Chalosse

The Chalosse is a Terroir of Gascogne, located in the department French of the Landes. Before the Revolution, this soil extended to the south, by its administrative cutting, on ten communes of the Soubestre (around Arzacq-Arraziguet) which were attached in 1790 to the department of the the Low-Pyrenees.

Inhabitants

The inhabitants of Chalosse are Chalossais ( Shalòsses in Gascon).

Etymology

Chalosse - Shalòssa in Gascon - is a name Aquitanique of unknown significance. One finds the form Sialossa in the documents of files.

Localization

Centered on the valleys of the Louts and the Luy, Chalosse extends between the Adour in north, the Béarn in the south, the valley of the Gabas in the east.

The plains bordering the Adour and the Gaves joined together before their junction, constitute the Pays of Orthe. Chalosse is bordered of this country in the West, the High Moor and the Pays of Marsan in North, and finally of the Tursan in the East.

Principal cities

Tie profit of the railroad, Dax is by far the city which developed, on two banks of Adour. Its area of influence is called the Aguais.

Montfort-in-Chalosse is, with Pomarez, the most central borough. Hagetmau and Saint-Sever profits from their position on the axis Orthez - Mount-with-Marsan.

In the south, let us quote Amou on the Luy-with-Béarn.

Toponymy

Certain place names translate the defensive character given to the cities at the time of their foundation:

Country house
Castelnau

Country

the plain of the Adour vis-a-vis the junction of the Midouze is called the Auribat
the zone of influence of Dax is Aguais

Geology

Chalosse presents formed argilo-siliceous grounds of fawn-coloured Sables and old Alluvion S.

Landscape

Chalosse - located between Adour and Béarn - is characterized by a slightly undulated relief, tending to rise gradually towards the south and is. Rather flat towards Dax, the landscape is mainly made up of hills suaves, between which many rivers are stretched. Area resolutely directed towards the breeding and agriculture, Chalosse sees following one another meadows, fields (of corn primarily), and wood, in which the maritime pine holds a minor place. Taking into account the density of settlement (villages relatively close from/to each other), and fractionation of agricultural space (contrary to the forest of the Moors of Gascogne, kingdom of the great land and buildings), the landscape is some parcelled out in multiple pieces, giving an air laughing and coloured to these grounds. The villages - dominated by the church, often of medieval origin - were built most of the time on heights, as with Montfort-in-Chalosse, Mugron, Saint-Sever, or Hagetmau.

Traditional habitat

The human installation is old there, and the density of the hearths of Habitation contrast with that the High-Moor. The habitat is also different from the plain of the Landes by the stone-built houses which, in the east, announce already the close Béarn.

In the west, style of the traditional houses, with:

roofs with two slopes of weak slope and cover of tile
frontage on pinion wall directed in the east
masonry walls of stones

evoke the Low-Navarre .

In the west of Pouillon, the houses are divided into three longitudinal spans as with the Basque Country or in the Landes of Gascogne. The central span opens on a central part of work to ground out of beaten, equivalent of l' Basque Ezkaratze and called ground sòu “ground”.

In the east of Pouillon, the houses more frequently present a croup to the back. The main door gives on a common room (" large cuisine") or on a corridor.

Economy

The principal activity is the Agriculture there (mixed-farming). The Poultry S and Canard S fatty are high there of number and in quality.

With the Corn, the Ox of Chalosse, raised by three hundred and four twenty stockbreeders approximately, is the floret of this region. The Ox of Chalosse profits from a long breeding of more than 3 years. For this period, the animal resulting from the noble beef breeds (Fair of Aquitaine, Limousine, Bazadaise) profits from a food 100% natural made up of fodder and crushed corn from which it profits fully. Its red and goûteuse meat is an undeniable testimony.

Chalosse also produces Local wines of soils landais.

History

Chalosse left us the first elaborate representation of an human face with the Dame of Brassempouy, true jewel of the Paléolithique superior.

The Abbaye of Saint-Sever was throughout the Moyen-âge a powerful center spiritual, economic, political and artistic.

Culture

Chalosse is also ground of Rugby and Basket-ball.

There exists in addition of very many arenas of Course landaise, like several arenas of Spanish Corrida: Dax, Hagetmau, St-Sever,…

Many traditional festivals take place from April at October.

Spoken languages:

French
Gascon: vernacular , still of use in the rural areas, not very used language in the urban surface of Dax

See too

Pays of Adour landais
Territoires and country of the Moors
Communauté of communes of the Cape de Gascogne
Communauté of communes of the canton of Montfort-in-Chalosse

External bond

Official site Country Adour - Chalosse - Tursan
Museum of Chalosse

Random links: