Arancou (; ;ERANGO, Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France.Commune d'Arancou, INSEE
It is located in the former province of Lower Navarre.
Geography
Hydrography The Lauhirasse, a tributary of the Bidouze, and the Baniou, a tributary of the Gave de Pau cross this commune.
Hamlets Garai Le Burrou Xabai
Bordering communes Came to the Northwest Labastide-Villefranche to the East Bergouey-Viellenave to the Southwest
Toponymy The Gascon name for "Arancou" is Arancon; the Basque name is Erango.
The name Arancou appears in the forms Arranque (1119–1136),Paul Raymond, Dictionnaire topographique Béarn-Pays basque Arancoen (13th century), Arancoey, Arancoenh (around 1360), Arrancoeynh, Arancoinh (1372), Aranquoen (1403, titles of CameTitles of the commune of Came - Departmental archives of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques), and Aranco (1584, alienation of the Diocese of DaxRegistres d'aliénations - ancienne bibliothèque impériale - Bibliothèque nationale de France).
The name of Arancou comes from the Basque arangoien, for "higher valley".Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, Nouvelle toponymie basque, Presses universitaires de Bordeaux 2006 p. 101
History
Prehistory Tools from the Magdalenian era, one of the later cultures of the Upper Paleolithic era of Western Europe, were found in the Bourrouillan cave in the territory of Arancou. Several thousand bones from hunted animals were found in the cave, as well as thousands of flint and bone tools.Christian Normand president of the association Euskarkeologia, a group of archaeological researchers in Basque Country, in , page 50
Modern history On January 1, 1973, the communes of Arancou, Bergouey, and Viellenave-sur-Bidouze were joined.Modifications aux circonscriptions administratives territoriales (fusion de communes), Journal officiel de la République française n° 0024, 28 January 1973, pp. 1114-1117. On 15 November 1977, Arancou regained its independent status, while Bergouey and Viellenave-sur-Bidouze remained together as Bergouey-Viellenave.
Arancou and Basque country Jean-Baptiste Orpustan mentions Arancou in 1309 in a list of parishes paying dues to the royal power in Navarrenx. Arancou was also mentioned by Eugène Goyheneche towards the end of the Middle Ages. He wrote that "because of the Gramont's power, [the situation of the neighboring parishes, including Arancou] is ambiguous."Eugène Goyheneche, Le Pays Basque, Société nouvelle d'éditions régionales et de diffusion, Pau, 1979, p. 139.
However, starting with the modern age, no evidence of Arancou's allegiance to the Kingdom of Navarre can be found. Nor is there evidence of any links to the dukedom of Gramont or of the sovereign principality of Bidache. The chapter of the collegiate Saint-Jacques de Bidache was the lord of the lands; the parish was situated in France in the administrative district of Lannes, where it came under the control of the administrative region of Hastingues.
Although Arancou falls without a doubt within modern districting, it is nonetheless included in a list of the communes of Basse-Navarre.It can be found, for example, on Euskaltzaindia's list of toponyms of Basque communes: Exonymie - Euskaltzaindia. While presenting the town in 2009 on his website, the mayor, Alexandre Bordes, did not take sides. Rather, he emphasized the "mix of deep-rooted cultures" and the "location of the town at the borders of Gascogne, Béarn, Basque Country, and the Navarre." His website describes the town as "basquo-béarnais."
Administration List of Mayors Elected End of term Name 1995 2001 Alexandre Bordes 2001 2008 Alexandre Bordes 2008 2014 Alexandre Bordes
Intercommunality Arancou belongs to four different intercommunal territories: The Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque The Adour Syndicate Syndicate AEP of Arancou - Bergouey-Viellenave - Bidache - Labastide-Villefranche Syndicate for the department of electricity
Population
Economy Arancou's economy is primarily agricultural. Arancou is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (a French regional certification) of the cheese, Ossau-Iraty.
There is a limestone quarry in Arancou. Until 1993, it provided the stone for the cemetery, Ciments de l'Adour, in Boucau. The stone was carried in barges down the Bidouze and Adour rivers.
Sights
Civil Heritage Farms and houses from the 17th and 18th centuries, A farm from the 18th century in the lieu-dit Chabay, The well, wash-house, and fountain of Garay.
Religious Heritage The church of l'Assomption-de-la-Bienheureuse-Vierge-Marie from the 13th century is listed as an historical monument. It has characteristics of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture. The church is located on the road, Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle (Via Turonensis). A wellspring runs underneath the church, feeding a washing-place in the basement. An 18th-century Madonna statue called Notre-Dame-d'Arancou can be found in the church, as well as an hilarri (a disk-shaped funeral stele) from Labets-Biscay, and different furnishings registered in the inventory of the Minister of Culture (a tabernacle, font, and cross). The church also has a registered stained glass window.
See also Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
References