Aubertin
Aubertin () is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of south-western France. The inhabitants of the commune are known as "Aubertinois" or "Aubertinoises". Geography. Aubertin is located in Béarn some 10 km west of Pau and 8 km north-west of Gan. Access to the commune is by the D146 from Artiguelouve in the north-east which passes through the north of the commune and goes west to Lacommande. Access to the village is by the D346 which branches south from the D146 in the commune and continues through the village to join  the D24 some 6 km west of Gan. The commune has a mix of forest and farmland throughout its territory. The Baïse forms the western border of the commune as it flows north to join the Gave de Pau at Abidos. The Juscle rises in the south-east of the commune and flows north to join the Gave de Pau at Bésingrand. Each river gathers many small tributaries that rise in the commune. Toponymy. Among the hypotheses on the origin of the name "Aubertin", Michel Grosclaude favours that of a Gascon man's name (diminutive of "Aubert") or the Latin  Albertinus rather than the German "Adalbehrt". The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune. Sources: Origins: History. When the name "Aubertin" appears in texts from the beginning of the 12th century, it is difficult to associate it with a specific territory. It is known that there was a beech grove at Aubertin ("Faget d'Aubertii"), in the middle of which Gaston IV of Béarn, called "le Croisé" (The Crusader), began building a hospital in the years 1115-1118. This foundation was challenged by the Lord of Bedosse and his descendants who claimed ownership  of the soil. The Albertine charter signed in 1128 resolved the dispute and allowed the development of the hospital which was opened shortly after a church, a cloister and a cemetery. Farmland extended from the left bank of the Baïse to the top of the hill to the west on the territory of the present village of Lacommande. At the beginning of the 13th century, this place became the Commandery of Aubertin - the main establishment of the Priory of Sainte-Christine-du-Somport on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees. By contrast, the origin of the Bedosse family and the  extension of their domains remains unknown. For centuries Monein continued to claim ownership of this enclave of the Commandery of Aubertin. Texts from the middle of the 12th century also report a lordship at Artiguelouve which extended from the Gave de Pau to the Baïse on the current communes of Artiguelouve and Aubertin. So, in 1160 Guillaume of Artiguelouve and one called "Loup Bergunh" sold the land and woods located on the right bank of the Bayse for grazing their herds to the priory of Sainte-Christine-du-Somport and the Aubertin hospital. Although the territory of the present village  of Aubertin has long remained in the orbit of the lordship of Artiguelouve, from the beginning most people seem to have attended the church of the Commandery. The count by Gaston Febus in 1385 reported a parish of "Aubertii" distinct from that of "Artiguelobe". It comprised a total of 46 fires including 3 which were explicitly at Aubertin the hospital. In 1402, the lord of Artiguelouve made common cause with the commandery of Aubertin in a lawsuit between them and the community of Monein but in 1538 the commander of Aubertin, Jean de Borau, reported that "Arnaud Guilhem d'Artiguelouve" had  usurped the rights of the Commandery. Relations between the two communities were close but fluctuated. When "Arnaud Guilhem d'Artiguelouve" married "Anne d'Albret" on 9 February 1534 he was called Lord of Artiguelouve, Aubertin, and Montardon and appeared to be at the height of his glory. The situation gradually deteriorated over the generations. In 1555 his son, Arnaud, sold half the tithes from Artiguelouve and Aubertin to "Peyrot de Pedelaborde" of Lagor. He was soon no longer designated as Lord of Artiguelouve and Aubertin which suggested the final sale of the lordship of Montardon. On the other hand, the inhabitants of  Aubertin had some autonomy in the management of their affairs as they were represented by a trustee and 5 aldermen from 1570 during some events of the Protestant Reformation. Around 1583 Arnaud d'Artiguelouve afiefed the woods of Aubertin as surety for a loan. Bernard, who succeeded Arnaud, remained lord of Artiguelouve and Aubertin but debts accumulated. His son John was forced to sell the chateau and lands of Aubertin to "François de Navailles" on 30 June 1640. Finally, Jean sold the lordship of Artiguelouve itself to Pierre de Fouron on 11 April 1642. 30 June 1640 was a crucial date  in the history of Aubertin. It affirmed the identity of the village and marked the emergence of a new centre of power from an Artiguelouve lordship which disintegrated to a commandery which, after the Reformation, passed to the control of the Barnabites of Lescar. Five generations of Navailles-Mirepeix would follow in Aubertin. The last, Louis-François, gave a reckoning of his domain of Aubertin for the Parliament of Navarre on 8 July 1776. This document gives a fairly accurate picture of the lordship of Aubertin before the French Revolution. Some years before, in 1773, he initiated a project to  build a church near the chateau with the support of the Bishop of Oloron. This project was not successful because Louis-François de Navailles emigrated to Spain during the Revolution. The Aubertin people felt duty-bound to continue and financed most of the Church of Saint-Blaise in Lacommande, the adjacent cemetery, and the church rectory, although two separate communes were created in 1790. They continued, however, to be only one parish until 1867 when the opening of a church in Aubertin and a new historical turning point: a village centre could finally develop around its bell tower, to which  was added a cemetery, manse, town hall, and a school. Administration. List of Successive Mayors Inter-communality. The commune is part of five inter-communal structures: Demography. In 2017 the commune had 656 inhabitants. Culture and heritage. Religious heritage. The "'Church of Saint-Augustin" (1859) is registered as a historical monument. A porch was added to the tower in the 20th century.