally with Saint-Sebastian-de-Narbonne.
Saint-Julien was the seat of theArchpriest of Minervois. In the 14th century it was made a "county":Azilhan lo Comtal which it remained until the end of the 16th century. A town free of all lordly power from 1483, it belonged to the crown and its arms were those of the king. It was administered by an elected council.
Built on a rocky outcrop, the town was surrounded by walls with multiple doors and towers both round and square. The city became too crampd inside its walls and several suburbs were created to the east beyond the Narbonne gate - the oldest of which had its own wall.
At the beginning of the 13th century Azille was part of theCathar inspiration and contained a house of Perfects which was destroyed in the period of theAlbigensian Crusade. In 1289, 63 years after the death ofFrancis of Assisi, Eustache de Lévis founded or restored theconvent ofFranciscans outside the walls to the north of the city. In 1331 his daughter, Isabelle de Lévis - widow ofBertrand de l'Isle, founded The Royal Abbey of Saint Claire (the Abbey ofPoor Clares) inside the walls. The remains of the walls and some monuments are still visible today.
The town's economy was traditionally based on wheat: Azille wheat being highly prized in the 19th century. The commune was also the largest producer of olive oil in the region and there was also wine. The multitude of springs in the area allowed tanners and drapers to prosper.
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By the end of the 19th century, with the arrival of the railway (theMoux toCaunes-Minervois line), further commerce developed which in turn led to building large houses such as the Château Gallimard where the musicianCésar Franck stayed. TheCanal du Midi, built in 1666, traverses the commune for four kilometres. There is a lock in the commune and the Riquet de Jouarres bridge.
| Blazon: Azure, 3 fleurs-de-lys of Or, 2 and 1. |
 |
List of successive mayors[4]
| From | To | Name | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2020 | Philippe Chevrier | DVD |
| 2020 | 2026 | Georges Saliège |
The inhabitants of the commune are known asAzillois orAzilloises in French.[5]
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Azille, with an area of 2,333 hectares, includes 14 areas:
On both sides of the road fromRieux toLa Redorte the Argent Double river also borders:
The commune is also remarkable for the diversity of itsfauna and itsflora with its typically MediterraneanGarrigue andolive trees.
The cultivation of olives has been increasing for a decade.
From 1887 to 1939 Azille was served by the Moux to Caunes-Minervois railway line. The station remains visible as well as a large part of the structures and embankments.
The commune has a number of sites that are registered as historical monuments:
[8][9]
[10] which is registered as an historical object.[11] which is registered as an historical object.[12]
The commune has several religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:
[13][14] The church is a remarkable example of Southern Gothic with a wide nave with three vaulted transepts, a broad framedapse, and a bell tower 36 m high. It contains a chapel of the Brotherhood of Saint Jacques with statues and shrines in gilded wood. This chapel was used as headquarters for the brotherhood of pilgrims. Azille was once a starting place of pilgrimage toCompostela. The church also houses one of the finest achievements of Southern Gothic sculpture: a Virgin and Child[15] in polychrome stone, considered one of the finest achievements of Gothic sculpture of the 14th century in southern France. It was displayed as such in two exhibitions in Paris notably at theGrand Palais. The church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:[16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][15]
[26] This small pre-Romanesque chapel is none other than the former church of Saint-Etienne de Tersan and was probably built before 1184. The chapel has a basilical plan with three naves and three apses. The tripartite nave and two of the apses date back to the 10th century. Part of the vaulting over the nave was built in the 11th century. Thecapital to the south of the choir was attributed to the workshop of theMaster of Cabestany. It was created in the 12th century during the reconstruction of the great apse.[27] It was decommissioned and sold to individuals under theFrench Revolution, the remains can be seen in the church square.St. Clair monastery religious Clare returned to Azille in 1891 and built their monastery near the road to Liviniere. 2008 3, the Poor Clares have passed the baton to Chanoinesses of the Mother of God.The convent of the Cordeliers, founded in the 13th century, sold to the Revolution, you can still see the remains of the Franciscan church homes. Several stone carvings on the facades of buildings in the city from it without doubt. The arches of the choir of the church are visible from the aisles Pol-Lapeyre.
The town hosts aFeria for several days around 1 May. It is managed by 120 volunteers and attracts about 30,000 people. It had its 10th anniversary in 2012.
