Arques, Aude


Arques is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arquois or Arquoises

Geography

Arques is located in the Pyrénées mountains some 25 km south-east of Limoux and 25 km north-east of Quillan. Access to the commune is by the D613 road from Serres in the west passing through the village and continuing to Albières in the east. The D54 goes north from the village to Valmigère. At the commune border the D70 branches from the D54 and follows a tortuous route to Bouisse. The commune is an alpine commune with rugged terrain but with some farms in the valley.
The Rialsesse river flows through the centre of the commune and the village from east to west gathering many tributaries. In the south the Ruisseau de Lait, with many tributaries rising in the commune, flows north-west into the Lac d'Arques which feeds the Rialsesse.

Neighbouring communes and villages

History

The area was owned by the Abbey of Lagrasse in the early 11th century, before coming under the control of the Lords of Termes. In 1231 the region was given by Simon de Montfort to Pierre de Voisins after the Albigensian Crusade. His successor, Gilles de Voisins, began the construction of the castle in 1280 and the organization of the Bastide. It was the northern barons who came to occupy the land of the Cathar heretics under the order of Pope Innocent III.
The dynasty of Voisins was extinguished in 1518 with the marriage of Françoise with Jean de Joyeuse, a member of the House of Joyeuse who therefore became the owner of the lordship and barony of Arques. Arques castle was abandoned in favour of the Château des Ducs de Joyeuse in Couiza. Lords and barons of Arques-barons were hereditary barons of Languedoc and had a permanent seat in the Estates of Languedoc.

Heraldry

Administration

List of Successive Mayors
FromToNamePartyPosition
19772014Henri BarbazaPS
20142014Maxime BarbazaMayor from March to April
20142020Audrey Cabedo

Demography

In 2009 the commune had 268 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger towns that have a sample survey every year.

Sites and monuments

The commune has two sites that are registered as historical monuments:
;Other sites of interest
;Chateau d'Arques Picture Gallery

Notable people linked to the commune