Arvieux

Geography

Arvieux lies at the foot of the Col d'Izoard in the Arvieux Valley some 20 km south by south-east of Briançon and 13 km east by north-east of La Roche-de-Rame. It is surrounded by the high mountains of the Massif du Queyras whose highest point is in the commune at Pic du Béal Traversier at 2912 m. Access to the commune is by the D902 from Cervières in the north which goes by a tortuous route through the commune to the village then continues south-east to Guillestre. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of La Draye, Brunissard La Chalp, and Le Coin north of the village and La Cassiere, Les Maisons, Le Pasquier, Villargaudin, Les Moulins, Les Escoyeres, and Les Esponces south of the village. The commune is a high alpine commune with snow-covered mountains and rugged terrain.

Details of some of the hamlets are:

Les Maisons is located at 1690 m a little higher on the same side of the valley.

The commune also has several hamlets consisting of alpine chalets. The most important are those of Furfande and Clapeyto.

The Guil forms the southern border as it flows south-west to join the Durance at Réotier. The Torrent de l'Izoard rises in the north of the commune and flows south through the centre fed by many tributaries, changing to the Torrent de la Rivière at Brunissard then back to the Torrent de l'Izoard at Le Coin, as it continues south to join the Guil. The Torrent de la Rabanelle rises in the west of the commune and flows east to join the Torrent de la Rivière at Brunissard.

Toponymy

The name Arvieux comes from the Latin arviolum meaning "small field".

One of the oldest monuments of the village and the valley of the Izoard, Campanile Brunissard, is itself only a fascinating summary of the economic, cultural and social life in the Hautes-Alpes, especially in Queyras 1 .

Antiquity

The ancient history of Arvieux is not well known. Occupied since antiquity, Arvieux was the first valley which was reached when passing through the Col Néal which was probably the ancient access route to the upper Queyras. The second access road, probably dominant, linked directly to the Durance basin at Queyras via a Roman road that ran from the hamlet of Gros passing through Escoyères which was probably in Roman times a place of testing "taxes". Part of this pathway, under overhanging cliffs, is still visible today (the Chemin de Charve).

During antiquity the area was inhabited by Gallic people called Quariates by the Romans whose name is probably formed from a Celtic root meaning "those of the cauldron" and from which Queyras is derived. The name Quariates is attested on a Roman stone found in the Chapel of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine at Escoyères. On this truncated stone there is a Latin inscription which mentions a man named Albanus Bussulus who was prefect of Capillates, Savincates (probably people living in the Savines valley), Brigani (people from Briançon), and Quariates.

Middle Ages - the Escarton of Queyras

The region suffered several invasions after the end of the Roman Empire with many Saracen incursions. Some say that on this occasion Queyras was deserted but an eventual abandonment that left no trace remains unlikely.

The Dauphins of Vienne received the Briançonnais and therefore the Queyras in fief in 1050. Arvieux was then part of the Kingdom of Dauphiné. The Briançonnais were divided into five entities called Escartons of which Queyras was part. Each Escarton was composed of communities called "universities". Arvieux was then one of the seven universities of Queyras, the others being: Abriès, Aiguilles, Molines, Ristolas, Saint-Véran, and Vielle-Ville.

At the end of the Middle Ages the Dauphin Humbert II, while short of money, gave a little more independence to the Escartons in exchange for an annual rent. Arvieux became part of what was later called abusively the Republic of Escartons.

This feudal entity was specifically created by the Charter signed in 1343 between the Dauphin and the Briançon communities. The Escarton of Queyras was an administrative unit responsible for collecting taxes. The Escarton Communities obtained from the Dauphin the right to manage paying their taxes themselves.

The Arvieux community was one of the seven "Universities" in the Escarton of Queyras and the capital was located at Ville-Vieille. There were a total of five Escartons.

The charter gave the inhabitants of the escartons the status of "francs-bourgeois", that is to say they were exempt from feudal service in exchange for an annual rent. The people had the right to elect their representatives called "consuls". They also had the right to hunt. Justice however remained a privilege of the Dauphin and the inhabitants of the escartons had to participate in the defence of the Dauphiné.

In 1349, six years after the signing of the charter, the Dauphiné was ceded to France who perpetuated these rights until the French Revolution. Under the ancien regime Arvieux was thus a relatively wealthy town in the French Alps. The relative prosperity of the village community was achieved despite numerous calamities. The wars of religion did not spare Arvieux. In 1630 the plague came from Italy and ravaged the region. The town was burned in 1638.

Modern era - Catholics and Protestants

Protestantism arrived in Arvieux during the second half of the 16th century. Queyrassins adhered in large numbers to the Reformation. Disorders occurred in the valley. After the Edict of Nantes Arvieux had a Protestant church. After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes many people emigrated. During the war against the Catholic League of Augsburg from 1690 to 1696 Arvieux is crossed by the troops of the King of France and had to provide wood, fodder, food, and animals for the army. Militiamen from Vaud crossed the border several times and burned villages. Around 1700 Arvieux and Queyras generally was weakened but the region regained its prosperity before the Revolution.

The Revolution abolished the status of Escartons and the university of Arvieux became a commune. The Edict of Tolerance (1787) and the Revolution agreed to new freedoms of worship for Protestants.

Recent history

After the Revolution some of the inhabitants became officially Protestant and the inhabitants of Arvieux were divided between the two religious communities: the majority of Catholics were in the village of Arvieux and at the bottom of the valley while there were mainly Protestants in the present top of the valley at Brunissard and La Chalp which was the place of residence of their pastor.

Arvieux, as with all communes in Queyras suffered severe depopulation from 1830. First seasonally during the cold season, emigration became permanent in the middle of the 19th century. Having reached a maximum of 1,004 inhabitants in 1841, the population was reduced by two thirds in 150 years. The exodus, which stopped from that point, was to the cities (mainly Marseille). The difficult living conditions in the mountains as well as more specific calamities (Brunissard was completely destroyed by fire in 1882) explain this phenomenon. Nevertheless, to maintain perspective, Arvieux preserved its population more than any other in Queyras.

During the 20th century the economy was gradually transformed. Originally a fully agro-pastoral economy, it now relied mainly on tourism. This transition was nevertheless late in Arvieux and it was the commune in Queyras where agro-pastoral culture lasted the longest - up to about World War II.

By the relative weakness of emigration and by maintaining agro-pastoral activity for a relatively long time, Arvieux was a somewhat atypical commune in Queyras. This originality is probably related to the relative mild weather in the Arvieux Valley for agriculture compared to other communes in Queyras.

The use of French among the inhabitants is relatively recent in Arvieux as they spoke a dialect in the early 20th century. Literacy, however, was relatively advanced due to the Protestant culture of part of the population.

The opening of the Col d'Izoard in 1934 made the commune one of the highlights of the Tour de France. The pass is closed in winter.

In 1977 the Regional Natural Park of Queyras was established with Arvieux being one of the communes it covers.

The Belle and the Renon

Life in Arvieux was different for historians because of a unique organization. Arvieux society was historically divided into two castes:

1. The Gens du Renom or Race des Sorciers who were the lower caste people 2. The Gens de la Belle who formed a kind of local aristocracy

This distinction (which was not related to Protestants and Catholics) lasted until the town opened to the outside in the second half of the 20th century. Its origin is uncertain but it did not prevent solidarity among villagers. In Arvieux first place was reserved for widows and orphans.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2012 the commune had 371 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.

Economy

Arvieux has a tourism economy both in winter and summer. In winter there is alpine skiing, cross country skiing, and ski touring. Summer is the season for hiking. Crafts (pottery, manufacture of wooden toys of Queyras, carved furniture) and livestock (for cheese making) also have an important role.

Civil heritage

The commune has many buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

In addition the commune has a very large number of Farmhouses that are registered as historical monuments. For a complete list with links to descriptions (in French) and photos click here.

Religious heritage

The commune has many religious buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

Notable people linked to the commune