Arros-de-Nay (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.
Geography Arros-de-Nay is part of the urban area of Pau located in the heart of a valley between wooded hills and the Gave de Pau some 13 km south-east of Pau immediately east of Nay. The commune has been administered by the department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques since 1969 (formerly it had been in the Department of Basses-Pyrénées since 1793). The commune has about 300 houses. The altitude varies from 230 metres to 421 metres, with 243 metres in the village centre. This is one of the largest communal areas of the region with areas of plains and hilly areas with a livable areas in the north and in the hamlets.
Access to the commune is by road D37 from Saint-Abit in the north passing through the village and the northern corner of the commune continuing to Bourdettes in the south. The D936 goes west from the village then south-west to Rébénacq. The D288 road goes south from the village through the length of the commune to join the D287 north of Lys. The D388 branches from the D288 and goes south-west by a different route to join the D288 again south-west of the commune. The D287 goes south-west from Nay passing along the south-eastern border of the commune and continuing south-west to Sévignacq-Meyracq.Google Maps
The commune is located in the Drainage basin of the Adour with the Luz flowing from the south through the length of the commune collecting many tributaries and continuing north to join the Gave de Pau near Narcastet. The Escourre flows north through the northern corner of the commune and the north-eastern tip of the commune touches the Gave de Pau.
Places and Hamlets
Allemand (hill) Bacabara Barbé Barrère Barthe Bées Bégué La Bernadie Bois de Bié (forest) Blanquet Blon Bouhabent Bourda-Plà Bouria Bozom Brouquet Brousset Cabarry Casamayou Casenave Castéra Cataline La Châtaigneraie (two places) Grange Clédou Couchies Coumet Daguès-Bié Gahuset Guillamasse Habarna Habe Haure Hourcade Jupé Labasserres Labourie Lacrouts Ladebat Lambrou Lanot Lasbordes Bois de Lauga (forest) Lème Carraze Lème Monlucou Lolou Grange Lolou Lombré Massaly (ruins) Michelat Grange Miramon Moncaut (spring) Mondaut Grange Monsempès Moun du Rey Mourtérou Nérios Ourthe L'Oustau Paloc Petit Paloc Pareil Pédemelou Le Petit Hameau Picourlat Plà Le Point de Vue Porteteny Rieupeyrous Thomas Toulet Tourne (ruins)
Neighbouring communes and villages
Toponymy The commune name in béarnais is Arros de Nai.
Michel Grosclaude, with much reservation, suggested an Aquitaine root of (h)arr ("stone" or "rock") with the suffix -ossum, which gives a meaning "where there are rocks".
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
Name Spelling Date Source Page Origin Description Arros Arrossium 1100 Raymond Titles of Mifaget Village Arros 1120 Grosclaude Arrode 12th century Raymond Marca Rode 12th century Raymond Marca Arros 1286 Pau Arros 1750 Cassini Bées le Bée 1675 Raymond Reformation Stream rising at Capbis and joining the Gave de Pau after flowing through Asson, and Arros-de-Nay. Le Béès 1863 Raymond Bié Bier 1385 Raymond Census Farm Bozom La Monyoge de Bosom 1536 Raymond Reformation Farm Bouzoum 1863 Raymond Château d'Espalungue Espalungue 1863 Raymond Chateau Laragnous Laranhoet 1385 Raymond Census Farm
Sources: Raymond: Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011 Grosclaude: Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, 2006 Michel Grosclaude, Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, Edicions reclams & Édition Cairn - 2006, 416 pages, Pau: Cartulary of the Château of PauManuscripts in two volumes from the 17th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Cassini: Cassini Map from 1750Cassini Map 1750 – Arros-de-Nay
Origins: Marca: Pierre de Marca, History of Béarn.Pierre de Marca, History of Béarn Reformation: Reformation of BéarnManuscript from the 16th to 18th centuries - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Census: Census of BéarnManuscript from the 14th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
On 27 January 1932 the prefect, citing consecutive administrative mistakes from the plurality of the name Arros in the department (Arros Canton of Nay, Arros Canton of Oloron), decided to associate the name of the chief town of the canton with that of the commune and asked the Municipal Council to endorse his decision. The council of the time complied and the name became Arros-de-Nay.
History
The first traces of the village date to the 11th century when it was cited with the name Arrossium ("place where there are rocks"). In the 12th century a noble family (de Rode, d'Arrode, then d'Arros) who owned the Lordships of Rode, Vauzé, the Viguerie of Lembeye took possession of the fief which became Arrode then later Arros.
Paul Raymond noted that, in 1385, Arros had 44 fires and depended on the bailiwick of Pau. Arros, with its hamlets towards Bosdarros ('Bois d'Arros'), was the seventh largest of the twelve large Baronies of Béarn.
Heraldry
Administration List of Successive MayorsList of Mayors of France
From To Name 1793 1796 Jean Laban 1796 1799 Jean Lassus 1799 1802 Jean Grilhere 1802 1805 Joseph Miramon 1805 1809 Jean-Baptiste d'Espalungue 1835 Miramon 1867 1871 Miramon 1871 1882 Suberbielle 1882 1887 Henri d'Espalungue 1887 1888 Alexis Barrère 1888 1896 Marcel Miramon 1896 1900 Armand d'Espalungue 1900 1904 Jean-Alexis Dufau 1904 1912 Armand d'Espalungue 1912 1919 Jean Dufau 1919 1923 Édouard Meniche
Mayors from 1961 From To Name 1961 1977 Léon Fiol 1977 1983 Jean Buisson 1983 1995 Jean Berrette 1995 2001 André Broqué 2001 2014 Georges Bordenave 2014 2026 Gérard d'Arros
Inter-communality The commune is part of seven inter-communal structures: the Communauté de communes du Pays de Nay; the AEP association of Nay-Ouest; the Sanitation association of Pays du Nay; the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques; the inter-communal association for the defence against floods of the Gave de Pau; the inter-communal association for the defence against floods of the Luz; the inter-communal association for the construction of the CES of Nay;
Demography The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arrosiens or Arrosiennes in French.Pyrénées-Atlantiques, habitants.fr
Economy
The commune is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone designation of Ossau-iraty.
Culture and Heritage
Civil heritage The Chateau of Arros (17th century) is registered as an historical monument.Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
Religious heritage
The Parish Church of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur (1835) is registered as an historical monument.Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
Education Arros-de-Nay has a primary school.
See also Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
References
External links Arros on the 1750 Cassini Map