Oraàs
Oraàs is a common French, located in the department of the Yrénées-Atlantiques and the area Aquitaine.
Geography
Hydrography
The grounds of the commune are sprinkled by the Gave d' Oloron, affluent of the Gave of Pau, and by its tributaries, the arrèc Héuré (and by the affluent of this one, the arrèc Baraillou) and the brook of Laclau (and by the affluent of this last, the arrèc of Lasmarges).
Localities and hamlets
Communes bordering
- Castagnède in north
- Dirty-with-Béarn in the North-East
- Sauveterre-with-Béarn in the east
- Escos in the west
- Abitain in south-west
- Athos-Aspis in the south.
Toponymy
The toponym Oraàs appears in the forms Oras (XIIIe century, Fors de Béarn), Nostre-Gives of Oras (1442, notaries of Labastide-Villefranche), Horas and Horaas (respectively 1538 and 1548, reformation of Béarn).
History
Administration
Intercommunality
The common one belongs to four inter-commune structures:- the Community of communes of Sauveterre-to-Béarn
- trade union AEP of the area of Saleys
- trade union AEP of Sauveterre-of-Béarn
- departmental trade union of electrification.
Demography
2004: provisional population of INSEE.
Economy
The activity is mainly agricultural. The basement of the commune conceals an important rock salt layer exploited as of the XIXe century. Since the closing of the salted fountain of the city of Dirty-of-Béarn, the thermal baths of the city of salt use drawn water with Oraàs.
Culture and inheritance
Civil inheritance
The " château" of Leu, true eyrie, preserves the remainders of its strengthened enclosure and the place of the drawbridge. One still sees there the carved armorial bearings of Pierre de Saint-Macary, baron of Leu. The castle was amputee of its last stage with turrets at the XIXe century and its mullioned windows were stopped.
Religious heritage
Oraàs - with the short-nap cloth deu gave - according to a joke inhabitant of Béarn, this name is undoubtedly formed starting from the Basque word orre , genévrier. The village shelters a Gothic church out of rollers of the gave which still shows a carries narrow known as also carries Cagot S because an important community of these bet, the crestians lived at the village. The bell-tower carries two old bells of which " Marie" gone back to 1770 which comes from the old church of Wall (Castagnède). A heavy modern bell, gone back to 1951, was offered by Cécile Sorel, countess of Ségur and member of the French Comedy. It is it which says: " Did I descend it well? " with the Casino of Paris in 1933.In the Gothic church, is inside the church a chrism of XIVe century, completely unknown and absent from the inventory makes in 1970. To also note a tomb stone hammered in 1793, a mysterious cross in the chorus and a frightening monster in oak which is used as approach ramp to the platform. This monster with the hideous mouth and the apparent teeth is coiled all its length until the tribune.
The village has also two old strong hamlets: Leu which was a baronnie and sold for a pair of oxen at the end of the One hundred Year old war. one sees there the blazon of Pierre de Saint-Macary lord of the place and magistrate of the Parliament of Pau, then the hamlet of By (or Wine as Inhabitant of Béarn) which had a particular vault.
The village was occupied in February 1813 by a French regiment. This last lost many men against Wellington. One discovered the body of some of these unhappy at the end of the XXe century.
Environmental inheritance
Equipment
Personalities related to the commune
- Espain of Leu, lord of Oraàs which sold its seigniory for a pair of oxen .
- Pierre de Saint-Macary, baron of Leu, altered the “castle” of the same name. It is the father of the marchioness of Lons.
- Cécile Sorel (1873-1966) must be looked like " le" character of Oraàs. It came there in holiday many years in her friend Maurice Escande perpetual secretary from the French Comedy.