Arrien en Bethmale

Geography

Arrien-en-Bethmale consists of the villages of Aret, Arrian, Tournac, and Villargein, all located in the Pyrenees mountains in the Bethmale valley in the former province of Couserans some 12 km south-west of Saint-Girons and 3 km south of Castillon-en-Couserans. It is part of the Regional Natural Park of Pyrenees Ariège. Access to the commune is by the D17 road from Les Bordes-sur-Lez in the north-west passing through the commune and the village and continuing south-east to Bethmale. The commune is a rugged alpine commune heavily forested in many parts.

The Ruisseau de Cournelliere and the De Leaude rise north-east of the village and flow down to the south-west to join the Balamet river which flows down the valley to join the Lez north-west of the commune just south of Les Bordes-sur-Lez. The Ruisseau de Mourtis flows through the south of the commune also into the Lez.

History

The commune was created on 18 February 1931 when it separated from the current commune of Bethmale.

Arrien-en-Bethmale has a very ancient history, as evidenced by the discovery of a funerary inscription dating probably from the 1st century.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2010 the commune had 101 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1931. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.

Religious heritage

The Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:

Notable people linked to the commune