Axiat
| Axiat | ||
|---|---|---|
|
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| region | Occitania | |
| Department | Ariège | |
| Arrondissement | Foix | |
| Canton | Haute-Ariège | |
| Community association | Haute Ariège | |
| Coordinates | 42 ° 47 ' N , 1 ° 45' E | |
| height | 707-2,365 m | |
| surface | 9.54 km 2 | |
| Residents | 41 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 4 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 09250 | |
| INSEE code | 09031 | |
 Axiat - Église Saint-Julien |
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Axiat ( Occitan : identical) is a mountain village and a small southern French municipality with 41 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Ariège department in the southern French region of Occitania (previously Midi-Pyrénées ).
location
The place Axiat is at an altitude of about 900 meters above sea level. d. M. and thus about 400 meters above the valley of the Ariège in the French Pyrenees . The town of Foix is about 32 kilometers (driving distance) in a north-westerly direction; the health resort of Ax-les-Thermes is about 15 kilometers to the southeast and Andorra la Vella is about 72 kilometers to the southwest.
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2012 |
| Residents | 81 | 52 | 41 | 48 | 42 | 35 | 28 | 35 |
In the 19th century, the place usually had between 200 and 300 inhabitants. The mechanization of agriculture in the 20th century led to a continuous decline in the number of inhabitants to the lowest values of the last decades.
economy
The inhabitants of Axiat live mainly from agriculture (milk and cheese production), but the rental of holiday homes ( gîtes ) also plays an important role in the economic life of the small community. Talc was mined in the area for a long time .
history
Traces of ancient human settlement have not yet been found in Axiat; It is therefore assumed that in Gallo-Roman times the place was initially only used as a summer pasture for cattle and only gradually developed into a permanent settlement. A Romanesque church has been preserved from medieval times ; The place and the church are first mentioned in a bull by Pope Gelasius II from the beginning of the 12th century - the nave of the church could possibly still come from this time. We also know that the church belonged to a Clunys priory and later to the Lagrasse Abbey .
Attractions
The single nave, but with a transept with three apses and an imposing crossing tower in Lombard style , Saint-Laurent church is a gem of Romanesque architecture on the north side of the Pyrenees. The choir section is made of almost exactly hewn stones, whereas the walls of the almost windowless nave are made of rubble stones . While the lateral apses are unstructured and unadorned, the central apse shows a simple structure with pilaster strips with profiled console stones below the eaves .
The crossing tower impresses with its eight sound openings in the form of three and four arcades. The garb of the slightly protruding from the wall fleeing west portal has two set pillars with capitals ; the outer archivolts arch is decorated with star motifs - above it is a console frieze with some extremely 'primitive' looking heads. The portal is protected by a vestibule that was added in the 16th century. The capitals of the crossing and the choir show braided ribbon patterns etc. The church building has been recognized as a monument historique since 1907 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Église Saint-Julien, Axiat in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)