Aurignac

French commune
nomcommune=Aurignac
région=Midi-Pyrénées
département=Haute-Garonne
arrondissement=Saint-Gaudens
canton=Aurignac
insee=31028
cp=31420
maire=Claude Brunet
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Canton d'Aurignac
longitude=0.88027
latitude=43.2194
alt moy=400 m
alt mini=295 m
alt maxi=511 m
hectares=1,795
km²=17.95
sans=980
date-sans=1999
dens=54
date-dens=1999

Aurignac is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France, on the edge of the Pyrénées. It is the seat of the canton of Aurignac (population 4,160), which is composed of 19 communes. It is part of the ancient region known as the Comminges.

Geography

The town of Aurignac is located 60km southwest of Toulouse and is, on average, 400m above sea level. It is in the region of rolling hills known as the "Petites Pyrénées" and is dominated by a ridge-shaped hill upon which the old town is built with the remains of a 12th century castle at the top.

History

Aurignac is best known for the 1860 discovery, by Édouard Lartet, of prehistoric remains in nearby caves, which led to the definition of the Aurignacian culture. It is the type site for this important phase in human prehistory. Evidence of Cro-Magnon man has been found in Africa as far back as 160,000 years ago. When they came to Europe, about 40,000 years ago, their culture appears to have flourished with major advances in the use of tools and the development of figurative art. The Aurignacian culture has been called the first modern humans in Europe.

The exact origins of the town are not defined, although the 1957 discovery of the remains of a Roman habitation, with a well-preserved bath-house, 2.5 km from the present-day town suggests that the area was inhabited during the Gallo-Roman period. In 777 a Benedictine priory was founded in Aurignac as a dependency of the Abbey of Saint Tiberi in the diocese of Agde. The first known official record is from 1109, regarding Roger d'Aurignac, the Seigneur of the town. In 1234, Bernard V, Count of Comminges, received the territory from his mother. By 1240, he had built a castle (the Château d'Aurignac) on the hill, around which the village developed.

Between the 1300s and 1600s Aurignac was one of the more important towns of the Comminges, with over 40 communes in its dependence, and an important centre of commerce, based on the production of pottery and leather and holding frequent markets and fairs. During the French wars of religion (1562-1598) the Comminges remained Catholic and Aurignac became an important military centre. Its population was recorded as 2,500 in 1699.

Henry IV ordered the destruction of the castle in the early 1600s and, although it was still partly inhabited in 1627, it fell into disuse not long afterwards. All that remains today are the church, a well-restored keep (donjon) on the peak of the hill and the some of the ramparts, which have been incorporated into houses.

Museum

In 1968, a museum of prehistory was established in the town to house a collection of Aurignacian artefacts from the local site and others in France and abroad. The poor standard accommodation for the museum resulted in its closure in 2006 and the institution of a project to build a larger museum and library complex on the southern edge of the town.

Local economy

The main industries of the town are quarrying and agriculture. It has, for its size, a good number of shops and local businesses, as well as a gendarmerie and two schools which serve all of the canton and some other surrounding communes.

References

* Aurignac official web site [http://www.aurignac.fr/] accessed 16 Oct 2006
* Concise Britannica - Aurignacian [http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article-9356148/Aurignacian|title=Concise_Britannica:_Aurignacian] accessed 16 Oct 2006
* Aurignacian, The First Modern Humans [http://lithiccastinglab.com/gallery-pages/2002marchaurignacianpage1.htm] accessed 4 Nov 2006
* History of the Keep - Notice erected by the Mairie of Aurignac
* Aurignac, Histoire et Monuments, A. Algans, private publication
* Aurignac, French Wikipedia [http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurignac] accessed 20 Oct 2007