Arcangues


Arcangues is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France in what was formerly the Basque province of Labourd.

Geography

Location

Arcangues belongs to the urban area of Bayonne and is located some 10 km south by south-west of Bayonne, 8 km south-east of Biarritz, and 6 km north-west of Ustaritz.

Access

The A63 autoroute passes through the northern tip of the commune with the nearest exit being Exit to the west of the commune but the slightly farther Exit to the east connects directly to the D3 road which passes south through the commune and the village to Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle. There is also the D755 which branches off the D3 in the north of the commune and continues south through the west of the commune to join the D255 on the commune's south-western border. The D933 road from Anglet to Ustaritz also passes through the eastern tip of the commune with a roundabout linking to country roads in the commune.

Hydrography

The commune of Arcangues is traversed by the river Uhabia, the Urdainzko erreka, and the Harrietako erreka. The latter two discharge into the Nive, a tributary of the Adour.

Places and hamlets

  • Ablaintz
  • Abots
  • Amestoia
  • Arantzeta
  • Arantzetakoborda
  • Arnega
  • Berriotz
  • Bidauenea
  • Borda Chipia
  • Bordabaxea
  • Bordattoa
  • le Bosquet
  • Chapelet
  • la Chapelle
  • le Château
  • Chouroumillatché
  • Dornarieta
  • Ehailenborda
  • Errota Handia
  • Errotaxipia
  • Etchegaraya
  • Garaten Borda
  • Gastelhur
  • Gorriaenea
  • Haranburua
  • Harretchea
  • Hirigoina
  • Hotchaenea
  • Kalonjaenea
  • Kastillaborda
  • Lahiton
  • Lanchipiette
  • Larrebidea
  • Larreburua
  • Larrechurria
  • Logis d'Arbela
  • Lortenea
  • Marittipienea
  • Mendibista
  • Moulin d'Alotz
  • Othe Xuria
  • Othe Zahar
  • Oyhambidea
  • Planuya
  • Sainte-Barbe
  • Salazaharia
  • Salha
  • Teileria
  • Xurrumilatx

    Toponymy

The basque name of the commune is Arrangoitze.
Jean-Baptiste Orpustan proposed a joining of the basque words ar-gain, meaning "high rock", and -goiz meaning "an open position facing east" which results in the compound meaning "high rocks facing east".
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
NameSpellingDateSourcePageOriginDescription
ArcanguesArchangos1170Orpustan31Village
Archagos1170Orpustan31
Archagos12th centuryRaymond9BayonneVillage
Arcangos1249Orpustan31
Arcangos1255Raymond9Bayonne
Archangos13th centuryRaymond9
Argangois1302Raymond9Chapter
Argangos1302Raymond9Chapter
Saint-Jean-Baptiste d'Arcangos16th centuryRaymond9Collations
AblaintzAblaintz1083Goyheneche
Naubeis1149Goyheneche
  • Chapter: Titles of the Chapter of Bayonne
  • Collations: Collations of the Diocese of Bayonne

    History

;The lordship of Arcangues
The lordship of Arcangues has been mentioned since the 12th century. Sanche d'Arcangues and Aner de Archangos were cited as witnesses or guarantors of real estate transactions between 1150 and 1170.
;Plague
The beginning of the 16th century in Labourd was marked by the appearance of the plague. The Gascon registers track its expansion. on 8 February 1517 the plague was reported in Arcangues.
;The King's Prosecutors
The office of King's Prosecutor belonged to the Arcangues family from the 17th century. Also Laurent, Lord and patron of Arcangues, Curutcheta, and Elissagaray was prosecutor of the Bailiwick of Labourd from 1614 to 1643. His son Jean d'Arcangues received the office of King's Prosecutor by letters patent of Louis XIII of 4 July 1643. Pierre d'Arcangues continued in the office from 1670 to 1692. Finally Squire Gaspard d'Arcangues, Lord and patron of Arcangues and Curutcheta was the last family member to hold the office from 15 April 1714 to 1749.
;The Marquis of Iranda
Squire Michel d'Arcangues, Lord and patron of Arcangues and Curutcheta, baptised at Bayonne on 17 October 1719, captain of the provincial militia of Labourd, married to Rose d'Aragorri, by which the title of Spanish Marquis of Iranda passed to their son Nicolas François Xavier d'Arcangues. Rights to this title was authorized in France for life in April 1781 by letters patent of Louis XVI.
Michel Louis d'Arcangues was the fourth Spanish Marquis of Iranda, Mayor of Arcangues for forty years and General Counsel for Basses-Pyrénées.
His eldest son, Alexis d'Arcangues, succeeded him. He was mayor of Villefranque then Arcangues and General Counsel for Basses-Pyrénées.
Miguel Marie, the 6th Spanish Marquis of Iranda, succeeded him.
Pierre d'Arcangues, born 12 April 1886 in Paris and died on 22 May 1973 in Arcangues, the 7th Marquis, was a poet and novelist and the father of Guy d'Arcangues, the 8th Marquis of Iranda, Viscount of Ascubea, and writer, who wrote in particular Les Tambours de Septembre.
The home to the Marquis d'Arcangues, the Chateau of Arcangues, was used as the Duke of Wellington's headquarters during the December 1813 Battle of the Nive in the Peninsular War. Kincaid, an officer in the Rifle Brigade was billeted in the Chateau and makes extensive reference to it and its occupants in his memoirs ‘Adventures in the Rifle Brigade’.
During the German occupation of France in World War II, the Nazis used the chateau as the headquarters for their local troops.
The French Thoroughbred racehorse Arcangues, who was given the village's name, won the 1993 Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors
FromToName
1790Jean Baptiste Michel Larre
17911794Jean Etcheberry
17941795Jean Laborde
17951797Pierre Mimiague
17971799Bertrand Dunate
17991800Jean Laborde Petita
1800>1803Dominique Bastres
<18151815Jean-Baptiste Larre
18151827Michel d'Arcangues
18271833Michel Garrin
18331837Étienne Mimiague
18371840Pierre Darthayet
18401848Michel Garrin
18481852Étienne Mimiague
18521868Michel d'Arcangues
18681871Jean Aldabe
18711878Alexis d'Arcangues
18781892Dominique Doyhenard
18921904Alexandre Molinié
19041906Michel d'Arcangues
19061908Jean Aldabe
19081915Michel d'Arcangues
19151919Jean Biolet
19191929André Soulange-Bodin

;Mayors from 1929
FromToName
19291969Pierre d'Arcangues
19691971Jean d'Arcangues
19711983Albert Viala
19832014Jean-Michel Colo
20142026Philippe Echeverria

Inter-communality

Arcangues is part of seven inter-communal structures:
  • the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque;
  • the SIVOM of Arbonne-Arcangues-Bassussarry;
  • the inter-communal association for management of the Txakurrak centre;
  • the association for promotion of Basque culture;
  • the mixed association for management of drinking water for Ura;
  • the mixed association for sanitation for Ura;
  • the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
The commune is part of the Basque Bayonne - San Sebastian Eurocity.

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arcanguais or Arcanguaises in French, and as Arrangoiztar in Basque.

Economy

The town is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée zone designation of Ossau-iraty.
ETPM is an independent French company based in Arcangues whose main activity is the execution of works for electrical and telecommunication networks.

Culture and Heritage

The shutters of a Basque house, made with solid wood slats, are painted the same colour as the other wooden parts of the facades or framing. They are generally in a dark red called "basque red". There has also been, since the 19th century, a very dark blue - a kind of Prussian blue - and a "deep" dark green also as well as sometimes a very light gray. At Arcangues the Marquis, Pierre d'Arcangues, introduced a lighter blue, which has retained the name Blue of Arcangues.
It was in Arcangues that the first Seaska Ikastola was created in 1969.