L'Albère

(Redirected from L'Albere)

L'Albère (French pronunciation: [lalbɛʁ] ; Catalan: L'Albera) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.[3]

L’Albère
The hamlet of Saint-Jean seen from the trail leading to the dolmen of Balma de Na Cristiana
The hamlet of Saint-Jean seen from the trail leading to the dolmen of Balma de Na Cristiana
Location of L’Albère
Map
L’Albère is located in France
L’Albère
L’Albère
L’Albère is located in Occitanie
L’Albère
L’Albère
Coordinates: 42°29′01″N 2°53′41″E / 42.4836°N 2.8947°E / 42.4836; 2.8947
CountryFrance
RegionOccitania
DepartmentPyrénées-Orientales
ArrondissementCéret
CantonVallespir-Albères
IntercommunalityVallespir
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Marc de Besombes-Singla[1]
Area
1
17.10 km2 (6.60 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
66
 • Density3.9/km2 (10.0/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
66001 /66480
Elevation266–1,116 m (873–3,661 ft)
(avg. 532 m or 1,745 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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Localisation

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L'Albère is located in the canton of Vallespir-Albères and in the arrondissement of Céret.

 
Map of L'Albère and its surrounding communes

Toponymy

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The name of L'Albère is clearly issued from the Albera Massif in which it is located. Although always plural in French (Albères) concerning the mountain range, the name remains singular through the ages (L'Albère) for the commune. On the contrary, in Catalan, the name has always been singular for both the mountain (Serra de l'Albera) and the place (L'Albera).[4][5]

History

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Early settlements of population grew near the two primitive churches: Saint Martin, already named in 844 (cella Sancti Martini de Monte Furcato) and Saint John, known since 1089 (ecclesiae Sancti Ioannis de Albera). The hamlets of Saint Martin and Saint John both still exist nowadays, each with its church.[6]

Government and politics

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Canton

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In 1790, the commune of L'Albère is included into the canton of Argelès, then part of the Céret district. It is moved to the canton of Laroque in 1793 and back to the canton of Argelès in 1801, before being finally included in the canton of Céret in 1947.[7] Following the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015, L'Albère is now part of the canton of Vallespir-Albères.[8]

Mayors

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List of successive mayors of L'Albère[9]
Mayor In office Party Notes
Sylvestre Vilallongue 1795 1801
Jacques Oriol 1802 1813
Joseph Reste 1813 1830
Jacques Oriol 1831 1834
Joseph Reste fils 1835 1877
Albert Oriol 1878 1884
Gustave Tarres 1885 1887
Auguste Vinyes 1888 1904
Justin Besombes 1904 1934
Antoine de Besombes-Singla 1935 1971
Pierre de Besombes-Singla March 1971 April 2013
Marc de Besombes-Singla May 2013 Incumbent Son of previous mayor.

Population and society

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Demography

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1968 61—    
1975 62+0.23%
1982 50−3.03%
1990 54+0.97%
1999 69+2.76%
2007 74+0.88%
2012 82+2.07%
2017 80−0.49%
Source: INSEE[10]

Education

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There is no school in L'Albère. The nearest is in Le Perthus.

Events

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  • Patronal feast : 5 August.
  • Communal feast : 2nd Sunday of August.

Health

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There are no doctors in L'Albère. The nearest are in Le Perthus.

Sports

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L'Albère has several climbing sites.

Sites of interest

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Church Saint-Martin
  • Balma de Na Cristiana : a large dolmen.
  • Saint-John Church
  • Saint-Martin Church
  • Saint-Christopher chapel

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ INSEE commune file
  4. ^ (in French and Catalan) Lluís Basseda, Toponymie historique de Catalunya Nord, t. 1, Prades, Revista Terra Nostra, 1990
  5. ^ (in French and Catalan) Institut d’Estudis Catalans, Université de Perpignan, Nomenclàtor toponímic de la Catalunya del Nord, Barcelona, 2007
  6. ^ (in French) Jean Sagnes (dir.), Le pays catalan, t. 2, Pau, Société nouvelle d'éditions régionales, 1985
  7. ^ Jean-Pierre Pélissier, Paroisses et communes de France : dictionnaire d'histoire administrative et démographique, vol. 66 : Pyrénées-Orientales, Paris, CNRS, 1986
  8. ^ Légifrance, Décret n°2014-262 du 26 février 2014 portant délimitation des cantons dans le département des Pyrénées-Orientales.
  9. ^ "Liste des Maires depuis l'an III". lalbere.net. Archived from the original on 2018-01-22. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  10. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE