Area 11.77 km² | Region Occitanie Canton Axat Population (2010) 640 Local time Friday 5:39 PM | |
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Weather 15°C, Wind SE at 37 km/h, 45% Humidity | ||
Axat (Atsat in Occitan) is a French commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.
Contents
- Map of 11140 Axat France
- Geography
- Toponymy
- History
- Administration
- Demography
- Civil heritage
- Religious heritage
- Sports
- Notable people linked to the commune
- References
Map of 11140 Axat, France
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Axatois or Axatoises.
Geography
Axat is located in Cathar country at the doors of the Aude Pyrenees some 45 km west by north-west of Perpignan and 10 km south-east of Quillan. Access to the commune is by the D117 road from Belvianes-et-Cavirac in the north which passes east through the top of the commune and continues to Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes. Access to the village is by the D118 which branches from the D117 in the north of the commune and goes south to the village then continues south through the length of the commune before turning west to follow a mountain ridge to Puyvalador. The commune is alpine in nature with extensive forests and rugged terrain. The village is in a valley in the north of the commune.
Axat is a pretty tourist town situated in the high valley of the Aude. Surrounded by mountains and gorges, the narrowest Gorge of Saint Georges is only 3 km away. The River Aude is in a picturesque setting and is a popular whitewater sports location. There are 300 metres of fly fishing stretches where the quality of oxygen in the water attracts salmon and trout.
A 100-year-old railway: the Carcassonne to Rivesaltes tourist railway (Train du pays Cathare et du Fenouillèdes) passes through the commune between Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet and Quillan with a station just west of the village. It links Axat to Rivesaltes with 60 km of track running over impressive viaducts and through tunnels on open air carriages.
The Aude river flows through the length of the commune from south to north then continues north-west at the start of its journey to the Mediterranean Sea. Many tributaries rise in the commune on both banks and flow into the Aude including the Ruisseau d'Artigues (which rises in Artigues), the Ruisseeau de Seilles, and many other unnamed streams.
Toponymy
In ancient times the Aude basin did not belong to the Sordones but to other iron producers inhabiting Atax country: the Atacini who made swords as well as axes. The nearest village to the Sordones and part of the land occupied by the Aticini was called Axat and this name, which is a simple inversion of Atax marks the exact point of division between the two tribes of Sordones and Atacini.
History
The Barony became a Marquisate in 1776 according to Eric Thiou and was extinguished in 1788. It became a courtesy title borrowed by Philippe du Puy de Clinchamps.
Administration
List of Successive Mayors
(Not all data is known)
Demography
In 2010 the commune had 640 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.
Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)
Civil heritage
Religious heritage
The Church of the Assumption of Notre-Dame, built in 1630, contains a Statue: the Immaculate Conception (17th century) which is registered as an historical object
The New Provisional Church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
Sports
There is also an outdoor swimming pool which is open from June to September with great mountain views.