Aiglun () is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France.
Geography Aiglun is a remote mountain commune some 40 km north-east of Nice in a straight line. There are only two access routes to the commune - the first by Highway D17 from Roquesteron to the east. Heading west on Highway D17 continue left onto Highway D10 which continues via a mountainous route into the commune and the village of Aiglun. The other access is the continuation of Highway D10 west from Aiglun over a circuitous mountain route to Le Mas. The Estéron river passes through the commune south of the village and forms part of the western border of the commune as well as a small portion of the eastern border. Numerous streams feed into this river in the commune.
The northern part of the commune consists of high snow-capped mountains while the southern part is less high mountains. There are few roads however there are four hamlets in the Esteron Valley: Vascogne, Les Lones, Le Colombier, and L'Escle.Google Maps
Neighbouring communes and villages
History In 1388 the village of Aiglun was under the protection of the House of Savoy like the rest of the region during the "Dédition of Nice to Savoy"This was a charter of 28 September 1388 which attached Nice to the new territories of Provence for the House of Savoy. See Dédition de Nice à la Savoie in the French Wikipedia from 1388.
At the Treaty of Turin on 24 March 1760, the commune became French (the kingdom of France and that of Sardinia then proceeded to boundary adjustments and therefore there was an exchange of territories).
Toponymy The name of the town appears for the first time in texts around 1200 in the form Ayglezuni. This was derived from the Latin word Aquila, meaning "eagle", and the Gallic dunum, meaning "height" and signifies as a whole the "height of the eagle".Ernest Nègre, Toponymie générale de la France: etymology of 35,000 place names, Genève: Librairie Droz, 1990. Collection of Roman and French Publications, volume 193. Volume I : Preceltic, Celtic, and Roman words, § 2725, p. 173,
Heraldry
Administration
List of Successive Mayors of AiglunList of Mayors of France
From To Name Party Position 1870 1874 Jean-Baptiste GRANIER 1874 1876 Antoine BERNARD 1876 1878 Louis BERNARD 1878 1881 Auguste BONNEFROI 1881 1884 Désiré MARTEL 1884 1888 Joseph DAUMAS 1888 1896 Désiré MARTEL 1896 1900 Jean-Pierre JAUME 1900 1901 Pierre GUIZOL 1901 1912 Joseph ROBIN 1912 1920 Jean-Pierre JAUME 1920 1942 Antoine ROUX
Mayors from 1942
From To Name Party 1942 1945 François Blanc 1945 1978 Pierre Martin 1978 2001 Marius Blanc 2001 2005 Irene Montiglio SE 2005 2014 Charles Bremond DVD 2014 2020 Didier Nicolas 2020 Current Anthony Salomone
Population
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Aiglenois or Aiglenoises in French.Le nom des habitants du 06 - Alpes-Maritimes, habitants.fr
Sites and Monuments The village is known for its steep climbing walls over 200 metres high with high difficulty routes. The Aiglun canyon is also popular for canyoning enthusiasts.
Aiglun Picture Gallery
Notable people Fanny Robiane. Daughter of Joseph Robin, who was mayor of Aiglun in the early 20th century, this French theatre actress died in 1982 at Aiglun, where she retired and she has left a rich archive (autographed books, including by Armand Godoy, Jean-Richard Bloch and others; pictures; clippings, etc.). Her memory is still alive with the people of Aiglun (the Aiglenois) who knew her and plans are underway to honour her. A cultural association sponsored among others by the commune and the General Council launched since 2004 called "Fanny Robiane Encounter" devoted to theatre, poetry, music and other one-time cultural events are scheduled throughout the year. Sometimes these events are carried out in collaboration with the University of Nice.
See also Communes of the Alpes-Maritimes department Yves Bernard, The Tourist and Cultural Directory of the Alpes-Maritimes and Monaco, p. 149 Publishing Campanile, 1997 ()
References
External links
Official website for Aiglun Aiglun on the old IGN website Aiglun on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website Aiglun on the 1750 Cassini Map