# Alos-Sibas-Abense

Alos-Sibas-Abense (French pronunciation:; Basque: Aloze-Ziboze-Onizegaine; Occitan: Alòs) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France.
It is located in the former province of Soule.

## Geography

Alos-Sibas-Abense is located some 90 km south-east of Bayonne and 80m km west of Lourdes. The D918 road runs down the eastern border of the commune, but does not enter. Access to the commune is on road D247 from Alcay-Alcabehety-Sunharette in the southwest which runs through the heart of the commune to the village. It then continues to the southeast linking with the D918 at Tardets-Sorholus. Most of the commune is farmland with some forest and it has a network of country roads covering most of the commune.

### Hydrography

Located in the Drainage basin of the Adour, the Saison river passes along and forms the eastern border of the commune parallel with the D918 road. The Aphoura stream (18 km), which is fed by the Ardounc, the Batasse (10.1 km), the Laritolle, the Jaga, and the Uthurrotche erreka, flows near the village and to the Saisson.

### Places and hamlets

* Abense
* Althondo
* Ansola
* Barnech
* Basterrèche
* Basterreix
* Belle-Sise
* Canderats
* Choy-Cantaguia
* Curutchet
* Domec
* Eskiéta
* Etchandy
* Eyhéra
* Hastoy
* Mendiondoa
* Mendisquer
* Ohix
* La Papeterie
* Péko Urupéa
* Quihillaborda
* La Salle
* Samalgagna
* Sibas
* Uhalte-Borde
vteNeighbouring communes and villages :
Aussurucq
Trois-Villes
Camou-Cihigue
Alos-Sibas-Abense
Tardets-Sorholus
Alcay-Alcabehety-Sunharette
Laguinge-Restoue
Montory :

### Toponymy

The commune name in Basque is Aloze-Ziboze-Onizegaine.
The Basque form of Sibas can be Ziboz(e) or Ziborotz(e).
Jean-Baptiste Orpustan suggested that Abense came from a Roman phonetic change to the Basque Oniz > onise > oénse > auénse > abense. The base of the name is the oronym ona, also present in Bayonne and Oneix. The modern Basque form (Onizegañia, Onizegañe or Omiz(e)) are equivalent to "Upper" (gain(e)a > gañia).
Brigitte Jobbé-Duval suggests that Oniz is the name of a noble Basque family.
The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.
| Name | Spelling | Date | Source | Page | Origin | Description |
| Alos | Alos | 1327 | Orpustan | 190 | | Village |
| | Alos | 1338 | Orpustan | 190 | | |
| | Alos | 1375 | Raymond | 5 | Luntz | |
| | Alos in terra de Soule | 1405 | Raymond | 5 | Gascon roles | |
| | Alos in terra de Sole | 1405 | Orpustan | 190 | | |
| | Alos | 1690 | Orpustan | 190 | | |
| | Alos | 1750 | Cassini | | | |
| Sibas | Sivas | 1178 | Raymond | 161 | Duchesne | Village |
| | Sivas | 1327 | Orpustan | 191 | | |
| | Sent-Martin de Silvez | 1520 | Raymond | 161 | Soule | |
| | Sibas | 1690 | Orpustan | 191 | | |
| | Sivas | 1690 | Orpustan | 191 | | |
| | Sibas | 1750 | Cassini | | | |
| Abense | Evense | 1337 | Orpustan | 189 | | Village |
| | Abense prope Tardetz | 1385 | Raymond | 2 | Duchesne | |
| | Avense pres tardets | 1520 | Orpustan | 189 | | |
| | prop Tardetz Avense | 1690 | Orpustan | 189 | | |
| | Abense de Haut | 1750 | Cassini | | | |
| | Abense de Haut | 1793 | EHESS | | | |
| | Abeuze | 1801 | EHESS | | Bulletin des lois | |
| | Abense-de-Haut | 1863 | Raymond | 1 | | |
| Domec | Domec | 1385 | Raymond | 55 | Duchesne | Fief, depended on the Viscounts of Soule and its title counted as one of the ten potestats of Soule |
| Mendisquer | Menrisqueta | 1385 | Raymond | 111 | Duchesne | Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Soule |
| La Salle | La Sale de Sibas | 1455 | Raymond | 153 | Duchesne | Fief, vassal of the Viscounts of Soule |
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. (in French)
* Cassini: 1750 Cassini Map (in French)
* EHESS: Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Abense, EHESS (in French).
Origins:
* Luntz:
* Soule: Customs of Soule
* Duchesne: Duchesne collection volume CXIV
* Town Hall at Alos
* Old Hilarri at Alos
* The Church of Sibas
* Old Hilarri at Sibas
* Trinity Bell Tower at the Church of Abense
* Hilarri at Abense

## History

Sibas merged with Alos on 23 October 1843 to form Alos-Sibas. On 16 April 1859, following the annexation of part of the territory of Abense-de-Haut, the commune took the name of Alos-Sibas-Abense.
On the same day the commune of Abense-de-Haut disappeared, its territory being divided between Alos-Sibas and Tardets.

### Heraldry

| Arms of Alos-Sibas-Abense | The motto of the commune is atzotik biharrera (from yesterday to tomorrow) Blazon: Or, a bridge of three arches argent masoned in sable over a party per fess barry wavy of 4 azure and argent and surmounted by a comma sun gules of eight arms all over a terrace in base of 3 pales; the first Or with a tower in sable turreted windows and door open; the second gules a plume argent in an inkpot sable; the third azure 3 commas argent inverted in chief. |

## Administration

Lists of Successive Mayors of Alos-Sibas-Abense

### Until 1843
#### Alos

| From | To | Name |
| 1796 | 1798 | Alexis Carriquert |
| 1798 | 1799 | Pierre Queheille |
| 1799 | 1824 | Jean Bastereche |
| 1824 | 1836 | Jean d'Arthex |
| 1836 | 1845 | Arnaud Sallabert |

#### Sibas

| From | To | Name |
| 1795 | 1798 | Jean Carrique |
| 1798 | 1808 | Philippe Etchart |
| 1808 | 1813 | Jean Harritchague |
| 1813 | 1825 | Jean Carrique |
| 1825 | 1832 | Jean-Pierre d'Arthez-Lassalle |
| 1832 | 1845 | Dominique Erbin called Etchecopar |

#### Abense-de-Haut

| From | To | Name |
| 1793 | 1795 | André Etchart |
| 1795 | 1806 | Jean Althabegoity called Oliberou |
| 1806 | 1810 | Arnaud Irigonegaray |
| 1810 | 1816 | Jean-Baptiste Detchandy |
| 1816 | 1824 | Casimir Etchebarne |
| 1824 | 1848 | Jean-Baptiste Detchandy |

### Until 1859
#### Alos-Sibas

| From | To | Name | Party | Position |
| 1845 | 1847 | Arnaud Sallabert | | |
| 1847 | 1859 | Jules Basterreche | | |

#### Abense-de-Haut

| From | To | Name |
| 1848 | 1848 | André Etchart |
| 1848 | 1852 | Jean Etchecopar dit Etchahoun |
| 1852 | 1859 | Laurent Maytie |

### After 1859
#### Alos-Sibas-Abense

| From | To | Name |
| 1859 | 1871 | Jules Basterreche |
| 1871 | 1875 | Arnaud André d'Arthez Lassale |
| 1875 | 1881 | Jules Basterreche |
| 1881 | 1888 | Pierre Arainty |
| 1888 | 1896 | Pierre Arrospidegaray |
| 1896 | 1900 | Jean-Pierre Mendicouague |
| 1900 | 1904 | Arnaud Ibar |
| 1904 | 1912 | Arnaud Cocosteguy |
| 1912 | 1916 | Bernard Larragneguy |
| 1916 | 1918 | Bernard Mondot |
| 1918 | 1919 | Bernard Larragneguy |
| 1919 | 1929 | Jean Iriart |
| 1929 | 1939 | Pierre Marmissole |
| 1939 | 1940 | Joseph Etchart |
| 1940 | 1951 | Pierre Marmissole |
| 1951 | 1953 | Bernard Aguer |
| 1953 | 1971 | Général Pierre Montjean |
| 1971 | 1983 | Pierre Luchillo |
| 1983 | 2001 | Pierre-Clémént Iratçabal |
| 2001 | 2008 | Anne-Marie Etcheberry |
| 2008 | 2014 | Jean-Pierre Iriart |

### Intercommunality

The town is part of six intercommunal structures:
* the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque
* the union to support Basque culture
* SIVOM of the canton of Tardets
* the municipal association for the gaves of Oloron and Mauleon
* SIVU for Tourism in Haute-Soule and Barétous
* the AEP Union for Soule country

## Demography

The population data given in the table and graph below for 1836 and earlier refer to the former commune of Alos, and for 1841-1851 to the former commune of Alos-Sibas. The inhabitants of the commune are known as Aloztar-Ziboztar-Oniztar.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1793 | 188 | — |
| 1800 | 212 | +1.73% |
| 1806 | 218 | +0.47% |
| 1821 | 213 | −0.15% |
| 1831 | 223 | +0.46% |
| 1836 | 223 | +0.00% |
| 1841 | 360 | +10.05% |
| 1846 | 354 | −0.34% |
| 1851 | 316 | −2.25% |
| 1856 | 646 | +15.37% |
| 1861 | 565 | −2.64% |
| 1866 | 505 | −2.22% |
| 1872 | 527 | +0.71% |
| 1876 | 523 | −0.19% |
| 1881 | 538 | +0.57% |
| 1886 | 530 | −0.30% |
| 1891 | 536 | +0.23% |
| 1896 | 511 | −0.95% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1901 | 484 | −1.08% |
| 1906 | 463 | −0.88% |
| 1911 | 453 | −0.44% |
| 1921 | 437 | −0.36% |
| 1926 | 421 | −0.74% |
| 1931 | 415 | −0.29% |
| 1936 | 414 | −0.05% |
| 1946 | 401 | −0.32% |
| 1954 | 352 | −1.62% |
| 1962 | 368 | +0.56% |
| 1968 | 343 | −1.17% |
| 1975 | 361 | +0.73% |
| 1982 | 316 | −1.88% |
| 1990 | 309 | −0.28% |
| 1999 | 319 | +0.35% |
| 2007 | 269 | −2.11% |
| 2012 | 303 | +2.41% |
| 2017 | 319 | +1.03% |
Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org. :
Source: EHESS and INSEE :

## Economy

Economic activity is mainly focused on agriculture (livestock and pasture). The town is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée zone of Ossau-iraty.

## Culture and heritage
### Civil heritage

* Etchandia House, formerly owned by the Etchandy family.
* La Salle d'Abense

### Religious heritage

The Church of Abense contains a Processional Cross (15th century) which is registered as an historical object.

### Environmental heritage

The common practices Controlled burns for prevention of forest fires.

## Facilities

The town has an early childhood hub (Child care centre and a creche) and an Ikastola.