Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes

Geography

Aiglun is a remote mountain commune some 40 km north-east of Nice in a straight line. There are only two access routes to the commune - the first by Highway D17 from Roquesteron to the east. Heading west on Highway D17 continue left onto Highway D10 which continues via a mountainous route into the commune and the village of Aiglun. The other access is the continuation of Highway D10 west from Aiglun over a circuitous mountain route to Le Mas. The Estéron river passes through the commune south of the village and forms part of the western border of the commune as well as a small portion of the eastern border. Numerous streams feed into this river in the commune.

The northern part of the commune consists of high snow-capped mountains while the southern part is less high mountains. There are few roads however there are four hamlets in the Esteron Valley: Vascogne, Les Lones, Le Colombier, and L'Escle.

Neighbouring communes and villages

History

In 1388 the village of Aiglun was under the protection of the House of Savoy like the rest of the region during the "Dédition of Nice to Savoy" from 1388.

At the Treaty of Turin on 24 March 1760, the commune became French (the kingdom of France and that of Sardinia then proceeded to boundary adjustments and therefore there was an exchange of territories).

Toponymy

The name of the town appears for the first time in texts around 1200 in the form Ayglezuni. This was derived from the Latin word Aquila, meaning "eagle", and the Gallic dunum, meaning "height" and signifies as a whole the "height of the eagle".

Heraldry

Blazon:

Azure, a spread eagle of Argent over a salmon the same.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors of Aiglun

;Mayors from 1942

Population

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Aiglenois or Aiglenoises in French.

|1793 |240 |1800 |203 |1806 |261 |1821 |250 |1831 |266 |1836 |248 |1841 |351 |1846 |366 |1851 |380 |1856 |344 |1861 |286 |1866 |286 |1872 |272 |1876 |268 |1881 |218 |1886 |187 |1891 |241 |1896 |175 |1901 |150 |1906 |152 |1911 |142 |1921 |100 |1926 |115 |1931 |110 |1936 |123 |1946 |95 |1954 |90 |1962 |58 |1968 |50 |1975 |70 |1982 |94 |1990 |91 |1999 |106 |2007 |92 |2012 |91 |2017 |91

Sites and Monuments

The village is known for its steep climbing walls over 200 metres high with high difficulty routes. The Aiglun canyon is also popular for canyoning enthusiasts.

Aiglun Picture Gallery

Aiglun.jpg|The Village File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Tunnel.JPG|First tunnel on the road to the village File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Bridge.JPG|The bridge entering Aiglun File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Cliff Road.JPG|The cliff road into Aiglun File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Oratory.JPG|An Oratory in the cliff face File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Entry.JPG|The entry to Aiglun File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Street.JPG|Main entrance to Aiglun File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Water Trough.JPG|Aiglun Water Trough File:Aiglun, Alpes-Maritimes, Church.JPG|Aiglun Church

Notable people

• Fanny Robiane. Daughter of Joseph Robin, who was mayor of Aiglun in the early 20th century, this French theatre actress died in 1982 at Aiglun, where she retired and she has left a rich archive (autographed books, including by Armand Godoy, Jean-Richard Bloch and others; pictures; clippings, etc.). Her memory is still alive with the people of Aiglun (the Aiglenois) who knew her and plans are underway to honour her. A cultural association sponsored among others by the commune and the General Council launched since 2004 called "Fanny Robiane Encounter" devoted to theatre, poetry, music and other one-time cultural events are scheduled throughout the year. Sometimes these events are carried out in collaboration with the University of Nice.

References

References

1. (2 December 2020). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires".
2. [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Aiglun/@43.8529497,6.9364257,6494m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x12cc379a53b7e279:0x40819a5fd979fe0?hl=en Google Maps]
3. This was a charter of 28 September 1388 which attached Nice to the new territories of Provence for the House of Savoy. See Dédition de Nice à la Savoie in the French Wikipedia
4. Ernest Nègre, [[Toponymie générale de la France]]: etymology of 35,000 place names, Genève: Librairie Droz, 1990. Collection of Roman and French Publications, volume 193. Volume I : Preceltic, Celtic, and Roman words, § 2725, p. 173,
5. [http://www.francegenweb.org/mairesgenweb/resultcommune.php?id=14468 List of Mayors of France]
6. [https://www.habitants.fr/alpes-maritimes-06 Le nom des habitants du 06 - Alpes-Maritimes], habitants.fr
7. {{Cassini-Ehess. 207. Aiglun
8. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-06001#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE