Coordinates: 42°59′51″N 2°15′25″E / 42.9975°N 2.25694444444°E
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Commune of Alet-les-Bains |
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| Location | |
  Alet-les-Bains
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Languedoc-Roussillon |
| Department | Aude |
| Arrondissement | Limoux |
| Canton | Limoux |
| Intercommunality | Pays de Couiza |
| Mayor | Jean-Denis Alandry (2001–2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 180–720 m (590–2,400 ft) (avg. 204 m/670 ft) |
| Land area1 | 23.54 km2 (9.09 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 464 (1999) |
| - Density | 20 /km² (52 /sq mi) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 11008/ 11580 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Alet-les-Bains is a french commune in the department of Aude, and the region of Languedoc-Roussillon.
Contents |
Geography
Alet-les-Bains is a spa town, that is to say, it is a town located near hot springs, in Aude in the south of France.
The village is roughly one and a half hours from the sea and one hour from a winter sports centre.
To each side of the village, the mountains come to a hight of 750 metres above sea level.
Access to the SNCF can be found at the Alet-les-Bains trainstation.
Heraldry
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Blazon of the commune.
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Blazon of the commune.
History
The origins of the abbey of Alet-les-Bains are unknown other than that of a priory in the eighth century. It was likely founded by Béra, viscount of Razés. By the twelfth century, it had a lot of influence and a large number of pilgrims. In 1318, the abbey became a bishopric inorder to continue the fight against the cathars; as it stayed until the French revolution. The diocese had eighty Parishes and spanned from Formiguères to Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet. A wall, with 4 gates, built in the twelfth century to protect the abbey can still be seen today.
In the sixteenth century, during the wars of religion, the Huguenots burnt and destroyed the abbey. In the seventeenth century, Nicolas Pavillon, bishop of
The thirty-fifth and last bishop of Alet, Charles de la Cropte de Chanterac, who opened the "Grande route" (Big road) Limoux-Quillan, also built a new portion of the bishopric, which he attached to the oldest part of the bishopric, which dates from the twelfth century and is now preserved. By climbing a flight of stairs, one would come to the first floor where one can see the beautiful and large synod hall as well as the library. The bishopric and its three hectactres of gardens span a large portion of the old abbey.
By the separation of church and state, the bishopric became the property of the persons who lived in his estates, which were disperced around the region. The buildings were used until the beginning of this century.
Administration
The current mayor is one, Jean-Denis Alandry who entered office in 2001 and stands to leave in 2014.
Demography
| 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 526 | 590 | 554 | 543 | 460 | 464 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| From the year 1968 on: population without double counting—residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Places and monuments
- Abbey and cathedral of the seventh century.
- Medieval, fortified castle.
- Hotels of the twelfth and fourteenth centuries.
- Source of thermally heated water, discovered by the romans over two thousand years ago.
- Thermal spa.
Economy
The water of Alet-les-Bains is one of the oldest sold mineral waters in France, first bottled over 120 years ago, it is one of the largest sources in France. The village is very lively and possesses a casino, a thermal spa, several hotels and several boutiques. Sadly, there is not but one shop, which is a sort of grocerry store.
Events and festivals
Ciné Sans Filet is a short film festival that occurs every year in the second weekend of August, it features one hundred and fifty short films over the course of three days.
Famous persons who live or lived in the commune
- Nicolas Pavillon was the bishop of Alet in the seventeenth century.
- Roger Peyrefitte 1907 - 2000, author.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alet-les-Bains |
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