Argelès-sur-Mer

Argelès-sur-Mer (in Catalan Argelers of Marenda or Argelers ) is a common French, located in the department of the the Eastern Pyrenees and the area Languedoc-Roussillon. Its inhabitants is called Argelésiens.

Geography

Celebrate Seaside resort located on the sandy coast, Argelès has as communes bordering: Elne, Palau-LED-Vidre, Saint-Andrew, Sorède, Espolla, Banyuls-sur-Mer and Collioure.

History

Without going until the Mythology which would like that Hercules founded Argelès, it is certain that the territory of the commune was occupied by the man as of prehistoric times, the presence of two dolmens and of an ossuary of the age of metals attests it.

Historically, the first mention goes up with 879 as “a Villa of Argilariis”. The name is then taken again at the 10th century in the forms “Argelarium, Argelaria, Argileria”. As the things are never simple, there exist two possible explanations for this name:

  • a planted place of thorny brooms (as a Catalan argelac or argelaga). This etymology, which appears in the armorial bearings of the city, resists neither the linguistic analysis, nor with the comparison with the many localities which bear identical or similar names.

  • an argillaceous place (of Latin argilla ). It is obviously the good explanation, which it is advisable to adopt definitively, so much worse for the brooms.

The city, after having been under the direct dependence of the Counts of Roussillon, passed between the hands of the Catalan kings, then of king de France starting from 1659. It was in the center of the confrontations between the Kings de Majorque and those of Aragon, in XIIIe and XIVe centuries, and in 1298 a peace treaty was signed there between Jaume II of Majorque and Jaume II of Catalonia-Aragon. The treaty hardly lasted, since in 1344 the city was besieged by Pere the Ceremonious one, who will end up fixing the kingdom of Majorque. From another military episodes will still come to disturb calm city, which was besieged by Louis XI in second half of the 15th century, then by the Spanish troops of the Ricardos general in 1793.

Concentration camp

The modern history of Argelès is marked by a painful episode: in 1939, at the end of the war of Spain, tens of thousands of republican S crossed the border and were locked up by the French authorities in a true concentration camp, located just at the north of the beach of Argelès. This situation, which lasted of many months, is still quite present in the spirit of the inhabitants of Argelès and, even if they of it were not the persons in charge, they preserve the shame of an episode which shows us that the Régime of Vichy was already in germ a few months before its installation. This camp became during the Second world war a Center of Gathering from Abroad.

Argelès D `aujourdhui

Since the beginning of the 20th century, the population of Argelès is in constant increase, the city increasing in all the directions. The census of 1999 shows an impressive increase of 2000 inhabitants in 9 years.

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

The site of Racou, located on the commune of Argelès-sur-mer, is a natural site pertaining to the Academy of the Littoral and Lacustres shores. Racou is of a notable ecological value, with the presence of two protected spaces: the Roughcast Passerina and Armérie of Roussillon, like several natural habitats of Community interest. The landscapes of this site remarkable and are diversified, with sights on cliffs of the littoral, of environments of underwood (Wood of Valmarie), a maquis.

Religious heritage

  • Parish church (14th century)
  • Church of Torreneules (9th century)
  • Abbey of Valbonne (13th century)
  • St. Lawrence Church of the Mount (12th century)

Personalities related to the commune

Twinnings

See too

  • Common of the Eastern Pyrenees


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