Alaigne
Alaigne Alanha |
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region | Occitania | |
Department | Aude | |
Arrondissement | Limoux | |
Canton | La Piège au Razès | |
Community association | Limouxin | |
Coordinates | 43 ° 6 ′ N , 2 ° 6 ′ E | |
height | 244-444 m | |
surface | 13.86 km 2 | |
Residents | 326 (January 1, 2017) | |
Population density | 24 inhabitants / km 2 | |
Post Code | 11240 | |
INSEE code | 11004 | |
![]() Alaigne with the Saint-Pierre church |
Alaigne ( Occitan : Alanha ) is a southern French municipality with 326 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the west of the Aude department in the Occitania region .
location
The circular village ( Circulade ) Alaigne is located at an altitude of about 320 meters above sea level. d. M. in the historic county of Razès , about 35 kilometers (driving distance) southwest of Carcassonne . The canton capital of Limoux is just under 13 kilometers to the south-east.
Population development
year | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2016 |
Residents | 365 | 366 | 330 | 290 | 300 | 297 | 326 |
In the 19th century, the place usually had well over 500 inhabitants. Due to the phylloxera crisis in viticulture and the increasing mechanization of agriculture , the population has since declined to the lows in the 1980s and 1990s.
economy
In earlier times, the residents of the village lived largely on self-sufficiency from agriculture, with both grain and wine being grown. In addition, they ran a little cattle (pigs, chickens, etc.). As in many places in Languedoc , viticulture has dominated since the 19th century; the place belongs to the Malepère wine region . The wine cooperative ( Cave Coopérative du Razès ) markets its wines through the appellations Aude , Pays Cathare , Malepère and Pays d'Oc . Because of the sales crisis for French wines, grain ( wheat , maize ) and sunflowers are being sown again in many areas . Tourism in the form of the rental of holiday homes ( gîtes ) has also played an important role in the income of the population and the community since the 1960s.
history
Already in the 9th century there is talk of a small monastery ( Couvent de St Pierre ). In the 12th and 13th centuries, the place was fortified, with the outer ring of houses of the round village ( Circulade ) serving as a 'city wall'. Nothing is known about the time of the Hundred Years War (1347–1463) and the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598). From the 13th century until the beginning of the French Revolution , the place belonged to the manorial rule of the bishops of Narbonne .
Attractions
- The tower-crowned city gate Porte de Pépy (also Papy or Popy ) from the 15th / 16th centuries. The 19th century was recognized as a monument historique in 1948 . A coat of arms is emblazoned above the inner and outer arches. Inside the tower there are three floors, each with only one windowless room.
- A second, smaller city gate, the Porte d'Arres , now only appears as an arch.
- The fountain in the central square dates from the second half of the 19th century.
- During this time, the parish church ( Église Saint-Pierre ), which was originally from the 16th century and - exceptionally - is not in the center of the village, but integrated into the ring of houses, was expanded. It contains a reliquary cross ( Croix de Sainte Julie ) from the previous building; this comes from a goldsmith's workshop in Limoux and was made in the second half of the 17th century.
- The small Sainte-Julie chapel stands by the cemetery .
Web links
- Alaigne, history + sights - photos + info (French)
- Alaigne, history + sights - photos + info (French)
- Alaigne, sights - photos + information (French)
- Alaigne, churches - photos
- Alaigne, wine info (French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Porte de Papi, Alaigne in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)