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Alzonne

Coordinates: 43°15′18″N 2°10′39″E / 43.255°N 2.1775°E / 43.255; 2.1775
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Alzonne
Alzonne Water Tower
Alzonne Water Tower
Coat of arms of Alzonne
Location of Alzonne
Map
Alzonne is located in France
Alzonne
Alzonne
Alzonne is located in Occitanie
Alzonne
Alzonne
Coordinates: 43°15′18″N 2°10′39″E / 43.255°N 2.1775°E / 43.255; 2.1775
CountryFrance
RegionOccitania
DepartmentAude
ArrondissementCarcassonne
CantonLa Malepère à la Montagne Noire
IntercommunalityCarcassonne Agglo
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Régis Banquet[1]
Area
1
22.38 km2 (8.64 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
1,595
 • Density71/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
11009 /11170
Elevation108–242 m (354–794 ft)
(avg. 129 m or 423 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Alzonne (French pronunciation: [alzɔn] ; Occitan: Alzona) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.

Geography

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The commune is located in the Lauragais valley some 15 km west of Carcassonne and 15 km east of Castelnaudary. The route D6113 passes through the commune from west to east between these two cities and becomes National Route N113 near Carcassonne. The Autoroute des Deux Mers (A61, E80) passes just 1 km south of the commune but the nearest exit is to the D43 near Bram. Other roads running into the commune are the D8 from Montolieu in the north, the D34 from Saint-Martin-le-Vieil in the northwest, and the D33 running west to east from Bram to Villesèquelande forms the southern border of the commune with a connecting road running north to the village. The Bordeaux-Sète railway runs west to east across the southern part of the commune but there is no station. The nearest station is at Bram.[3]

The Fresquel river runs from west to east through the commune passing just south of the village and joining the Aude at Carcassonne. The Fresquel is joined by the Lampy just east of the village and a number of streams flow into the two rivers including the Ruisseau de Fontorbe, the Ruisseau de Rebenty, the Ruisseau de Falgous, and the Vernassonne which forms a part of the northern border of the commune. The Canal du Midi also passes through the southern part of the commune.

The commune is mostly farmland with some forests in the north. Apart from the village of Alzonne there are also the hamlets of Fongayraud and La Rode near the village, and La Migance in the north.[3]

Neighbouring communes and villages

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View of the Pyrenees

Toponymy

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The name Alsona dates from 898 and comes from Fresquel. It is based on the Hydronymic root alz- meaning "alder" or "swamp" (Dauzat, Negre, Billy, Morvan) and the suffix -onna.

History

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Alzonne from the 9th century was a town of some importance as it was once the capital of the viguerie of its name: vicaria Ausonensis; therefore Alzonne was also known in pago Carcassensi. In this respect the situation of Alzonne has hardly changed since this small town is today the capital of the canton of its name in the arrondissement of Carcassonne.

Its ancient and enduring importance is due to the fertility of its land and the rivers that form its fertile valley. Once the city was fortified and was besieged and taken three times during the Wars of Religion of the 16th century.[4] It was a strategic place in the crusade against the Albigensians.

Heraldry

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Arms of Alzonne
Arms of Alzonne
The official Blazon remains to be determined.

Blazon:
Argent, embrassé sinister Azure.



Administration

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List of Successive Mayors of Alzonne[5]

Mayors from the French Revolution to 1929
From To Name
1789 1791 Jean Faral
1791 1792 Planchett
1792 1793 Joseph Saisset
1793 1794 Jean Sales
1794 1795 Jean Duquos
1795 1808 Jean Sales
1808 1815 Jean Faral
1815 1824 Honoré Denille
1824 1830 Jean Paul Sales
1830 1853 Jean Baptiste Gellis
1853 1865 Jean Baptiste Denille
1865 1870 Pierre Rancoule
1870 1874 Pierre Edmond Vialatte
1874 1876 Pierre Rancoule
1876 1901 Edmond Henri Vialatte
1901 1904 Marin de Stofflet
1904 1913 Jules Alquier-Griffoulet
1913 1914 Joseph Marty
1914 1922 Henri Guilhot
1922 1929 Antoine Vieu
Mayors from 1929
From To Name Party
1929 1943 Jean Bousquet
1943 1944 Georges Satgé
1944 1945 Edouard Revel
1945 1971 Antoine Azam SFIO
1971 1977 Grégoire Vanacker PS
1977 1995 Jacques Tramunt PS
1995 2014 Jean-Marie Salles PS
2014 2026 Régis Banquet PS

Population

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The inhabitants of the commune are known as Alzonnois or Alzonnoises in French.[6]

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 1,177—    
1975 1,206+0.35%
1982 1,208+0.02%
1990 1,225+0.17%
1999 1,221−0.04%
2007 1,239+0.18%
2012 1,438+3.02%
2017 1,522+1.14%
Source: INSEE[7]

Culture and heritage

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Civil heritage

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The commune has two structures that are registered as historical objects:

  • The War Memorial (1921)[8]
  • The Monument to Vialatte (1902)[9]
Other sites of interest

Religious heritage

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

  • A Bronze Bell (1782)[10]
  • A Bronze Bell (1591)[11]

Notable People linked to the commune

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  • Jean Dours (1809-1877), Bishop of Soissons, was born in Alzonne
  • Antoine Gayraud (18 May 1910 in Alzonne - 18 March 1981 in Carcassonne), French politician
  • Françoise de Veyrinas (4 September 1943 - 16 August 2008), born and died in Alzonne, French politician

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Google Maps
  4. ^ Dezobry and Bachelet, Dictionnary of Biography, Vol. 1, Ch. Delagrave, 1876, p. 68 (in French)
  5. ^ List of Mayors of France (in French)
  6. ^ Le nom des habitants du 11 - Aude, habitants.fr
  7. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  8. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM11000173 War Memorial (in French)
  9. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM11000172 Monument to Vialatte (in French)
  10. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM11001688 Bronze bell (in French)
  11. ^ Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM11001687 Bronze bell (in French)
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