Aramits


Aramits is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Aramitsiens or Aramitsiennes.

Geography

Location

Aramits is located in part of the Barétous valley, the westernmost of the three main valleys of Béarn crossing the Pyrenees. It is located some 15 km south-west of Oloron-Sainte-Marie and 3 km north of Arette.

Access

Access is by the D919 road from Ance in the north-east to the village then continuing to Lanne-en-Baretous in the south-west. There are also the minor roads D659 from the village north to join the D159 on the northern border and the D133 which goes south from the village to Arette.
Bus route 848 of the Inter-urban network of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, which connects La Pierre Saint-Martin to Oloron-Sainte-Marie, has a stop in Aramits.

Hydrography

Located in the drainage basin of the Adour, the commune is bisected from south-west to north-east by : Le Vert a tributary of the Gave d'Oloron which gathers many tributaries of its own in the commune including the Aurone, the Lancy, the Littos, the Talou Gros, and also by the arrècs of Bugalaran, Bitole, Ibarcis, and Labaigt.
The tributaries of the Joos: the Arriou de Sulu and the Bouhatéko erreka also flow through the commune.

Localities and hamletshttp://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/accueil?c=-0.7261,43.1217&z=7.92265E-5&l=GEOGRAPHICALGRIDSYSTEMS.MAPS.3D$GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS@aggregate(1)&l=ADMINISTRATIVEUNITS.BOUNDARIES$GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS(1)&permalink=yes Géoportail, IGN">Institut géographique national">IGN

The commune name in béarnais is Aràmits. For Brigitte Jobbé-Duval, the origin of the name is from the Basque aran and -itz giving "place of valleys" or "confluence". It would also indicate that the inhabitants were once nicknamed grenouilles.
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
NameSpellingDateSourcePageOriginDescription
AramitsAramiçs1270Raymond
7
OssauVillage
Aramitz en Baratons1376Raymond
7
Luntz
Iramitz1383Raymond
7
Luntz
Sent-Vinsens d'Aramitz1606Raymond
7
Insinuations
Aramys1630GrosclaudeLe Païs de Béarn Map
Aramits1750Cassini
L'Arrigaulo ariu aperat la Rigau1538Raymond
12
ReformationStream with its source in Arette and joining the Vert in Aramits
L'Arrigas1863Raymond
BasquesBasques1863Raymond
22
Hamlet
La BouretteLa Bourette1863Raymond
35
Tributary of the Vert which rises in Aramits
Le Bois de Buganguelo boscq de Buyangue1477Raymond
37
AspeWood on the territory of Asasp in 1863. The Ruisseau de Bugangue, a tributary of the Mielle which rose in Asasp and Gurmençon in 1863, passed through the wood.
CalanguéLa Calangue1863Raymond
39
A Stream with its source in the Bois de Budangue and joining the Dandarou, a tributary of the Vert.
GouloumeGoulomme1863Raymond
72
Wood
La Grange-d'OsseL’Espitau d’Osse1385Raymond
73
CensusFarm next to the Vert belonging to Pontaut Abbey and a fief of the Viscounts of Béarn depending on the bailiwick of Oloron.
La Grange de Osse ab une petite gleysi1538Raymond
73
Reformation
Lanne de HautLane1385Raymond
92
CensusClose to another place in Aramits which is now in the commune of Lanne-en-Barétous. It had a Lay Abbey, vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn. In 1385 it was part of the bailiwick of Oloron and had 17 fires.
Lana1444Raymond
92
Cour Majour
Sanctus Martinus de Lanne1673Raymond
92
Insinuations
Lanne1863Raymond
92
OlivéOliber1538Raymond
124
ReformationFarm
SerreuilleSeruilhe1376Raymond
160
MilitaryHamlet
Sarrulhe-Susoo1385Raymond
160
Census
Sarrulhe-Jusoo1385Raymond
160
Census
SoulouSoulon1581Raymond
163
ReformationFarm

Sources:
Origins:
on page 7 of his 1863 dictionary that Aramits is the former capital of the Barétous valley and that there were two Lay Abbeys, vassals of the Viscounts of Béarn: The Abadie-Susan and Abadie-Jusan.
He further noted that in 1385 there were 52 fires at Aramits and it depended on the bailiwick of Oloron.
Shortly before, the priest of Aramits played the role of mediator in conflicts between the Navarrese and the Bearnese which gave birth to the treaty called the Junta de Roncal, leading to the yearly tribute of the three cows paid by Aramits to Isaba.
In 1790, the Canton of Aramits also included Esquiule.
On 13 March 2000 Aramits was hit by an earthquake of magnitude 4.2.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors
FromToNamePartyPosition
19831989Pierre Louis
19892014Daniel Lourtau
20142020Étienne Serna

Inter-communality

Aramits is part of five inter-communal structures:
In 2009 the commune had 677 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 towns that have a sample survey every year.

Economy

The economy of the town is primarily oriented toward agriculture and livestock. It is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée zone designation of Ossau-iraty.

Culture and Heritage

Religious heritage

The Parish church of Saint-Vincent is registered as an historical monument. It was a former Lay Abbey with the remains of a portal from the 17th century but the old church was demolished in 1880. The new Romanesque-Byzantine style church was built from 1884 to 1886.

Environmental heritage

Education

The commune has a primary school.

Sports and sports facilities

Notable people linked to the commune