Auzits

Auzits

A general view of Auzits
Auzits

Coordinates: 44°30′28″N 2°19′42″E / 44.5078°N 2.3283°E / 44.5078; 2.3283Coordinates: 44°30′28″N 2°19′42″E / 44.5078°N 2.3283°E / 44.5078; 2.3283
Country France
Region Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Department Aveyron
Arrondissement Rodez
Canton Rignac
Intercommunality Pays Rignacois
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2020) Jean-Louis Francès
Area1 24.34 km2 (9.40 sq mi)
Population (2010)2 832
 • Density 34/km2 (89/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 12016 / 12390
Elevation 248–644 m (814–2,113 ft)
(avg. 394 m or 1,293 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Auzits is a French commune in the Aveyron department in the Midi-Pyrénées region of southern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Auzitois or Auzitoises.[1]

Geography

Auzits is located at the top of a hill with the church dominating the valley some 10 km south-east of Decazeville and 28 km north-west of Rodez. It is a large, green, and hilly commune ranging from the Plateau of Hymes to Ruhle le Haut with many vantage points especially from the highest point in the commune at Hautesserre where there is a 360 degree panorama. Access to the commune can be by many routes: the D840 from Firmi in the north passes down the eastern side of the commune and continues south-east to Saint-Christophe-Vallon; the D87 branches from the D840 in the commune and goes south-west then north to the village then west to Montbazens; the D53 from Cransac in the north passes south through the west of the commune going to Bournazel; the D189 goes south from the village towards Goutrens; the D11 comes from Cransac through the village and continues to Saint-Cristophe-Vallon; and the D631 goes north from the village to join the D840 north of the commune. A railway line passes through the commune from north to south with the Auzits-Aussibal Halt near Aussibel. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of Rulhe, Les Escabes, La Berthoumarie, Le Mas del Bosc, Aussibal, Hymes, Plateau d'Hymes, Le Coustal, and Reyrols. The commune is mixed forest and farmland.[2]

The Riou Viou flows from the south through the village then turns west along the northern border and continues to join the Riou Mort at Viviers. The Riou Mort flows north through the east of the commune and continues north-west to join the Lot at Penchot.[2]

Neighbouring communes and villages[2]

 Cransac Firmi Saint-Cyprien-sur-Dourdou
Galgan Nauviale
   Auzits  
Lugan Escandolières Saint-Christophe-Vallon

History

The old railway station
The old Goods Shed

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages Auzits was an important step for pilgrims as it lies on the road to Saint Jacques de Compostela (the path from Conques to Villefranchois). Near the present village there was a small chapel called the Chapel of the Hospital which welcomed the sick, tired, or dying. Under the responsibility of the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, the chapel adjoining the hospice is today still in good condition.

In 1358 the English invaded the commune and stayed for thirty years. In 1398, after the withdrawal of the British, the fortified Chateau of Auzits was abandoned. Its inhabitants did not wish for another Lord so collectively decided to build the new village church on the ruins of this castle. Perched on the rocky outcrop overlooking the valley on massive buttresses, the tower was converted into a bell tower. The stones of the second tower were reused for the central nave of the church, which is the present Church of Saint-Maurice.

Contemporary era

During the 19th and 20th centuries the commune experienced spectacular development by the coal industry. The many families who lived on coal-mining declined in number due to successive mine closures in Decazeville basin, leaving only remnants that are still visible on the Rulhe road.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors[3]

The Town Hall
Mayors from 1938
From To Name Party Position
1938 1944 Emile Boyé
1944 1945 Benjamin Viguier
1945 1947 Adrien Ruffié
1947 1959 Joseph Delsol
1959 1977 Armand Lacombe
1977 1989 Frédéric Bourdoncle
1989 1995 Michel Cantala
1995 2001 Jean Bousquet
2001 2008 Michel Cantala
2008 2020 Jean-Louis Francès

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2010 the commune had 832 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger communes that have a sample survey every year.[Note 1]

Population Change (See database)
1793 1800 1806 1821 1831 1836 1841 1846 1851
455 426 1,655 1,999 1,346 1,236 1,370 1,424 1,407
1856 1861 1866 1872 1876 1881 1886 1891 1896
1,471 1,591 1,754 1,832 2,085 1,943 2,083 1,890 1,950
1901 1906 1911 1921 1926 1931 1936 1946 1954
1,968 1,980 1,771 1,771 1,680 1,616 1,547 1,359 1,377
1962 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2010 -
1,373 1,128 1,011 932 803 812 893 862 -

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

Religious heritage

The Church of Saint Maurice
Church of Saint Maurice Portal

The commune has one religious building that is registered as an historical monument:

Other religious sites of interest

Notable people linked to the commune

See also

Bibliography

External links

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ↑ At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by Law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002, the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" allows, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For communes with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these communes is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References

  1. ↑ Inhabitants of Aveyron (French)
  2. 1 2 3 Google Maps
  3. ↑ List of Mayors of France (French)
  4. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00093960 Church of Saint Maurice (French)
  5. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM12000739 Reliquary-Monstrance (French)
  6. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM12000014 Statue: Virgin and child (French)
  7. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM12000717 Ciborium (French)
  8. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM12000738 2 Cruets with plate (French)
  9. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM12000013 Statue: Virgin and child (French)
  10. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM12000012 Retable and Painting: Saint Maurice (French)
  11. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM12000011 Processional Cross (French)
  12. ↑ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM12000737 Reliquary-Monstrance (French)
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