Auriac () is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.
Geography Auriac is located some 20 km north of Pau just east of Argelos. Access to the commune is by road D834 from Sarron in the north which passes through the commune and continues to Pau in the south. Access to the village is by road D944 from the village to Thèze in the north-west and the D227 from the village to Sévignacq in the south-east. The A55 autoroute passes through the north of the commune with Exit 9 just north-east of the commune giving access to road D834. The commune is mixed forest and farmland.Google Maps
Places and hamlets
Alpin Baix Bernède Blanc Calot Camot Cassagne Cazaudehore Chin Cournau Duclos Fam Hourticq Laborde Madaune Maribat Moulin de Mugain Mounpézat Pénouilh Périco Pierroulou Porte Poudgé Rey Ser (forest)
Géoportail, IGN
Neighbouring communes and villages
Toponymy
The commune name in béarnais is Auriac. Michel Grosclaude said that the name probably comes from the Latin man's name Aurius with the Gallo-Roman suffix -acum giving "Domain of Aurius".
The following table shows the origin of the commune name:
Name Spelling Date Source Page Origin Description Auriac Auriag 1096 Raymond Marka Village Auriac 1750 Cassini
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, p. 17, 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, Cassini: Cassini Map from 1750Cassini Map 1750 - Auriac
Origins:
Marca: Pierre de Marca, History of Béarn.Pierre de Marca, History of Béarn p. 356
History Paul Raymond noted that Auriac was once an annex of Argelos.
Administration List of Successive MayorsList of Mayors of France
From To Name 1824 1829 Augustin Baix 1829 1831 Jean Bertrand 1831 1836 Augustin Baix 1836 1837 Pierre Madaune 1837 1864 Pierre Julien Viguerie 1864 1899 Justin Madaune 1899 1908 Jean Philippe Madaune 1908 1911 Maurice Rey 1911 1919 André Madaune 1919 1929 Jean Soubré 1929 1939 André Madaune 1939 1940 Jean Touret
Mayors from 1940
From To Name 1940 1942 Jean Evrard 1942 1944 Pierre Boué-Cam 1944 1945 Joseph Soubré 1945 1948 René Rey 1948 1949 Pierre Clauzet 1949 1951 Jean Maribat 1951 1951 Joseph Soubré 1951 1953 Pierre Boué-Cam 1953 1959 René Rey 1959 1962 Pierre Clauzet 1962 1963 René Rey 1965 1971 Claude Larrieu 1971 1977 Henri Hélip 1977 1993 Marc Rey 1993 2020 Christian Larrouturou 2020 2026 Jean-Claude Vignes
Inter-communality The commune is part of five inter-communal structures: the Communauté de communes des Luys en Béarn; the SIVU for collective sanitation Auriac-Miossens-Lanusse-Thèze the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques; the inter-communal association for the management of drinking water from the Luy-Gabas-Lées; the inter-communal association of Garlède-Lalonquette;
Demography The inhabitants of the commune are known as Auriacois or Auriacoises in French.Pyrénées-Atlantiques, habitants.fr
Culture and heritage
Civil heritage The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments: A House at Porte (16th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée A House at Cazaudehore (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée Houses and Farms (16th and 19th centuries)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
Religious heritage
The commune has two religious buildings that are registered as historical monuments: The Parish Church of Saint-François-de-Sales (18th century) (destroyed)Ministry of Culture, Mérimée The Parish Church of Saint-François-de-Sales (1885).Ministry of Culture, Mérimée This church was built in 1885 to replace the old church of the same name which appeared on the Cassini Map. The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects: The furniture of the churchMinistry of Culture, Palissy A Chasuble (18th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy A Sun-ray Monstrance (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy 2 Altar Candlesticks (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy A Chalice (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy A Prie-dieu (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy A Stoup (19th century)Ministry of Culture, Palissy 2 Altars, 4 altar seatings, and 2 Tabernacles (1885)Ministry of Culture, Palissy An Altar, 2 altar seatings, a Tabernacle, and 2 Statues (1885)Ministry of Culture, Palissy 3 Stained glass windows of people: Saint Francis de Sales, Saint Michael protecting a canon, and Saint John (1887)Ministry of Culture, Palissy
Facilities Auriac has a primary school which also serves the communes of Garlède-Mondebat, Lalonquette et Miossens-Lanusse in an Educational Inter-communal Grouping.
See also Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
References
External links Community of communes of Luys en Béarn website Auriac on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website Auriac on the 1750 Cassini Map