Agnos
Agnos is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France. Agnos is part of the urban area ("unité urbaine") of Oloron-Sainte-Marie. The inhabitants of the commune are known as "Agnosiens" or "Agnosiennes" Geography. Agnos is located just 2 km south of Oloron-Sainte-Marie and some 25 km southwest of Pau. It can be accessed on the D155 road from Bidos in the northeast coming southwest to the village then continuing southeast to Gurmençon. The D555 road also passes through the commune from the north and joins the D155 northeast  of the village. The commune is mixed farmland and forests with the forests scattered throughout the commune. The river Mielle, a tributary of the Gave d'Oloron (Adour basin), flows through the commune. Toponymy. The commune name in béarnais is "Anhos". Michel Grosclaude suggested that "Agnos" came from a Latin man's name "Annius" with an Aqitaine suffix "-ossum" the whole meaning "domain of Annius". The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune. Sources: Origins: History. Paul Raymond noted on page 3 of his 1863 dictionary that in 1385 Agnos had seventeen fires  and depended on the bailiwick of Oloron. The commune was merged with Gurmençon on 1 February 1973 to form the commune called "Val-du-Gave d'Aspe". It was restored to its previous status on 1 January 1983. Administration. List of Successive Mayors of Agnos Inter-communality. The town is part of five inter-communal organisations: Economy. The activity of the commune is mainly agricultural (farming, polyculture). The town is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) of ossau-iraty. Culture and heritage. Religious Heritage. The Church has a Trinitarian steeple (the presence of a Bell-gable or "campenard"). It contains  many items which are registered as historical objects (although some were destroyed by fire in 1968): Environmental heritage. The Forests of Bugangue and Labaigt are inter-association woods managed by the National Office of Forests (ONF) which provide valuable shelter for preserving local flora and fauna. Many species are protected. An arboretum is a result of collaboration with the ONF. The "Mielle", a small stream that rises in Agnos, is listed in the Natura 2000 program for three rare species: white-clawed crayfish, European pond turtles, and the rare European mink which does not exist anywhere in France except in  the south-west. The Pyrenees are rich in scenery and the village of Agnos is the starting point of one of the most attractive routes for cycling across the foothills: From Agnos to Mail Arrouil and back (four hours of cycling or seven hours of walking) in a variety of environments, moors, rocks, meadows with views of the Pyrenees. This route, like many others, is managed by the "local hiking plan" of the "Community of communes of Piémont Oloronais" (CCPO). The model aircraft club welcomes its members in the Sayette neighborhood. The town has a primary school. The Multi-media  library project of the "CCPO" identified the municipal library of Agnos as a "relay point". The basketball club merged with that of Asasp in 2006 to form BCHB (Basketball Club of Haut-Bearn).