Elne

Elne (in Catalan Elna ) is a common French, located in the department of the the Eastern Pyrenees and the area Languedoc-Roussillon. Its inhabitants is called Illibériens.

Geography

Elne is located in the plain of the Roussillon, with five kilometers of the sea, just in the north of the Tech. The communal territory indeed comprises a narrow strip of land, rural and slightly populated, on both sides of the river to its mouth (the Bocal of Tech ), which gives to the commune an access to the mer.
The city in itself is built on and around a small hill (high, 65 meters sits of the cathedral), in the north of the Tech.
The commune is served by the railroad (line of Port-Bou): a service of FOR THE THIRD TIME connects it to Perpignan and the Vermilion Côte. Moreover, one expressway (RD114) ensures the bond between the city and Perpignan, and the littoral in the south towards Argelès-sur-Mer and Collioure.
Elne has as communes bordering: Palau-LED-Vidre, Argelès-sur-mer, Latour-Bas-Elne, Saint-Cyprien, Alénya, Corneilla-LED-Vercol, Montescot, Bages and Ortaffa.

History

The first name of the town of Elne was Latinized towards -120 before J.C in Illiberis . The name of origin was probably Ilimberi meaning in Celtic language " hill in the middle of the limons" decomposable in " in = in " + " lim = silt " + " beri = height, hill ". This significance is attested by the old names very resembling of the towns of Auch (Gers), Lombez (Gers), Lumbier (Navarre), Grenade (Southern Spain). These cities indeed have a name resembling much that of Illibéris' and all have a remarkable hill close to a river coming directly from the mountains and arrival on a favourable flat ground to deposit silts. Generally there is a confluence of rivers multiplying wet surface with the foot of the hill. In the case of Illiberis there was only one river but it had several branches; the delta of Tech surrounded the city as that was attested by the archeologists.

However the significance “city new” is the assumption generally given. It is founded on an old language near to the Basque; it is not correct, because there exist other cities with the same characteristics toponymic and geographical and located much more at North that the zone with explainable toponyms by the Basque roots; thus (Lombers, Lombron, Lumbres) have a formed Celtic name in the same way. In addition it is not attested that Illiberis was a ibère city as it sometimes is read. But there is not any doubt that its inhabitants traded with Ibères who lived in the South of the Pyrenees. The Roman authors Pline old the and Pomponius Mela quote Illiberis, at, like a city not having more its last splendor. That made say to certain authors that Illiberis had been the rich person town of Pyrene quoted by the Greek scientist Hérodote and by the Latin poet Avienus. But of the mistranslations are at the origin of the Pyrene myth. In fact this city existed forever, these authors spoke in fact about the " pays" from the Pyrenees. In Greek and Latin it is that the same word indicates a city or a country where the men are organized in a community with its laws. Several Latin authors quote Illibéris with like a oppidum. Since until the end of the town of Illiberis was probably a oppidum sordice, according to the name of Sordes, one of the people of the edges of the Mediterranean.

Illiberis is quoted by Tite-Live to have been used as camp of negotiations between Hannibal and the local populations in 218 av. J. - C. It was a relatively important center of the province of Narbonnaise, contrary to the Perpignan of the time. Illiberis became, at the 3rd century property of the imperial family, and accepted, between 330 and 349, the name of Castrum Helenae in the honor of the mother of the emperor Constantin I {{er}}, the empress Helene (mother of Constantin). It is besides in Elne that had taken refuge and that was killed into 350 a son of Constantin, the Roman Emperor Constant, caught up with in its escape by the assassins sent by the usurper Magnence. Later, from Castrum Helenae , then Helena one passed to Helna , then Elna and finally Elne.

Since the 6th century, the city is the seat of the bishop Roussillon. There is already a Christian temple. At the 11th century, one built current the cathedral Holy-Eulalie-and-Holy-Julie (holy owners of the city) to replace an older church. Between, the Chanoine S made build the Cloître. The city undergoes in 1284, at the time of the Croisade of Aragon a seat carried out by Philippe '' Bold the '', king de France, who forced the doors of the Cathédrale and massacred the inhabitants. The growing importance of the city close to Perpignan as from the 13th century made shade with Elne. The bishops are reflected to more often reside at Perpignan than in Elne, and in 1602 the transfer of residence was officialized, although at present still, the bishop residing at Perpignan names bishop of Elne and Perpignan . After the Treated of the Pyrenees of 1659 which fixed the border at the the Pyrenees, the walls of the city were destroyed, which did nothing but accentuate its decline. There remain some sides of the medieval walls at present, as three doors which were in the past entries of the city.

Elne became thereafter a modest borough with agricultural prevalence (Vigne in particular), which keeps nevertheless traces of its glory passed through vestiges as well Roman as medieval. These vestiges, as well as the cathedral and the cloister considered as masterpieces of the Romanesque art, make that the city has a certain tourist activity.

Administration

|- | align=right| 1995 - 2001 || Joseph Bringé ||align=" center" | app RPR || |- | align=right| 1965 - 1995 || Narcisse Planed ||align=" center" | PS ||

Demography

Places and monuments

The city was agreeably restored these last years: the places and the roadway system were remade, and of many houses ravalées.
Historically it was divided high downtown and low city. Each one had their strengthened enclosure, whose current vestiges (turns, doors and curtains on which were pressed the houses) go back to and}. The low city was probably the first with being occupied, and its ground to deliver many traces of occupation (times prehistoric, Roman, Early middle ages). The high city is occupied by the cathedral Holy-Eulalie-and-Holy-Julie and her cloister which forms a remarkable médiéval.
unit
Sites to visit

  • Cathedral Holy-Eulalie-and-Holy-Julie of and
  • Cloister of Elne, built with, for the Romance sculptures .
  • Museum exposing the prehistoric and Roman vestiges of the city, in the buildings around the cloister.
  • Museum devoted to the painter Etienne Terrus, the cathedral.
  • Remainders of the enclosure of the high city (and)
  • the Tropic of the butterfly , a Seedbed and zoological gardens exclusively inhabited many varieties of butterfly S
  • the Swiss Maternity of Elne or castle of In Bardou where were confined of many women taken refuge during the Guerre of Spain.

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