Ainhoa (; ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association.
thumb|Sign at the entrance of the village
thumb|Old street sign on the Elchoinea house
thumb|On the way to [[Santiago de Compostela|Saint Jacques de Compostela]]
thumb|Lintel on which can be read: "This house is called Gorritia and was called this by Marie de Gorriti mother of Jean Dolhagaray because of sums of money he sent home from the indies so the house would not be sold or rented. Made in 1662"
Geography
Location
The commune of Ainhoa is in the traditional Basque province of Labourd.
Ainhoa is some 20 km due south of Bayonne and is directly on the Spanish border which forms the southern border of the commune. The commune is mountainous and forested in the south-east portion but with farmland in the northwest of the commune. There is one border crossing to Spain on the southern border at the village of Dantxana.
Ainhoa and Sare, together with the two Spanish communes of Zugarramurdi and Urdazubi, form a cross-border territory, called Xareta. Straddling the border with Spain, it is a passage for the Way of St. James (Baztan way) from Bayonne to Pamplona.
The commune's border with Spain is in the Dancharia area and accesses the area of Dantxarinea d'Urdazubi.
Access
The commune is connected to Espelette in the north-east by Highway D20 which passes through the village and continues south to the Spanish border. Highway D305 branches west off the D20 and continues west to join Highway D4 before Cherchebruit. A network of small country roads covers all parts of the commune.
Hydrography
Located in the watershed of the Adour, the Nivelle river runs along the southern border and forms the border between France and Spain. Numerous streams arise in the commune and flow down to the Nivelle including the Opalazioko erreka, the Lapitxuri and its tributaries, the Larreko erreka, the Erdiko erreka, the Farendeiko erreka, the Haitzagerriko erreka, and the Barretako erreka. Paul Raymond mentions
Toponymy
The commune name in basque is the same - Ainhoa.
Brigitte Jobbé-Duval suggested that the name could come from the Basque aino which means "goat".
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Name !! Spelling !! Date !! Source !! Page !! Origin !! Description
|-
| Ainhoa || Aynoa || 1238 || Orpustan |||| || Village
|-
| || Aynho || 1243 || Orpustan |||| ||
|-
| || Aignoa || 1249 || Orpustan |||| ||
|-
| || Aynoa || 1249 || Orpustan |||| ||
|-
| || Haynou || 1289 || Orpustan |||| ||
|-
| || Anhoe || 1289 || Orpustan |||| ||
|-
| || Nostre-Done d'Ainhoe || 1511 || Raymond |||| Saint-Claire ||
|-
| || Añoa || 1650 || Map |||| ||
|-
| || Anhoue || 1684 || Raymond |||| Collations ||
|-
| || Ainhoüé || 1750 || Cassini |||| ||
|-
| || Mendiate || 18th century || Ldh/EHESS/Cassini |||| ||
|-
| || Mendiarte || 1793 || Raymond |||| ||
|-
| || Ainhone || 1793 || Ldh/EHESS/Cassini |||| ||
|-
| || Ainhoue || 1801 || Ldh/EHESS/Cassini |||| Bulletin des lois ||
|-
| || Ainhoa || 1801 || Ldh/EHESS/Cassini |||| Bulletin des lois ||
|-
| || Ainhoue || 1863 || Raymond |||| ||
|-
| || Ainhoa || 19th century || Lhande |||| ||
|-
| || || || || || ||
|-
| Capéra || Capéra || 1863 || Raymond |||| || Chapel
|-
| || || || || || ||
|-
| Dantxaria || Dancharia || 1863 || Raymond |||| || Hamlet
|-
| || || || || || ||
|-
| Landibar || Landibar || 1863 || Raymond |||| || Bridge on the Haïçaguerry
|}
Sources:
- Orpustan: Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, New Basque Toponymy
- Raymond: Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table.
- Map: The Map of the Government-General of Guyenne and Gascony and the neighbouring region
- Cassini: Cassini Map from 1750
- Ldh/EHESS/Cassini:
- Lhande: Pierre Lhande, Basque-French Dictionary
Origins:
- Saint-Claire: Titles of the Abbey of Sainte-Claire of Bayonne
- Collations: Collations of the Diocese of Bayonne
History
The ancient redoubt of Urrizti reflects the ancient past of the area.
From the 13th to 17th centuries
Paul Raymond noted on page 4 of his 1863 dictionary that the parish of Ainhoa was in the gift of the Abbot of Urdax (Spain).
The Law of 4 March 1790 determined a new administrative landscape of France by creating departments and districts. This resulted in the creation of the department of Basses-Pyrénées and reuniting the Béarn, the Gascon lands of Bayonne and Bidache, and the three French Basque provinces. For the latter, three districts were created: Mauleon, Saint-Palais, and Ustaritz which replaced the Bailiwick of Labourd. The seat of Ustaritz was transferred almost immediately to Bayonne. Its Director persuaded a large number of municipalities to adopt new names conforming to the spirit of the Revolution. So Ainhoa was called Mendiarte, Ustaritz became Marat-sur-Nive, Itxassou became Union, Arbonne became Constante, Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry became Thermopyles, Saint-Palais became Mont-Bidouze, Louhossoa became Montagne-sur-Nive, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port became Nive-Franche, Saint-Jean-de-Luz became Chauvin-Dragon (the name of a young soldier killed in action), and Souraïde became Mendialde.
In 1794, at the height of the Terror and after the desertion of forty seven young people from Itxassou, the Committee of Public Safety (Decree of 13 Ventôse Year II - 3 March 1794) arrested and deported some of the inhabitants (men, women and children) of Ainhoa, Ascain, Espelette, Itxassou, Sare, and Souraïde and decreed that these communes like the other communes of the Spanish border were "infamous communes". This was extended to Biriatou, Cambo-les-Bains, Larressore, Louhossoa, Mendionde, and Macaye.
The people were "united in various national houses, or in the district of Ustaritz or in the Great Redoubt, like Jean-Jacques Rousseau". In reality, they were gathered together in churches and then deported in very precarious conditions in Bayonne, Capbreton, Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse, and Ondres.
The Departments where people from the communes were interned were the Lot, the Lot-et-Garonne, the Gers, the Landes, the Basses-Pyrénées (partly béarnaise), and Hautes-Pyrénées.
The return of exiles and the recovery of their possessions were determined by a series of decrees issued on 29 September and 1 October 1794, driven in this direction by the Director of Ustaritz who said: "The onetime communes of Sare, Itxassou, Ascain, Biriatou, and Serres, whose inhabitants were interned eight months ago as a measure of general safety, have not been improved. The people who come to obtain freedom to retire to their homes, clamour for food without my being able to procure the means to meet this primary human need, hunger.". The recovery of their possessions was not without difficulty, they were placed in receivership but were not registered and were looted: "The property, movable and immovable, of the inhabitants of Sare, were neither recorded nor legally described, and all our furniture and household effects were removed and brought confusedly to neighbouring communes. Instead of being put in safe places, some were sold at auction and sometimes sold without auction.".
19th–20th centuries
During the retreat of the Napoleonic Army from Spain in 1813, Labourd villages were again submitted to abuse by the Confederate British and Spanish troops.
Under the German occupation of France during World War II many of these frontier villages were fully administered by the German military, but were also an escape route for British soldiers, French Resistance members, and European Jews trying to reach non-belligerent Spain.
Heraldry
Administration
List of successive mayors of Ainhoa
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! From !! To !! Name
|-
| 1995 || 2001 || Bernard Saint-Jean
|-
| 2001 || 2008 || Philippe Aspirot
|-
| 2008 || 2010 || Henri Daguerre
|-
| 2010 || 2026 || Michel Ibarlucia
|}
Intercommunality
Ainhoa is one of seven intercommunal organisations:
- the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque
- the SIVU Errebi
- the SIVU for the implementation of Natura 2000 on the Mondarrain and Artzamendi mountain ranges
- the AEP Nive-Nivelle Union
- the "Bizi Garbia" mixed union
- the union to support Basque culture
- the energy union of Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Population
The commune is part of the urban area of Bayonne. The inhabitants of the commune are known as Ainhoars in French.
Economy
Iron ore was mined until the 19th century. Its initial operation was by the Premonstratensian of Saint-Sauveur of Urdax.
The weaving of flax (tisserands) and wool (duranguiers) persists in Ainhoa where in Hasparren it was an important activity until the advent of the textile industry in the 19th century.
Philippe Veyrin noted the existence of a factory making "chahako", small goatskins from male goats which peasants use for work or hunting. Ainhoa is part of the Appellation zone (AOC) for the production of pimentos of Espelette and also the AOC of the Ossau-Iraty. The activities in the commune are mainly agricultural and forestry (500 hectares of forest over an area of 1619 hectares). A quarry is always operating in the municipality.
Culture and heritage
The town has received an award from the Most beautiful villages in France, an award from an independent organization to promote the tourist attractions of small communes rich with quality heritage.
Languages
According to the Map of the Seven Basque Provinces by Prince Louis-Lucien Bonaparte published in 1863, the dialect of Basque spoken in Ainhoa is labourdin.
Civil heritage
The village is laid out as a fortified town, with concealed labourdine houses from the 17th century and a fronton open square against the cemetery surrounding the church.
- The Alhaxurruta Fountain well is present between the village and the Dancharia area and was noticed by Napoleon III and Eugénie de Montijo during a tour here on 23 September 1858.
{|align="center"
|thumb|left|The Main Street and City Hall
|thumb|left|The Town Hall
|thumb|left|The [[Lavoir]]
|}
Religious heritage
- The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (13th century) is registered as an historical monument.
- The Chapel of Notre-Dame-d'Aubépine (Mary appeared to a young shepherd in a hawthorn bush (or arantza in Basque) hence the other name of the chapel Our Lady of Aranzazu) has had a Way of the Cross since 1886, a grotto since 1897, and a Calvary since 1898. In the 18th century, the parish of Ainhoa subsidized the hermit of the chapel to teach reading and writing to the shepherds and children in nearby farms who could not easily access the town.
The cemetery contains Hilarri from the 16th and 17th centuries.
<gallery>
Image:Ainhoa Eglise.JPG|The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption
File:Ainhoa Notre-Dame de l'Assomption vitrail 770.jpg|Stained glass in the church
Image:2007 Cimetière.JPG|The cemetery
Image:Ainhoa Stèle2.JPG|Discoidal Stele
File:Ainhoa Stèle4.JPG|Tabular Stele
Image:Ainhoa Stèle5.JPG|Discoidal Stele
Image:Ainhoa_Eglise_et_cimetierre.jpg|Church and cemetery
Image:Ainhoa_cimetierre_et_fronton.jpg|Cemetery
Image:Ainhoa_stèle_discoîdale.jpg|Headstone
Image:Ainhoa_stèle_discoïdale.jpg|Headstone
File:Ainhoa Calvaire2.JPG|The Calvary dating to 1898
File:Ainhoa Croix8.JPG|Rectangular Cross
</gallery>
Environmental heritage
Ainhoa Forest stretches over 400 hectares and is home to a rich fauna of both wild animals (deer, wild boar, hares, and migratory birds) and semi-wild pastoral animals (pottoks, "bestisos", and goats). The forest consists mainly of oak trees, rustic essence and newer vegetation such as red American oak and softwood).
Facilities
Sports facilities
Pelota is played in the Fronton in the village and the covered fronton at Ur Hegian.
Education
The town has a public primary school.
Health
Two GPs are present in the town.
Notable people linked to the commune
- Jean-Pierre Duvoisin, born in 1810 at Ainhoa and died in 1891 at Ciboure was a Basque writer.
See also
- Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department