The Country house-Clairence

Geography

Hydrography

The commune is crossed by the Joyeuse, the Arbéroue and by the affluent of this last, the brook of Jouan de Pès.

Localities and hamlets

Pessarou (or Pessarrou)
the Coast
the Vault
Touron

Communes bordering

Bardos and Urt in north
Hasparren in the west
Ayherre in the south
Orègue in the east.

Toponymy

The toponym the Country house-Clairence appears in the forms Bastida nueva of Clarenza (1312, titles of Camara de Comptos), the Country house of Clarence (1364, titles of Navarre), the Country house and Bastida de Clarença (respectively 1380 and 1398, collection Duchesne volume CXIV), the Country house of Clarensse (1422, notaries of Oloron), Bastida de Clarencia (1513, titles of Pampelune), the Country house of Clerance (1665, payment of the States de Navarre) and Beata Maria of the Country house of Clerence (1767, collations of the diocese of Bayonne).

History

This Navarrese country house founded was created in 1288 per Claire de Rabastens, on a slope in edge of the river Aran, from where its Gascon name Bastida de Clarença.

800 refugees coming mainly from Bigorre, see themselves granting a charter in July 1312, by Louis I of Navarre , future Louis X Hutin . The birth of this village corresponds to a need for the Navarre for creating a strong city in this wooded frontier zone. The Country house-Clairence, as its name indicates it, is a strong city. The historian Paul Broca still sees there the remainders of its old and powerful fortress in 1875.

The Country house-Clairence accommodates little by little a commercial population come from the south-west of France then refugees of Spain fleeing the Inquisition, and of the Basques of the cities and villages in the neighborhoods. Another version concerning the origin of the city exists. This one would have been populated of colonists resulting from different backgrounds and in particular from pilgrims of Saint-Jacques-to-Compostelle called the francos. About 1700, the population is of 2 000 communicants. The inhabitants live industry of the nail factory, clothes industry of woolen articles and hosiery and agriculture. Some 12 day old fairs ensure the prosperity of the city.
So in XVIe century the inhabitants do not speak the Basque, but the Gascon, little by little they adopt the Basque language and habits. The city counts at the XVIIe century 320 houses and of the mills. On 1575 to 1789, the Country house of Clairence depends on the lords of Gramont.
The city counts an important Jewish community after the expulsion of the Portuguese Jews.
Today still, the place of the Arches and its houses with Colombage S accommodate many craftsmen of Article Among these very typical houses, one distinguishes two architectural tendencies:

the style labourdin, with houses with Pinion wall, gable roof, frontage in half-timbering of red or green color on Corbelling S, windows with Mullion X and lintel X carved.
a style of Navarrese houses with roof with 4 slopes and doors in arc of vault.

The Country house-Clairence was seen allotting the label of the Plus beautiful villages of France, decreed by an independent association aiming at promoting the tourist assets of small rich French communes of an inheritance of quality.

The commune, formerly called Labastide-Clairence , was renamed the Country house-Clairence on June 25th, 1988.

The community Jew

It lasted approximately 200 years, of the beginning of the 17th century at the end of the 18th century.

Refugees come from Spain and especially from the Portugal, of the Jews Séfarade S settled at the end of the 16th century with Bayonne, from where they essaimèrent in the three small towns of Peyrehorade (where the lord of Aspremont accommodates them), of Bidache and Country house-Clairence where the duke protects from Gramont.

Often called “Portuguese”, the Jews counted in the country house of about 70 to 80 families at the XVIIe century. They there lived in a relatively autonomous community indicated by the expression of “Jewish Nation” on the registers of the Body of City and had a cemetery distinct from the Christian cemetery which was opened at the beginning of the XVIIe century.

The inscriptions related to the tombs, 62, were raised of 1962 with 1964 by professor Gerard Nahon. Oldest fall the date of 1620, most recent of 1785. On 18 of them, the date of the death is expressed in the Hebrew Calendrier. Starting from 1659, all the first names are biblical: Jacob, Isaac, Benjamin, Esther, Sarah, Rebecca. Among family names appear Dacosta, Henriquez, Lopez, Nunez, Depas, Alvares.

The number of the Jews fell clearly in the middle of the XVIIIe century, where one counts nothing any more but one about fifteen Jewish families. There remained about it nothing any more but six in 1798.

The cemetery belongs to the Consistory Jew of Bayonne.

Heraldic

Administration

Intercommunality

The common one takes part in ten inter-commune structures:

Nive-Adour-Ursuia Mixed trade-union for the development of the Countries of Hasparren and Adour
SIVU Erreka Berriak
Intercommunity association for the management of the center Txakurrak
Intercommunity association for the artisanal zone of Ayherre
Trade union for the artisanal zone Etxecolu with Bardos
Mixed trade-union Garbiki
Trade union for the support for the Basque culture
Adour-Ursuia Trade union of cleansing not-collective
Trade union AEP of Arberoue
departmental Trade union of electrification.

Demography

2006: provisional population of INSEE.

Economy

The activity of the commune is mainly agricultural.

Culture and inheritance

Races pedestrian in May
local Festivals with Encierro at the end of July.
Gone potter in September.

Civil inheritance

Religious heritage

the old Jewish cemetery
the Notre-Dame church of the Assumption of the 14th century with a Romance porch opening on a cemetery-courtyard. This church contains a table of the XVIIIe century, showing the Virgin and the Jesus Child honoured by Jean-Baptiste saint, saint François-with Assise and two other saints.

Environmental inheritance

Equipment

The commune has two elementary schools.

Personalities related to the commune

Jean de Liçarrague, born with Briscous in 1506 and deceased in Labastide-Clairence in 1601, translated the first version of the New Testament into Basque or will euskara .

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