| Arget | |
| Commune Status: | Commune |
| Arrondissement: | Pau |
| Canton: | Artix et Pays de Soubestre |
| Insee: | 64044 |
| Postal Code: | 64410 |
| Mayor: | Thierry Soustra[1] |
| Term: | 2020 - 2026 |
| Intercommunality: | Luys en Béarn |
| Coordinates: | 43.5439°N -0.5272°W |
| Elevation M: | 131 |
| Elevation Min M: | 75 |
| Elevation Max M: | 182 |
| Area Km2: | 4.00 |
Arget (in French pronounced as /aʁʒɛt/) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France. It is part of the traditional province of Béarn.
Arget is located some 18 km north-east of Orthez and 12 km south-east of Hagetmau on the border between Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Landes departments. It can be accessed by the D264 road from Montagut in the east passing through the commune and the village (of 2 buildings) and continuing south-west to Casteide-Candau. The commune has quite large areas of forest in the west but is mostly farmland.[2]
Several streams rise in the commune with the Hourquet forming the north-western border as it flows north-east to join the Ruisseau de la Rance at the northern tip of the commune. The Rance forms the north-eastern border as it flows north-west. The south-eastern border also consists of an unnamed stream which joins the Rance just outside the eastern tip of the commune.[2]
The commune name in béarnais is Arget.
Michel Grosclaude was unable to justify the local belief that the name means "sandy place" from arena (meaning "sand") with the collective suffix -etum (giving arenetum then arenet then areet then ariet), and could not conclude other than "of uncertain origin and meaning".
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
| Name | Spelling | Date | Source | Page | Origin | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arget | Argiet | 1383 | Raymond | Luntz | Village | ||
| Arzet | 1695 | Raymond | Order of Malta | ||||
| Arget | 1750 | Cassini |
Sources:
Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. [4]
Origins:
Paul Raymond noted on page 10 of his 1863 dictionary that Arget depended on the Commandery of Malta of Caubin and Morlaàs and on the Barony of Moustrou, built in 1647, and was a vassal of the Viscounts of Béarn.[4]
List of Successive Mayors[7]
| From | To | Name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 2001 | Chantal Gallenmuller | |
| 2001 | 2026 | Thierry Soustra |
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Argétois or Argétoises in French.[8]
Arget has many farms that are registered as historical monuments:
The Parish Church of Notre Dame (12th century) is registered as an historical monument.[18] It contains several items that are registered as historical objects: