Barousse valley
Encyclopedia
The Barousse is a small region of southwestern France, including the valley of the Ourse, a left tributary of the Garonne
, in the Hautes-Pyrénées
, and the smaller valley of Siradan
.
The main towns are Loures-Barousse
and Mauleon-Barousse
.
Barroça, which is based on the Basque language
root ibar which means 'valley' and on a variant of the toponymic
suffix -oç. Others have seen its origin in the name of the Ourse river.
The Basque language
influence is clearly discernible in the toponyms such as Ourse, Loures-Barousse
, Izaourt
, Sarp
, Ourde
, Esbareich
, Sost, etc..
Then the Romans
left their marks with the names of estates such as Antichan
and Samuran
which eventually became villages.
Finally, we can hear the Gascon language
in the names Créchets
(small cliff), Bramevaque
(mooing cow), Troubat
(found?) or Cazarilh
(small hamlet).
The name of Ilheu
is also reminiscent of the valley of Ilhéou.
near Barbazan
. The small valley of Siradan
, which leads directly to the Garonne
from the plateau Cazarilh, is also part of the Barousse since no significant barrier separates it from the main valley. The valley is not a means of communication even if the port Balès (1755 m) can reach the valley of Oueil to the south.
as evidenced by impressive glacial deposits. They created a narrowing at mid-valley: the lock of Troubat
.
The upper valley is covered with forests while the central part is made up of grasslands. The karst landscape makes us appreciate the gulf of Saoule in which the Ourse of Ferrère torrent plunges in cascades.
Old quarries were extracting limestone (dolomitic) at Thebes
. To the west of mount Sacon, magnesium
ore is extracted to fuel the steel plant of Marignac
.
The water sources of Saint-Nérée, upstream of Ferrère
, is also subject to commercial exploitation.
show traces of early settlements. Excavations have revealed flints, spears, a propeller, spears using antler horns, all dating from 15,000 to 8,000 years ago. Numerous remains of snails have been discovered: snails were consummed by the Pyreneans at the time.
In the Middle Ages
, Barousse break way from the Comminges
to join the county of Aure and form the country of the Quatre-Vallées
("Four Valleys").
Garonne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
, in the Hautes-Pyrénées
Hautes-Pyrénées
Hautes-Pyrénées is a department in southwestern France. It is part of the Midi-Pyrénées region.-History:...
, and the smaller valley of Siradan
Siradan
Siradan is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
.
The main towns are Loures-Barousse
Loures-Barousse
Loures-Barousse is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
and Mauleon-Barousse
Mauléon-Barousse
Mauléon-Barousse is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
.
Toponymy
Its name comes from the pre-Latin Gascon languageGascon language
Gascon is usually considered as a dialect of Occitan, even though some specialists regularly consider it a separate language. Gascon is mostly spoken in Gascony and Béarn in southwestern France and in the Aran Valley of Spain...
Barroça, which is based on the Basque language
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
root ibar which means 'valley' and on a variant of the toponymic
Toponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
suffix -oç. Others have seen its origin in the name of the Ourse river.
The Basque language
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
influence is clearly discernible in the toponyms such as Ourse, Loures-Barousse
Loures-Barousse
Loures-Barousse is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
, Izaourt
Izaourt
Izaourt is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
, Sarp
Sarp
Sarp is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
, Ourde
Ourde
Ourde is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
, Esbareich
Esbareich
Esbareich is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
, Sost, etc..
Then the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
left their marks with the names of estates such as Antichan
Antichan
Antichan is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
and Samuran
Samuran
Samuran is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
which eventually became villages.
Finally, we can hear the Gascon language
Gascon language
Gascon is usually considered as a dialect of Occitan, even though some specialists regularly consider it a separate language. Gascon is mostly spoken in Gascony and Béarn in southwestern France and in the Aran Valley of Spain...
in the names Créchets
Créchets
Créchets is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
(small cliff), Bramevaque
Bramevaque
Bramevaque is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
(mooing cow), Troubat
Troubat
Troubat is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
(found?) or Cazarilh
Cazarilh
Cazarilh is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
(small hamlet).
The name of Ilheu
Ilheu
Ilheu is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
is also reminiscent of the valley of Ilhéou.
Topography
Barousse corresponds mainly to the basin of the Ourse river in the northeast of the Moun Né (2147 m) between the valley de la Pique, to the south, and the valley of Nistos to the north. It flows into the valley of the GaronneGaronne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
near Barbazan
Barbazan, Haute-Garonne
Barbazan is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...
. The small valley of Siradan
Siradan
Siradan is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
, which leads directly to the Garonne
Garonne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
from the plateau Cazarilh, is also part of the Barousse since no significant barrier separates it from the main valley. The valley is not a means of communication even if the port Balès (1755 m) can reach the valley of Oueil to the south.
Geology
There are 50 to 60,000 years, the valley has been overrun by the glacier of the GaronneGaronne
The Garonne is a river in southwest France and northern Spain, with a length of .-Source:The Garonne's headwaters are to be found in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees, though three different locations have been proposed as the true source: the Uelh deth Garona at Plan de Beret , the Ratera-Saboredo...
as evidenced by impressive glacial deposits. They created a narrowing at mid-valley: the lock of Troubat
Troubat
Troubat is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
.
The upper valley is covered with forests while the central part is made up of grasslands. The karst landscape makes us appreciate the gulf of Saoule in which the Ourse of Ferrère torrent plunges in cascades.
Old quarries were extracting limestone (dolomitic) at Thebes
Thebes
Thebes may refer to one of the following places:* Thebes, Egypt, Thebes of the Hundred Gates, one-time capital of the New Kingdom of Egypt* Thebes, Greece, a city in Boeotia Prefecture**Ancient Thebes , Thebes of the Seven Gates...
. To the west of mount Sacon, magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
ore is extracted to fuel the steel plant of Marignac
Marignac
Marignac is the name or part of the name of the following communes in France:* Marignac, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department* Marignac, Haute-Garonne, in the Haute-Garonne department...
.
The water sources of Saint-Nérée, upstream of Ferrère
Ferrère
Ferrère is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
, is also subject to commercial exploitation.
History
The caves of TroubatTroubat
Troubat is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-References:*...
show traces of early settlements. Excavations have revealed flints, spears, a propeller, spears using antler horns, all dating from 15,000 to 8,000 years ago. Numerous remains of snails have been discovered: snails were consummed by the Pyreneans at the time.
In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, Barousse break way from the Comminges
Comminges
The Comminges is an ancient region of southern France in the foothills of the Pyrenees, corresponding closely to the arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens in the department of Haute-Garonne...
to join the county of Aure and form the country of the Quatre-Vallées
Quatre-Vallées
Quatre-Vallées was a small province of France located in the southwest of France. It was made up of four constituent parts: Aure valley , Barousse valley , Magnoac valley , and Neste or Nestès valley .-General...
("Four Valleys").