Athos-Aspis (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.
Geography Athos-Aspis is located immediately to the north-west of Sauveterre-de-Béarn, and just east of Abitain. Access to the commune is by the D27 road from Sauveterre-de-Béarn, passing through the east of the commune and going north to Oraas. Access to the village can be by several country roads from the D27, including Arriouteque going to Lespitaou and also the Village road. Apart from the village, there is the hamlet of Aspis in the south of the commune. There are also significant forests in the east of the commune with the rest of the farmland.Google Maps
The Gave d'Oloron forms the whole southern and eastern borders of the commune as it flows north to join the Gave de Pau at Peyrehorade. The Arriouyeque flows from the east of the commune through the centre to join the Gave d'Oloron on the western border. The Ruisseau de Rance rises just east of the commune and flows south-west to join the Arriouteque. The Arrec Heure forms most of the northern border of the commune as it flows west to join the Gave d'Oloron at the north-western corner of the commune.
Places and hamlets
Aspis Athos Bouchou Cabé Les Camous La Campagne La Campagnole Castet Cossou Couteigt Desbos (barns) Esperben Gabirot Garampoey Les Garbas Gué Hau Herrou Héuré (mill) Houssas Labourdette Lapeyrigne Lapisque Lavielle Mina (côte de) Mouliède Mousquères Natou Peyrou Poun Agnès Pys Rioutèque Sarrecaute L'Usine
Géoportail, IGN
Toponymy The commune name in béarnais is Atos-Aspins.
For Athos Michel Grosclaude proposed the patronym Ato with the Aquitaine suffix -ossum. For Aspis Michel Grosclaude proposed a Gascon etymology es pins meaning "the pines".
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
Name Spelling Date Source Page Origin Description Athos Atos 11th century Raymond Marca Village Atos 1119-1136 Grosclaude Cartulary Sent Per d'Atos 1472 Raymond Notaries Atos 1745 Grosclaude Notaries Athos 1750 Cassini Atos 1790 Cassini2 Aspis Espis 1119-1136 Orpustan Cartulary Village Espis 1385 Raymond Census Espiis 1544 Raymond Reformation Aespiis 1546 Raymond Reformation Spiis 1548 Raymond Reformation Aspis 1750 Cassini Cabé la maison deu Cabee 1538 Raymond Reformation Fief (Vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn) lo Caver d'Atos 1538 Raymond Reformation lo Caber 1548 Raymond Reformation Pys Piis-Jusoo 1385 Raymond Census Fief (Vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn) Piis-Susoo 1385 Raymond Census Dues maysons aperades los Piis 1538 Raymond Reformation Rioutèque L'arriu de Ariuteca 1538 Raymond Reformation Stream Le Riutèque 1863 Raymond La Salle La Salle d'Athos 1385 Raymond Census Fief (Vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn) La Sala d'Athos 1538 Raymond Reformation Sarrecaute Sarrecaute 1385 Raymond Census Farm Serracaute 1614 Raymond Reformation
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, Orpustan: Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, New Basque ToponymyJean-Baptiste Orpustan, New Basque Toponymy, Presses universitaires de Bordeaux, 2006, Cassini: Cassini Map from 1750Cassini Map 1750 - Aspis Cassini2: Cassini Map from 1790Cassini Map 1790 - Aspit
Origins:
Marca: Pierre de Marca, History of Béarn.Pierre de Marca, History of Béarn Cartulary: Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Jean de SordeCartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Jean de Sorde published in extracts in the proofs of the History of Béarn by Pierre de Marca Notaries: Notaries of Labastide-VillefrancheNotaries of Labastide-Villefranche in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Census: Census of BéarnManuscript from the 14th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Reformation: Reformation of BéarnManuscript from the 16th to 18th centuries - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
History Paul Raymond noted on page 16 that in 1385 Athos had 19 fires and depended on the Bailiwick of Sauveterre as did the fief of Aspis as noted on page 15.
The villages of Athos and Aspis were united into one commune on 10 January 1842.
During the Reformation the Priest at Athos was murdered in his church and the village adopted the new ideas.
Athos is the birthplace of Athos, one of the title characters in the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. The fictional Athos is named after the historical musketeer Armand de Sillègue d'Athos d'Autevielle (1615–1644), youngest son of Adrien de Sillègue, Lord of Athos and Autevielle. Autevielle is another nearby village in the commune of Autevielle-Saint-Martin-Bideren.
Administration
List of Successive MayorsList of Mayors of France From To Name 1995 2008 Jean-Robert Lataillade 2008 2014 Jean-Michel Peyruseigt 2014 2026 Jean-Robert Lataillade
Inter-communality The commune is part of five inter-communal structures:Intercommunality of Pyrénées-Atlantiques , Cellule informatique préfecture 64, consulted on 7 July 2012 the inter-communal centre for social action of Sauveterre-de-Béarn; the Communauté de communes du Béarn des Gaves; the inter-communal association for rivers and of Saleys; the AEP association of Sauveterre-de-Béarn; the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques;
Demography
From 1793 to 1836 the communes of Athos and Aspis were separate but the above table shows the total for both communes during that period.
Economy Economic activity is mainly agricultural. The commune is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone of Ossau-iraty.
Culture and heritage
Civil heritage There are the houses of Lascampagnes, the consul Gourlat, and of Bouchoô the place where Monsigneur Bouchoô was born.
Aspis has a château from the 14th century facing the Gave d'Oloron with a terrace and a door to the garden. There is also the site of an old church and the old school.
At Athos there is a church of Romanesque origin in the old fief of Moliède d'Athos where there was a well-known ferry and ruins of a mill.
Religious heritage
The Church of Saint-Pierre is of Romanesque origin and contains a renaissance stoup and a Statue on the Virgin in coloured wood. Behind the Altar is the tomb of Jeanne du Peyrer "Lady of Athos and Aspis" and mother of the musketeer. The renaissance door has a stone carving from the 14th century upside down (it was probably a stone that was reused).
The cemetery has the tomb of the design engineer of the Sauveterre bridge and also that of Edmond Gourlat, consul of France and local personality.
Notable people linked to the commune The birth of the musketeer Athos in the commune is debatable. A plaque near the church says that he was born in the Lassalle house where only parts of walls remain but the village of Autevielle also claims his birth in the fortified house of Moliède d'Athos which has some remains of strong walls.
Athos was the birthplace of Jean-Baptiste Boucho, born in the Bouchoô house in 1797, French Apostolic vicar of the Malay Peninsula.
Bibliography History of Athos and Aspis, Alexis Ichas
See also Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department
External links Athos-Aspis on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website Athos and Aspis on the 1750 Cassini Map
References