Astis Explained

Astis
Commune Status:	Commune
Arrondissement:	Pau
Canton:	Terres des Luys et Coteaux du Vic-Bilh
Insee:	64070
Postal Code:	64450
Mayor:	Alain Caïe^[1]
Term:	2020 - 2026
Intercommunality:	CC Luys en Béarn
Coordinates:	43.4419°N -0.3269°W
Elevation M:	234
Elevation Min M:	160
Elevation Max M:	242
Area Km2:	3.16

Astis (Astís in Occitan) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France.

Geography

Astis is located some 20 km north of Pau and some 4 km south of Miossens-Lanusse. Access to the commune is by road D834 (Route de Bordeaux) from Pau entering the commune from the south-west passing through the village and continuing north to Sarron. The D39 road (Route de Morlaas) branches off the D834 in the north of the commune and goes south-east to Anos. The commune has a strip of forest along the length of the commune from north-west to south-east, parallel to the Route de Morlaas with the rest of the commune farmland.^[2]

The Luy de France forms the eastern border of the commune as it flows north eventually joining the Luy de Béarn and becoming the Luy river on the eastern border of Castel-Sarrazin commune. The Basta river rises in the south of the commune and flows north-west joining the Luy de France north of the commune.^[2]

Places and hamlets

• Anos
• Baradat
• Bernadot
• La Caserne
• Château
• Chinchin
• Dibet
• Guichanné
• Jacoulet
• Lamazou
• Nabarrot
• Pascal
• Plantié
• Sarrette
• Sarthoulet
• Sébat
• Tauhuré

^[3]

Neighbouring communes and villages

^[2]

Toponymy

The commune name in béarnais is also Astis. Michel Grosclaude proposed a Gascon etymology es (an old definitive article) followed by t(h)in ("Dependence") or tin ("singer").

The following table details the origins of the commune name:

Name	Spelling	Date	Source	Page	Origin	Description
Astis	Estis	1385	Raymond		Census	Village
	Astis	1750	Cassini

Sources:

• Raymond

Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. ^[4]

• Grosclaude: Toponymic Dictionary of communes, Béarn, 2006 ^[5]
• Census: Census of Béarn^[6]
• Cassini Map: Cassini Map from 1750^[7]

Administration

List of Successive Mayors^[8]

From	To	Name
1790	1809	Jean Sabat
1809	1815	Jean Larrieu
1815	1828	Joseph Hondagne
1828	1830	Bernard Lamazou
1830	1868	Pierre Lamazou
1868	1871	Jean Larrieu
1871	1872	Félix Binde
1872	1878	Jean Larrieu Chinchin
1878	1919	Jean Lamazou
1919	1929	Jean Sebat
1929	1935	Julien Lamazou
1935	1944	Raymond Guichane
1944	1945	Julien Lamazou
1945	1959	Pierre Larrieu Bourdale
1959	1989	Albert Lafitte
1989	2014	Pierrette Barzu
2014	2026	Alain Caïe

Inter-communality

The commune is part of four inter-communal structures:^[9]

• the Communauté de communes des Luys en Béarn;
• the AEP association of the regions of Luy and Gabas;
• the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques;
• the scholastic association Argelos-Astis;

Demography

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Astisiens or Astisiennes in French.^[10]

Culture and heritage

Civil heritage

The commune has a number of buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments:

• A Chateau (19th century)^[11]
• The Maison Mouras Farmhouse (1771)^[12]
• A Farmhouse at Lamazou (1646)^[13]
• The Maison Larrieu Farmhouse (17th century)^[14]
• The Maison Lassus Farmhouse (1894)^[15]
• Houses and Farms (17th-19th centuries)^[16]
• A Fortified Complex (Prehistoric)^[17]

Religious heritage

The Church of Saint John the Baptist (12th century) is registered as a historical monument.^[18]

The Church contains many items that are registered as historical objects:

• A Bronze Bell (1591)^[19]
• Furniture in the Church^{[20] [21]}
• A Bronze Bell in the bell tower (1591)^[22]
• A Ciborium (19th century)^[23]
• 2 Altar Candlesticks (19th century)^[24]
• 2 Altar Candlesticks (19th century)^[25]
• 2 Altar Candlesticks (torch bodies) (19th century)^[26]
• A Painting: Saint John in the desert (18th century)^[27]
• A Worship bench (19th century)^[28]
• Baptismal fonts (19th century)^[29]
• 2 Statues: Saint Peter & Saint John (18th century)^[30]
• Bas-relief

Christ on the cross between Saint Madeleine & Saint John (18th century)^[31]

• A Retable (18th century)^[32]
• Altar seating and Tabernacle (18th century)^[33]
• Main Altar Seating, Tabernacle, and Retable^[34]

Facilities

Astis has a primary school which is shared with Argelos as an inter-communal educational grouping.

See also

• Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department

External links

• Community of communes of Luys en Béarn
• Astis on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website
• Astis on the 1750 Cassini Map

Notes and References

1. Web site: Répertoire national des élus: les maires. data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 2 December 2020. fr.
2. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Astis/@43.4362235,-0.3232469,3300m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0xd5640f3095f1615:0x40665174813ab60?hl=en Google Maps
3. http://www.geoportail.gouv.fr/accueil?c=-0.3269,43.4419&z=7.92265E-5&l=GEOGRAPHICALGRIDSYSTEMS.MAPS.3D$GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS@aggregate(1)&l=ADMINISTRATIVEUNITS.BOUNDARIES$GEOPORTAIL:OGC:WMTS(1)&permalink=yes Géoportail
4. https://books.google.com/books?id=2TCHmbiipFIC Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees
5. [Michel Grosclaude]
6. Manuscript from the 14th century - Departmental Archives of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
7. http://rumsey.geogarage.com/maps/cassinige.html?lat=nn.nnnn&lon=n.nnnn&zoom=13 Cassini Map 1750 - Asson
8. http://www.francegenweb.org/mairesgenweb/resultcommune.php?id=22176 List of Mayors of France
9. http://comdpt.pyrenees-atlantiques.pref.gouv.fr/ComDpt64/ComGrp.php?siren=216400705&licom=Astis Intercommunality of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
10. https://www.habitants.fr/pyrenees-atlantiques-64 Pyrénées-Atlantiques
11. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
12. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
13. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
14. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
15. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
16. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
17. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
18. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée
19. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
20. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
21. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
22. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
23. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
24. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
25. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
26. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
27. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
28. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
29. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
30. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
31. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
32. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
33. Ministry of Culture, Palissy
34. Ministry of Culture, Palissy