Beaucens

Beaucens (Occitan: Biussens) is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of south-western France.[2]

Beaucens
Commune
The village of Beaucens
Coat of arms
Location of Beaucens
Beaucens
Beaucens
Coordinates: 42°58′39″N 0°03′35″W
CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
DepartmentHautes-Pyrénées
ArrondissementArgelès-Gazost
CantonLa Vallée des Gaves
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) François-Olivier Manson
Area
1
36.82 km2 (14.22 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
409
 • Density11/km2 (29/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
65077 /65400
Elevation434–2,637 m (1,424–8,652 ft)
(avg. 480 m or 1,570 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Beaucinois or Beaucinoises.[3]

Geography

Beaucens is located in the Pyrénées National Park some 10 km south of Lourdes and 30 km south of Tarbes. Access to the commune is by the D913 from Préchac in the north which passes through the west of the commune and the village and continues south to join the D921 south-east of Soulom. The D13 goes north from the village to Ayros-Arbouix. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of Vielle, Gézat, and Nouillan. Most of the commune is rugged and inaccessible with some farmland in the west and forests south-east of the village. The Hautacam Ski resort is located in the centre of the commune[4][5]

The Gave du Pau Ou du Lavedan flows through the west of the commune from south to north forming the Lac des Gaves before continuing north to become the Gave de Pau north of the commune. The Ruisseau des Bariquėres rises in the west of the commune and flows east to join the Gave du Pau Ou du Lavedan west of the village. The Ruisseau d'Estibos rises in the east of the commune and forms part of the north-eastern border before continuing west to join the Gave du Pau Ou du Lavedan. The Ruisseau d'Isaby flows east from the Lac d'Isaby forming part of the south-eastern border of the commune as it flows south-west to join the Gave de Gavarnie Ou de Pau at Soulom.[4][5]

Toponymy
Historical names
[6]
  • Belsen, (around 870, Livre vert de Bénac, around 980, ibid;. 1050-1070, Cartulary of Saint-Savin; 1168, Papal bull of Pope Alexander III).
  • Beusen, (1285, Montre Bigorre; 1300, Enquête Bigorre; 1313 Debita regi Navarre;).
  • de Beucennio, Latin (1379 procuration of Tarbes).
  • Beucen, Beussen, Beusen (1429 Censier de Bigorre).
  • Beaussen, Beaucen, (1614, Guillaume Mauran).
  • Beaucen en Lavedan, (1737-1779, parish records).
  • Beucen, (1768, Duco).
  • Beaucen, (1790, Department 1 and 2).

Beaucens appears as Beaucen on the 1750 Cassini Map[7] and the same on the 1790 version.[8]

Heraldry
Arms of Beaucens
 Blazon:

Party per pale, Argent, a crow sable posed on a branch Vert and surmounted by 2 crows sable in fess first; paly of 9 Or and Gules second.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors[9]

FromToNamePartyPosition
19951995André Ducasa
19952001Claude Vielle
20012008Monique Arrode
20082008Claude Bat
20082020Stéphanie Lacoste

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 409 inhabitants.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 379—    
1800 402+0.85%
1806 435+1.32%
1821 460+0.37%
1831 491+0.65%
1836 491+0.00%
1841 488−0.12%
1846 502+0.57%
1851 470−1.31%
1856 463−0.30%
1861 457−0.26%
1866 468+0.48%
1872 441−0.99%
1876 445+0.23%
1881 417−1.29%
1886 380−1.84%
1891 365−0.80%
1896 346−1.06%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 335−0.64%
1906 342+0.41%
1911 311−1.88%
1921 283−0.94%
1926 265−1.31%
1931 361+6.38%
1936 271−5.57%
1946 237−1.33%
1954 244+0.36%
1962 260+0.80%
1968 247−0.85%
1975 244−0.17%
1982 249+0.29%
1990 309+2.74%
1999 350+1.39%
2007 437+2.81%
2012 421−0.74%
2017 409−0.58%
Source: EHESS[10] and INSEE[11]
The Chateau of Beaucens

Culture and heritage
An Eastern imperial eagle at the Chateau of Beaucens
An Andean condor at the Chateau of Beaucens

Civil heritage

The commune has two buildings and sites that are registered as historical monuments:

  • The Manor of Cohitte (1692)[12]
  • The Chateau of Beaucens (ruins) (14th century)[13] is a former castle of the Viscounts of Lavedan. The site was transformed into a zoo, the Keep of Eagles, where there are birds of prey flying around the ruins of the castle with a view of the Gaves valley.

Religious heritage

The Church of Saint Vincent contains two items that are registered as historical objects:

  • An Altar table (12th century)[14]
  • The Notre-Dame-de-Bedouret Statue (14th century)[15]

See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. Beaucens on Lion1906
  3. Inhabitants of Hautes-Pyrénées (in French)
  4. Beaucens on Google Maps
  5. Beaucens on the Géoportail from National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
  6. Michel Grosclaude, Jean-François Le Nail, Jacques Boisgontier, Toponymic Dictionary of communes of Hautes-Pyrénées, Conseil général des Hautes-Pyrénées, 2000, 348 pages, ISBN 2951481012, 9782951481015 (in French)
  7. Beaucen on the 1750 Cassini Map
  8. Beaucen on the 1790 Cassini Map
  9. List of Mayors of France (in French)
  10. Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Beaucens, EHESS. (in French)
  11. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  12. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA65000006 Manor of Cohitte (in French)
  13. Ministry of Culture, Mérimée PA00095344 Chateau (in French)
  14. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM65000120 Altar table (in French)
  15. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM65000119 Notre-Dame-de-Bedouret Statue (in French)
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