Auga

Auga (French pronunciation: [oɡa]; Occitan: Augar) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.

Auga
Commune
Countryside in Auga
Location of Auga
Auga Show map of France Auga Show map of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 43°28′42″N 0°22′50″W
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Arrondissement	Pau
Canton	Terres des Luys et Coteaux du Vic-Bilh
Intercommunality	CC Luys en Béarn
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	David Legros[1]
Area 1	4.03 km2 (1.56 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	179
• Density	44/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	64077 /64450
Elevation	123–258 m (404–846 ft) (avg. 160 m or 520 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

Auga is located some 20 km north of Pau and 35 km east of Orthez. Access to the commune is by the D40 road which branches off the D944 just south of Méracq and goes south through the length of the commune and the village before continuing to join the D834 near Sauvagnon in the south. The D220 road goes south from the village to Viven. The commune is mostly farmland with scattered forests.^[3]

The Pyrénées-Atlantiques Interurban Network bus line has a stop in the commune on route 842 from Malaussanne to Pau.

The Luy de France flows north up the eastern side of the commune and continues north-west to join the Luy de Béarn to form the Luy north-east of Castel-Sarrazin.^[3]

Places and hamlets

• Bidot^[4]
• Bret^[5]
• Castaing
• Cazenave
• Claux^[6]
• Grange Haget^[7]
• Haou^[8]
• Laplante
• Lauroua
• Maupas
• Méhil
• Miraut^[9]
• Moun
• Pargade^[10]
• Parrot
• Pellarouy^[11]
• Péruillet

^[12]

Neighbouring communes and villages

^[3]

Toponymy

The commune name in béarnais is Augar. Michel Grosclaude suggested the etymology is Gascon coming from augar meaning "marshy terrain".^[13]

The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.

Name	Spelling	Date	Source	Page	Origin	Description
Auga	Algar	11th century	Raymond	16	Saint-Pé	Village
	Augar	13th century	Raymond	16	Fors de Béarn
	Augaar	1385	Raymond	16	Census
	Augaa	1437	Raymond	16	Homages
	Sent Laurens d'Auguaa	1538	Raymond	16	Reformation
	Augua	1544	Raymond	16	Reformation
Abescat	Abescat	1673	Raymond	2	Reformation	Fief under the Viscounts of Béarn
Baradat	Baradat	1863	Raymond	20		Place

Sources:

• Raymond: Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. (in French)^[14]
• Grosclaude: Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, 2006 (in French)^[13]

Origins:

• Saint-Pé: Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Pé^[15]
• Fors de Béarn^[16]
• Census: Census of Béarn^[16]
• Homages: Homages of Béarn^[17]
• Reformation: Reformation of Béarn^[18]

History

Auriol Centulle, third son of Centule IV, Viscount of Béarn, and Angèle d'Oloron, was lord of Clarac, Igon, Baudreix, Boeil, and Auga.

Paul Raymond noted on page 17 of the 1863 dictionary that the commune had two Lay Abbeys, vassals of the Viscounts of Béarn: Abadie-Susan and Abadie-Jusan. In 1385, Auga had 22 fires and depended on the bailiwick of Pau. Auga was also a ruffebaronnie, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn.^[14]

The fief of Abescat was also a vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn.

Administration

Auga Village

List of Successive Mayors^[19]

From	To	Name	Party	Position
1983	1995	Alexis Cassoulet
1995	2001	Michel Chéret	PS
2001	2008	Pierre Dubourdieu
2001	2014	Pierre Chéret	PS	Regional Councillor
2014	2020	Jean-Paul Lacabanne
2020	2026	David Legros

Inter-communality

The commune is part of four inter-communal structures:

• the Communauté de communes des Luys en Béarn;
• the AEP association of Arzacq;
• the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques;
• the inter-communal association of Aubin-Auga-Doumy-Bournos;

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 153 inhabitants.

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 244 —     1800 239 −0.30% 1806 266 +1.80% 1821 302 +0.85% 1831 344 +1.31% 1836 318 −1.56% 1841 302 −1.03% 1846 307 +0.33% 1851 323 +1.02% 1856 327 +0.25% 1861 303 −1.51% 1866 285 −1.22% 1872 270 −0.90% 1876 259 −1.03% 1881 245 −1.11% 1886 224 −1.78% 1891 171 −5.26% 1896 168 −0.35%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 192 +2.71% 1906 190 −0.21% 1911 184 −0.64% 1921 137 −2.91% 1926 134 −0.44% 1931 131 −0.45% 1936 142 +1.63% 1946 148 +0.41% 1954 132 −1.42% 1962 140 +0.74% 1968 138 −0.24% 1975 114 −2.69% 1982 121 +0.85% 1990 136 +1.47% 1999 113 −2.04% 2007 149 +3.52% 2012 141 −1.10% 2017 153 +1.65%
Source: EHESS[20] and INSEE[21]

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

• The Haou Blacksmith's House (19th century)^[8]
• A House at Haou (19th century)^[22]
• A Farmhouse at Pellarouy (17th century)^[11]
• A Farmhouse at Pargade (1733)^[10]
• A Farmhouse at Miraut (1830)^[9]
• The Maison Lacabanne Farmhouse at Bret (17th century)^[5]
• The Maison Labescat House (19th century)^[23] This was one of the two Lay Abbeys mentioned by Paul Raymond which was rebuilt in the 19th century.
• A Mill at Grange Haget (1707)^[7]
• The Maison Dubourdieu House (19th century)^[24]
• A Farmhouse at Claux (1780)^[6]
• A Farmhouse at Bidot (1801)^[4]
• The Chateau d'Auga Fourcade fortified chateau (11th century)^[25]
• Houses and Farms (17th-19th centuries)^[26]

Religious heritage

The Church of Saint-Laurent

The Parish Church of Saint-Laurent (12th century) is registered as a historical monument.^[27]

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

• The Furniture in the Church^[28]
• The Furniture in the Church (Supplementary list)^[29]
• A Painting: Christ on the Cross between the Virgin and Saint Laurent (18th century)^[30]
• Altar, Altar seating, Tabernacle, and 2 Statues (19th century)^[31]
• The Balustrade of the gallery (18th century)^[32]

Facilities

Education

Auga has no primary school as it is part of an inter-communal educational regrouping with Aubin, Bournos, and Doumy.

Sports

People from the commune play football at ESBDG (Bournos Doumy Garlède Sports Group)

See also

• Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department

External links

• Auga on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
• Anga on the 1750 Cassini Map

References

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. Google Maps
4. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026718 Farmhouse at Bidot (in French)
5. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026724 Maison Lacabanne Farmhouse (in French)
6. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026719 Farmhouse at Claux (in French)
7. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026721 Mill at Grange Haget (in French)
8. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026722 Chateau (in French)
9. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026725 Farmhouse at Miraut (in French)
10. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026726 Farmhouse at Pargade (in French)
11. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026727 Farmhouse at Pellarouy (in French)
12. Géoportail, IGN (in French)
13. Michel Grosclaude, Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, Edicions reclams & Édition Cairn - 2006, 416 pages, ISBN 2-35068-005-3 (in French)
14. Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, Paul Raymond, Imprimerie nationale, 1863, Digitised from Lyon Public Library 15 June 2011 (in French)
15. Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Pé, Pierre de Marca, History of Béarn (in French)
16. Manuscript from the 14th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
17. Manuscript from 1343 in the Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
18. Manuscript from the 16th to 18th centuries - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (in French)
19. List of Mayors of France (in French)
20. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Auga, EHESS (in French).
21. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
22. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026728 House (in French)
23. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026723 Maison Labescat House (in French)
24. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026720 Maison Dubourdieu House (in French)
25. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026717 Chateau d'Auga Fourcade (in French)
26. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026715 Houses and Farms (in French)
27. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée IA00026716 Parish Church of Saint-Laurent (in French)
28. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM64001172 Furniture in the Church (in French)
29. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM64001176 Furniture in the Church (Supplementary list) (in French)
30. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM64001175 Painting: Christ on the Cross between the Virgin and Saint Laurent (in French)
31. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM64001174 Altar, Altar seating, Tabernacle, and 2 Statues (in French)
32. Ministry of Culture, Palissy IM64001173 Balustrade of the gallery (in French)