Arlebosc
Commune
Statue of Joan of Arc at Arlebosc
Location of Arlebosc
Arlebosc Show map of France Arlebosc Show map of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Coordinates: 45°02′14″N 4°39′07″E / 45.0372°N 4.6519°E / 45.0372; 4.6519
Country	France
Region	Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Department	Ardèche
Arrondissement	Tournon-sur-Rhône
Canton	Haut-Vivarais
Intercommunality	CA Arche Agglo
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Michel Gay[1]
Area 1	12.35 km2 (4.77 sq mi)
Population  (Jan. 2021)[2]	342
• Density	28/km2 (72/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	07014 /07410
Elevation	265–1,028 m (869–3,373 ft) (avg. 420 m or 1,380 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Arlebosc (French pronunciation: [aʁləbɔsk]; Occitan: Arlabòsc) is a commune in the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arleboscois or Arleboscoises^[3]

Geography

Arlebosc is located some 12 km west by south-west of Tournon-sur-Rhône and 8 km north-east of Lamastre. Access to the commune is by the D578 road from Saint-Jeure-d'Ay in the north passing through the village and continuing west then south-west to join the D534 north-west of Lamastre. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of Saint-Just in the north-east and Les Fauries in the western extension of the commune. The commune is rugged and heavily forested with some farmland on the eastern side.^[4]

The Doux river forms part of the south-western border and flows through the commune from south-west to north-east. The Ruisseau de Balaye forms the western border as it flows south to join the Doux. Other streams rise in the commune and flow south-east to join the Doux. The Merdenc rises in the north of the commune and forms part of the northern border as it flows north-east to join the Daronne south-east of Saint-Félicien.^[4]

Toponymy

A legend attributes the name of the commune to one of its Lords: Bozon d'Arles.

In reality, it is a name from the Old French -bosc (a primitive form of bois meaning "wood") attested in the Occitan form of Arlabosc from 912 and Latinized to Allabosco in the 14th century.^[5]

Ernest Nègre^[5] explained the first element as an Occitan form erela meaning "cranberry". The French term for cranberry (Airelle) is considered to be a borrowing from a variant of the Massif Central or the Alpine éiréla (also airelo). The Provençal aire is also used for "cranberry", from the Latin ater meaning "black",^[6] d'où la signification globale de « bois des airelles ».3, so the overall meaning is "forest of cranberries".

Administration

List of Successive Mayors^[7]

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 331 inhabitants.^[8]

Sites and Monuments

Church of Saint Sacrement at Arlebosc

• The Chateau of Chazotte (17th century) is registered as an historical monument.^[11]
• The Chateau of Malgaray
• The Chateau of Romaneaux
• The Church of Saint Sacrement from the 19th century. The church contains several items that are registered as historical objects:
  • 2 Statues: Torch-bearing Angels (18th century)^[12]
  • A Silk Cope (19th century)^[13]
  • A Group Sculpture: Crucifixion^[14]
  • A Ciborium (1657)^[15]
• The Chapel of Saint Just

Notable people linked to the commune

• Myriam Gagnaire, a presenter on France 3 and TV5 Monde on "Side gardens" is a resident of the commune and artistic director of http://www.lacompagnieduchatquilouche.fr Archived 2019-02-12 at the Wayback Machine, a cultural association whose headquarters is in Arlebosc and covers the Ardèche department with various cultural and educational activities in association with the local authorities.

See also

• Communes of the Ardèche department

References

External links

• Arlebosc on the National Geographic Institute website (in French)
• Arlebosc on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
• Arlebosc on the 1750 Cassini Map

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arlebosc.