| Arques | |
| Commune Status: | Commune |
| Image Coat Of Arms: | Blason de la ville d'Arques (11).svg |
| Arrondissement: | Limoux |
| Canton: | La Haute-Vallée de l'Aude |
| Insee: | 11015 |
| Postal Code: | 11190 |
| Mayor: | Géraldine Gracia[1] |
| Term: | 2020 - 2026 |
| Intercommunality: | CC Limouxin |
| Coordinates: | 42.9533°N 2.3758°W |
| Elevation M: | 356 |
| Elevation Min M: | 329 |
| Elevation Max M: | 854 |
| Area Km2: | 18.53 |
Arques (pronounced as /fr/; Languedocien: Arcas) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.
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.[2]
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 (Arques Lake) which feeds the Rialsesse.[2]
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 (Castle of the Dukes of Joyeuse) in Couiza. Lords and barons of Arques-barons were hereditary barons of Languedoc (Pays d'états) and had a permanent seat in the Estates of Languedoc.
List of Successive Mayors[3]
| From | To | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 2014 | Henri Barbaza | ||
| 2014 | 2014 | Maxime Barbaza | ||
| 2014 | 2020 | Audrey Cabedo | ||
| 2020 | 2026 | Géraldine Gracia |
The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arquois or Arquoises in French.[4]
The commune has two sites that are registered as historical monuments: