Cucugnan

Cucugnan is a common French, located in the department of the Aude and the area Languedoc-Roussillon.

Its inhabitants is called Cucugnanais.

Geography

Commune located in the Corbières on the Verdouble

History

Origin of the name

With its Cucu , the name of Cucugnan, popularized by Alphonse Daudet, always made laugh the children. However this Cucu has a very serious origin which was redécouverte in April 2006, by decoding a writing dating from the 4th century. The name of origin of Cucugnan was given in the year 359 in a form which was to be Cucucuquieno (to pronounce coucoucoucouiéno ). This name was conceived like an abbreviation, which wanted to be obvious, expression Latin E which precisely means 359 , namely: “centus centus centus quinquagenta and novem”. Each of the three Centus is shortened in Cu because the Romains were probably accustomed to shortening the “centus” in cus when they employed great numbers long to say. With the villages close to Tuchan and Padern, the 3 names of origin evoked the sentence meaning “It is now the year of Our Father 359” who was written in Latin: “Tunc anni Paderni CCCLIX”. The name of origin of Tuchan was thus Tuncanni and that of Padern was Paterni . The oldest mentions of these names known until now were: Tuxsani (in 1119), Padernum (in 805) and Cucunianum (in 951). Between 359 and 951, time produced modifications in the pronunciation of the name, and thus in its writing. This name was too long to remain intact. The evolution of the pronunciation has being the following one: coucoucoucouiéno , coucouguiéno , coucougno , coucounio . “- Anum” probably was put at the place “O” final by the monks Carolingian scholars at the time of the catholicisation of the area remained mainly with the Christian worship Arien until the reconquest on the Sarrasins towards 759. The evoked short phrase belonged to the signature of a writing, length of approximately two hundred Latin words hidden, in the same way that is 359 in Cucugnan, in the names of the villages of the Civitas Ruscinonensis (Country of Ruscino) at the 4th century.

This writing was pro-arien. It may be that, to try to make it disappear forever, the conquering Carolingian Catholic church made in kind remove carefully the traces of this writing; in particular in substituent the many ones “- anum” with the last syllables of toponyms. But it is not certain, because the speech of the Visigoths during 500 years could be enough to disfigure the words of the message. But the writing did not disappear forever since it could be reconstituted starting from the names of villages such as they were time of the Carolingians.

To finish it should be specified that other information in the text made it possible to raise any ambiguity on the date which could be hidden in the name of Cucugnan. In particular there is another name of village coding a number in the same way. It is about the village of Cubières-on-Cinoble not far from Cucugnan. Cubières comes from Cuvietria . This last name comes from an abbreviation Cu + VI + and + sorted number centus vigenti and sorted meaning 123.

Administration

Demography

Graph of the evolution of the population 1794-1999

Places and monuments

Cucugnan is in a Plaine which one reaches by the Grau of Maury which is dominated and which was controlled by the Château of Quéribus, last Cathare citadel and French sentinel with the doors of Spain until 1659. Cucugnan is an artisanal village, surmounted by the church Saint Julien and Sainte Basilisse mentioned for the first time in 1360 and sheltering a pregnant Virgin. The vestiges of a castrum are still visible with the top of the Mill of Omer in activity. The Commune of Cucugnan reveals in its mountains and its garigue old buildings (XIIIeme) whose secrecies are encores to be discovered…

Personalities related to the commune

Alphonse Daudet, in his Letters of my Mill (1886), tells the history of the sermon of the Curé of Cucugnan. This good priest, wanting to make return his flocks in the right way, tells them an imaginary voyage to the Paradis, with the Purgatoire then in Enfer, where it finds all old Cucugnanais.

History of the Sermon.

This famous sermon existed: it is that which the Ruffié abbot pronounces in 1858 in Cucugnan, in the Aude. Blanchot de Brenas, poet on a journey in Corbières, discovers it then translates it into French. When Roumanille takes again this history in 1867, an extrapolation because of its origins will lead to the popular belief locating Cucugnan of the sermon in Provence. Actually, there is only one Cucugnan, and it is well in Corbières. The Ruffié abbot becomes the Marti abbot, and Alphonse Daudet will affirm to hold this history of Roumanille… before publishing it in famous the receuil. In 1884, Achille Mir undertakes to bring back the sermon in Occitane language. This is why, today, a structure - baptized " Theater Achilles Mir" - all the year (every 1/2 hours) presents a spectacle told and animated is entitled. Funny and light adaptation, with the bright voice of Henri Gougaud: a perfect stop between Quéribus and Peyrepertuse.

See too

Common of the Aude

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