Ainharp (French pronunciation: [ajɲaʁp]; Basque: Ainharbe)[3] is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France.

Ainharp
Ainharbe
The road into Ainharp
The road into Ainharp
Location of Ainharp
Map
Ainharp is located in France
Ainharp
Ainharp
Ainharp is located in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Ainharp
Ainharp
Coordinates: 43°15′41″N 0°55′45″W / 43.2614°N 0.9292°W / 43.2614; -0.9292
CountryFrance
RegionNouvelle-Aquitaine
DepartmentPyrénées-Atlantiques
ArrondissementOloron-Sainte-Marie
CantonMontagne Basque
IntercommunalityPays Basque
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean-Pierre Arhanchiague[1]
Area
1
14.07 km2 (5.43 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
131
 • Density9.3/km2 (24/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
64012 /64130
Elevation129–426 m (423–1,398 ft)
(avg. 199 m or 653 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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The Fronton at Ainharp

Location

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Ainharp is located some 50 km west by southwest of Pau, 15 km southeast of Saint-Palais, and 10 km north-west of Mauleon-Licharre. It is part of the former province of Soule.

Access

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The commune can be accessed by road D242 from Lohitzun-Oyhercq in the west passing through the village and continuing southeast to Mauleon-Licharre. The D344 road also goes to the north from the village through the commune then east to Espes-Undurein. The commune terrain is undulating of mixed farmland and forest.[4]

Hydrography

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Located in the drainage basin of the Adour, the commune is the source of numerous streams including the Lagardoye which forms part of the south-eastern border, the Quihilleri which forms much of the western border, and the Lafaure which forms much of the northern border.[4]

Localities and hamlets

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  • Agueberria
  • Agueberriborda
  • Aisaguerpia
  • Aranco
  • Armagnague
  • Arranchiaga
  • Barrechia
  • Bente
  • Bidartia
  • Bidegainia
  • Bolondo
  • Bordagaya
  • Bordalecu
  • Cabanna
  • Cacoa
  • Carricaburu[5]
  • Carricabuya
  • Carricart
  • Chorho
  • Elhorria
  • Elhorriberry
  • Erreguenia
  • Estecachoury
  • Etchebarnia
  • Etchebestemborda
  • Etchecopar
  • Garay
  • Habiague
  • Intsauspia
  • Jaigüberria
  • Larria
  • Leiciagueçahar
  • Lohitzun
  • Mercapidia
  • Oyhemburia
  • Oyhenart
  • Palasiona
  • Pekeix
  • Sallaberria
  • Urruty
  • Uthuriet

[6]

Toponymy

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The commune name in Basque is Ainharbe.[3][7]

 
Ainharp Town Square

Jean-Baptiste Orpustan proposed two etymological interpretations:

  • a meaning of "low heather" from ilharr meaning "heather" and -be (from behere meaning "low") or
  • "height of the low rocks" from gain meaning "high" and har meaning "rock" that indicates the high position of the village on the left bank of the Saison.

The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.

Name Spelling Date Source Page Origin Description
Ainharp Ayharp 1472 Raymond
4
Notaries Village
Ainharp 1479 Orpustan
224
L'Espitau d'Anharp 1479 Raymond
4
Ohix
Aynharp 1479 Raymond
4
Ohix
Aignharp 1608 Raymond
4
Insinuations
Ayharp 1690 Orpustan
224
Carricaburu Carricaburue 1479 Raymond
42
Farm
Habiague Habiague 1476 Raymond
74
Ohix Farm
Lafaure La Phaura 1538 Raymond
135
Reformation Stream on the northern border
La Phaure 1863 Raymond
135
Lambare lo bedat de Lambarre 1476 Raymond
91
Ohix Hamlet and Wood
Chemin Mercadieu lo cami Mercadieu 1479 Raymond
112
Ohix Farm
le cami deu Mercat 1479 Raymond
112

Sources:

Origins:

History

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Paul Raymond noted on page 4 of his 1863 dictionary that the commune was a former priory in the diocese of Oloron and that there was a hospital for pilgrims.[5]

Administration

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List of Successive Mayors of Ainharp[13]

Mayors from the French Revolution to 1929
From To Name
1794 1807 Bernard Aguerreberry
1807 1820 Armand Oyhenburu
1820 1848 Jean Etchart
1848 1852 Martin Salamendy
1852 1854 Jean Etchart
1854 1855 Alexandre Bente
1855 1858 Pierre Mercabide
1858 1871 Bernard Etchart
1871 1874 Echeberry
1874 1880 Marc Iratchet
1880 1884 Marc Barneche
1884 1885 Joseph Armagnague
1885 1888 Roch Guiresse
1888 1892 Marc Barneche
1892 1908 St. Jean Etchart
1908 1929 Francois Barneche
 
The Town Hall
Mayors from 1929
From To Name
1929 1950 Jean Guiresse
1950 1959 François Elissiry
1959 1971 Jean-Pierre Aguer
1971 1983 Jean Lascaray
1983 2026 Jean-Pierre Arhanchiague

Inter-communality

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Ainharp is a member of seven intercommunal structures:

  • the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque
  • the association to support Basque culture
  • the intercommunal association of the Valley
  • the intercommunal association for the construction and operation of the CES of Mauleon
  • the AEP association for Soule Country
  • the remediation association for Soule Country
  • the energy association of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques

Population

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The inhabitants of the commune are known as Ainharbars[14] or Ainharbear.[15][7]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 194—    
1975 186−0.60%
1982 181−0.39%
1990 161−1.45%
1999 142−1.39%
2007 151+0.77%
2012 143−1.08%
2017 141−0.28%
Source: INSEE[16]

Economy

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The activity is mainly agricultural (maize and livestock). The town is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone of Ossau-iraty.

Culture and heritage

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Religious Heritage

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Ainharp Church
 
Old Hilarri in the churchyard

The commune has a church which dates back to the 11th century and a Calvary-Bell Tower from the 17th century. Its cemetery features Hilarri dating from the time of the bell tower.

The village is located on a secondary road of the pilgrimage to Saint Jacques de Compostela[17] which passes on the highway to Ports de Cize, the priory of Saint-Palais to Saint-Michel-le-Vieux which had a hospice for pilgrims called Benta then to L'Hôpital-Saint-Blaise, Osserain, Pagolle, Roquiague, Haux, Larrau, and Ordiarp.

Facilities

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The commune has a primary school.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b AINHARBE, Auñamendi Eusko Entziklopedia (in Spanish)
  4. ^ a b c Google Maps
  5. ^ a b c Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011 (in French)
  6. ^ Géoportail, IGN (in French)
  7. ^ a b Euskaltzaindia - Academy of the Basque language (in Basque)
  8. ^ Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, New Basque Toponymy, Presses universitaires de Bordeaux, 2006, p. 224, ISBN 2 86781 396 4 (in French)
  9. ^ Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  10. ^ Manuscripts from the 15th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  11. ^ Manuscripts from the 17th century in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  12. ^ Manuscript from the 16th to 18th centuries - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
  13. ^ List of Mayors of France
  14. ^ Pyrénées-Atlantiques, habitants.fr
  15. ^ Brigitte Jobbé-Duval, Dictionary of place names - Pyrénées-Atlantiques, 2009, Archives and Culture, ISBN 978-2-35077-151-9 (in French)
  16. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  17. ^ Philippe Veyrin, The Basques, page 110, Arthaud, 20 December 1975 ISBN 978-2-7003-0038-3 (in French)
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