Aiglun is located about 6 km southeast of Digne following Route nationale N85, which runs mostly parallel to the Bléone river which forms the southeastern border of the commune. Highway N85 continues through the southern part of the commune towards the next town of Malijai. The village lies about 3 km north of the N85 along a country road, the Avenue Marius Autric, which loops through the commune to intersect with Highway D17 outside the southwestern border of the commune. No other major roads run through the commune, and access is via country roads and lanes. Much of the commune is forested, with patches of farmland.[4]
Hydrography
A large number of streams cover all parts of the commune, most of which flow into the Bléone river on the southeastern border, which is itself a tributary of the Durance river.[4]
Localities and hamlets
In addition to the village, the town has three other hamlets:
All of the 200 communes of the department are in some seismic risk. The canton of Digne-les-Bains-2, to which Aiglun belongs, is zoned 1b (low risk) according to the classification of 1991, based on historical earthquakes,[5] and in Zone 4 (medium risk) according to the probability classification EC8 of 2011.[6] The commune of Aiglun is exposed to three other natural hazards:[6]
Forest fire
Flooding (in the valley of the Bléone )
Landslide: the community is almost entirely classified medium-to-high hazard.[7]
Aiglun is also exposed to a risk of technological origin: the transport of hazardous materials by rail, road and pipeline.[8] As regards the railway, the St. Auban to Digne line is closed and so there is no traffic. The National Highway 85 can be used for the road transport of dangerous goods.[9] Finally, the pipeline for feeding natural gas to Digne passes through the commune and is thus an additional risk factor.[10]
The prevention plan for foreseeable natural risks (PPR) of the commune was approved in 2006 for flood risk, landslide and earthquake[8] and the Dossier of communal information on major risks (DICRIM) has existed since 2011.[11]
The commune has been the site of several natural disasters: an earthquake in 1984, floods and mudslides in 1996 and 2001, drought in 1989, 1990, and 1998, and landslides in 1996.[6][12]
The earthquake of 19 June 1984 had its epicentre in Aiglun and a macro-seismic intensity of VI on the Medvedev–Sponheuer–Karnik scale (MSK).[12] On 25 July 2001 a storm with hail and rainfall of 150mm in three hours caused floods.[13]
Toponymy
The name of the town appears for the first time in texts of 1195 (according to Rostaing and Nègre) in the form: Aiglezino (and Aygladuno in 1319). The term is based on the Latin aquila meaning "eagle" and the Gallic dunum meaning "height" and would therefore mean "height of the eagle".[14][15] According to Fénié, it has two oronymic roots: *akw-il plus the Celtic dunum.[16]
History
In ancient times, the Bodiontiques (or Bodiontici) inhabited the valley of the Bléone, and so it was Gallic people who lived in what is now the commune of Aiglun. The Bodiontiques, who were defeated by Augustus Caesar at the same time as other people living in the area of the Tropaeum Alpium (from 14 BC to 14 AD), were attached to the Roman province of Alpes-Maritimes at its creation.[17] The Roman road linking Sisteron to Vence crossed the territory of the present commune.[18] Some Gallo-Roman tombs have been found.[19]
The community of Aiglun was under the Viguerie of Digne[18] and the church of the Bishop of Digne who received income related to the church. In return he provided his canons.[20] On the secular side, the village was divided between multiple lords (similar to feudal barons) which by 1315 had reached 22 in number.[21] The village was an ancient fortress called castrum de Aglenio in the Middle Ages.[19]
At the end of the Second World War, the Liberation of Aiglun was marked by the passage of a column of the U.S. 36th Infantry Division on 19 August 1944, coming from Malijai as reinforcements to secondary column stopped at Digne, to outflank the German garrison at Digne.[22]
Until the middle of the 20th century, grapevines were cultivated in the commune on 55 hectares of land for local consumption. Part of the production was sold to Digne. This activity has now disappeared.[23]
Heraldry
Blazon:
Azure, Fess of Or charged with three eagles of sable.[24]
Transport
The railway line from Saint-Auban to Digne passed through the town but has been closed since 1991.
Economy
In 2020, the labour force was 594 persons, with 49 unemployed (8.3%). The workers are mostly employed (85.5%).[25] Most inhabitants work outside the commune (82.9%).[26]
At 31 December 2020, companies based in the municipality were mainly shops and services (34 of 113 establishments) and 28 companies in the construction sector.[27]
Agriculture
The number of farms has increased only slightly in the 2000 decade, from 7 to 8 in 10 years, including four field crop farms, sheep farms, and polyculture farms.[28] From 1988 to 2000, the agricultural area has increased from 267 to 415 hectares, of which only 56 hectares are for cereals, and almost none for livestock.[29] During the course of this change the amount of agricultural land used doubled in the 2000s to 886 hectares.[28]
There were no olive trees in the commune at the beginning of the 19th century. Currently, there are a few small areas with olive groves with less than 1,000 plants.[30]
Industry
In late 2020, the secondary sector (industry and construction) had 30 different establishments.[27]
Two of the largest employers in the town within this sector are:
Cosepi France, (Building and Public works), with 40 employees[31]
In December 2020, the tertiary sector (trades and services) had 52 establishments, plus 14 administrative establishments and public services.[27] There is no tourist accommodation in the commune.[33] As of 2020, 5.6% of the houses are holiday homes.[34]
Two of the largest employers in the commune are responsible for service activities:
Office Centre, a secretarial service, which employs 10 people[35]
IGH group, which is a Carmelite specialized clinic for rehabilitation[36]
Administration
List of mayors
The mayoral election was an innovation of the French Revolution of 1789. From 1790 to 1795, mayors were elected by suffrage for 2 years. From 1795 to 1800 there was no mayor, the town simply designated a municipal official who was delegated to the Municipality of the canton.
In 1799–1800, the Consulate returned to the election of mayors who were then appointed by the central government. This system was maintained by the following regimes, with the exception of the Second Republic (1848-1851). After maintaining the authoritarian system, the Third Republic by liberalizing the law for the administration of communes on 5 April 1884: the municipal council was to be elected by universal suffrage and they to elect the mayor from among their members.
The town hall has a vase (19th century)[43] which is listed as an historical object.
The Romanesque church of Saint Mary Magdalene, whose nave is dated to 1555,[44] is at Old Aiglun. Its construction used anachronistic techniques such as:
North facade of the church of St. Mary Magdalene without openings, typical of the alpine style
Panoramic view of the Saint Mary Magdelene Church (The conical hill is in Champtercier.)
Chapel at the modern cemetery
The facade of the chapel
The chapel of Saint John is on the road leading to Saint John, connecting the town centre to Old Aiglun. This was probably the first parish church in the community during the High Middle Ages.[18] It was abandoned in the second half of the 19th century.[18]
The modern village had a new church in 1974, whose patron saint is Saint Delphine.[18]
The chateau of Villeneuve in Aiglun dates to the 17th century. It is a large rectangular building with turrets at each corner. A clinic was installed there in 1935. In the village, the old castle is in a state of disrepair.[61]
In the village, a few houses date to the 17th century.[62]
^Préfecture des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Départmental Dossier on Major Risks in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence] (DDRM), 2008, p. 39 (in French)
^ abcMinister of Ecology, development, transport, and lodgings, Communal NoticeArchived 2014-02-21 at the Wayback Machine on the Gaspar database created on 7 February 2012, consulted on 25 June 2012 (in French)
^Préfecture des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, DDRM, op. cit., p. 62
^Charles Rostaing, Essay on the toponymy of Provence since its beginning until the barbarian invasions, Laffite Reprints, Marseille, 1973 (1st edition 1950), p 39-40 (in French)
^Bénédicte Fénié, Jean-Jacques Fénié, Provincial Toponymy, Éditions Sud-Ouest, 2002 (réédition), ISBN978-2-87901-442-5, p. 40 (in French)
^Brigitte Beaujard, The Cities of Southern Gaul of the 3rd to 7th centuries, Gallia, 63, 2006, CNRS éditions, p. 22 (in French)
^ abcdeDaniel Thiery, Aiglun Archeo Provence, published on 22 December 2011, consulted on 25 June 2012 (in French)
^ abMichel de La Torre, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence : The complete Guide to 200 communes, Paris, Deslogis-Lacoste, coll. "Towns and Villages of France", 1989, Relié, 72 p. (non-paginated), ISBN2-7399-5004-7(in French)
^Daniel Thiery, Dating EssayArchived 2013-11-02 at the Wayback Machine », Archeo Provence, published on 7 February 2012, consulted on 25 June 2012 (in French)
^Thierry Pécout, Provincial Nobility and the power of the Lords, North Mediterranean Coast, Aspects of baronial power from Catalonia to Italy (9th–14th centuries), put online on 22 July 2005. Consulted on 26 January 2008 (in French)
^Henri Julien (Director of publication), Guide to the invasion of Provence, 15 August 1944, Digne-les-Bains, Éditions de Haute-Provence, 1994, ISBN2-909800-68-7, p. 126 (in French)
^ abMinister of Agriculture, "Technical-economic Orientation of cultivation", Agricultural Census 2010 and 2000. (lien: N.B. Fiche done on 4,4 Mio) (in French)