Armendarits
# Armendarits

Armendarits (French pronunciation: ​; Basque: Armendaritze) 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 Armendariztar in Basque.

## Geography

Amendarits is located some 12 km south-west of Saint-Palais and some 8 km north-east of Irissarry and is in the former province of Lower Navarre. Access to the commune is by road D300 from Iholdy in the south to the village. The D8 going east from Iholdy also passes through the southern part of the commune. The D245 from Hélette in the west passes through the commune and the village and continues north to join the D14 just south-east of Méharin. There is also the D408 which links the village to the D8 road inside the commune. Apart from a few patches of forest the commune is entirely farmland.

Numerous streams rise in the commune: the Erreka Handia and its tributaries flows north past the village, the Iharte also flows north to the east of the village, and the Ossinako Erreka forms part of the south-western border as it flows south.

### Places and Hamlets

* Aguerréa
* Aïntziondoa
* Albinoritzéko Borda (2 toponyms)
* Albinoritzia
* Altchia
* Alziéta
* Ameztoya
* Arbéletchia
* Armandegia
* Baratchartéa
* Barnetchia
* Bazterrechia
* Behamendy
* Béhitia
* Bidondoa
* Bigégaïnéa
* Bistaberry
* Bordaberria
* Bordaberriko Borda
* Bordamaria
* Bordécharria
* Bourdinateguia
* Carrica
* Céhabia
* Chichabalé
* Chimounénéa
* Chingolaénéa
* Chocohonia
* Curutzétako Borda
* Donamaria
* Donapétria
* Donapétriko Borda
* Donamaria
* Donastéya
* Elhina
* Elinume
* Elizabéhéréko Borda
* Elizatchéko Borda
* Errékartéa
* Etchartéa
* Etchebarne
* Etchébazterréa
* Etchégoïnberria
* Etchégoïnberriko Borda
* Etchégorria
* Etchénika
* Etchéparéa
* Eyhérabidé
* Eyhéraldéa
* Eyhéramounoa
* Fermindéguia
* Ferminéko Borda
* Gaïneko-Etchebarnéa
* Gaïneko-Meharu
* Garatéa
* Garatéko Borda
* Haramburua
* Harizhanditéguia
* Hatsandigaraia
* Iparréa
* Iribarnéa
* Irigaraya
* Ithurburua
* Ithurburuko Borda
* Jauregia
* Jauréguicharria
* Landetxeberri
* Larraldéa
* Larramendia
* Lazalen Borda
* Legartoa
* Lekunberria
* Marihanditéguia
* Mehatzia
* Mendihilia
* Mendiondo
* Mendirigaraya
* Olhanéko Borda
* Olharanéa
* Orgalitegia
* Ossina
* Oyhanburua
* Oyhénartéa
* Pékoborda
* Pochulua
* Salla
* Sallaberria
* Sallaberriko Borda
* Sallagoitinéa
* Sorhoéta
* Sorogaraia or Sorhogaraya
* Suhartéko Borda
* Teïleria
* Uhaldea
* Uhartéa
* Urrutia
* Urritiko Borda
* Zedarria

Neighbouring communes and villages :

Saint-Esteben

Méharin

Beyrie-sur-Joyeuse

Hélette

Armendarits

Larribar-Sorhapuru

Irissarry

Iholdy

Uhart-Mixe :

## Toponymy

The commune name in Basque is Armendaritze.

The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.

| Name | Spelling | Date | Source | Page | Origin | Description |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Armendarits | Armandarys | 1249 | Orpustan | 113 | | Village |
| | Armendariz | 1256 | Raymond | 10 | Bayonne | |
| | Sancta Maria de Armendaridz | 1256 | Raymond | 10 | Bayonne | |
| | Armendariz | 1264 | Orpustan | 113 | | |
| | Armendarriz | 1292 | Orpustan | 113 | | |
| | Armendaritz | 1366 | Orpustan | 113 | | |
| | Armendaritz | 1413 | Orpustan | 113 | | |
| | Armendaritz | 1428 | Raymond | 10 | Duchesne | |
| | Arbendaritz | 1529 | Raymond | 10 | Chapter | |
| Aguerréa | Aguerre | 1863 | Raymond | 3 | | Fief, vassal of the Kingdom of Navarre |
| Curutzétako Borda | La Croix Boria | 1863 | Raymond | 34 | | Place of pilgrimage |
| Élissetche | Élissetche | 1863 | Raymond | 58 | | Fief, vassal of the Kingdom of Navarre |
| Etchebarne | Etchebarne | 1863 | Raymond | 63 | | Place of pilgrimage |

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)

Origins:

* Bayonne: Cartulary of Bayonne or Livre d'Or (Book of Gold)
* Duchesne: Duchesne collection volume CXIV
* Chapter: Titles of the Chapter of Bayonne

## History

Paul Raymond noted on page 10 of his 1863 dictionary that Armendarits was a former Barony, vassal of the Kingdom of Navarre.

### Heraldry

| Arms of Armendarits | These arms were adopted by the town council in 2002 and are those of the Lords of Armendarits. The blazon of quarters 2 and 3 are those of the village of Armendarits Blazon: Quarterly, 1 and 4 Azure with a castel turreted masoned in Sable, port and windows the same; 2 and 3 two cows Gules horned, hoofed, collared, and belled in Argent arranged in pale. |
| - | - |

## Administration

List of Successive Mayors

| From | To | Name | Party | Position |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1939 | 1964 | Bertrand Ilharreborde | | |
| 1964 | 1986 | Juliette Richard | | |
| 1986 | 1989 | Laurent Garat | | |
| 1989 | 2026 | Lucien Delgue | UMP | President of the Community of Communes |

### Inter-communality

Armendarits is part of seven inter-communal structures:

* the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque;
* the AEP association of Arberoue;
* the Energy association of Pyrénées-Atlantiques;
* the inter-communal association for school transport and educational grouping of Méharin and Armendarits;
* the inter-communal association for development and management of the slaughterhouse at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port;
* the joint association Garbiki;
* the association to support Basque culture.

## Demography

In 2017 the commune had 405 inhabitants.

| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| - | - | - |
| 1793 | 706 | — |
| 1800 | 764 | +1.13% |
| 1806 | 799 | +0.75% |
| 1821 | 805 | +0.05% |
| 1831 | 840 | +0.43% |
| 1836 | 792 | −1.17% |
| 1841 | 809 | +0.43% |
| 1846 | 840 | +0.75% |
| 1851 | 818 | −0.53% |
| 1856 | 812 | −0.15% |
| 1861 | 784 | −0.70% |
| 1866 | 751 | −0.86% |
| 1872 | 746 | −0.11% |
| 1876 | 715 | −1.06% |
| 1881 | 705 | −0.28% |
| 1886 | 681 | −0.69% |
| 1891 | 632 | −1.48% |
| 1896 | 638 | +0.19% |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1901 | 631 | −0.22% |
| 1906 | 623 | −0.25% |
| 1911 | 600 | −0.75% |
| 1921 | 562 | −0.65% |
| 1926 | 510 | −1.92% |
| 1931 | 506 | −0.16% |
| 1936 | 559 | +2.01% |
| 1946 | 512 | −0.87% |
| 1954 | 420 | −2.45% |
| 1962 | 446 | +0.75% |
| 1968 | 420 | −1.00% |
| 1975 | 396 | −0.84% |
| 1982 | 386 | −0.36% |
| 1990 | 372 | −0.46% |
| 1999 | 357 | −0.46% |
| 2007 | 379 | +0.75% |
| 2012 | 391 | +0.63% |
| 2017 | 405 | +0.71% |

Graphs are temporarily unavailable due to technical issues. :

Source: EHESS and INSEE :

## Economy

Economic activity is mainly agricultural. The commune is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone of Ossau-iraty.

## Culture and Heritage

### Civil Heritage

Several buildings and sites in the commune are registered as historical monuments:

* The Jauregia Manor (17th century)
* The Urrutia Farmhouse (1636)
* The Uhaldea Farmhouse (1780)
* The Sorogaraia Farmhouse (1602)
* Houses and Farms (17th-19th century)

**Other sites of interest**

* A protohistoric fortified place (a gaztelu zahar) at Elhina.

### Houses in Armendarits Picture Gallery

* Sculpted Lintel
* A sculpted breezeblock
* A Lower Navarre House
* A Lower Navarre House
* A Lower Navarre House
* A window on a Lower Navarre house
* An Atalburu

### Religious Heritage

* The Parish Church of Saint Peter (17th century). Its cemetery contains many Hilarri:

## Facilities

### Education

The commune has a primary school.

## Notable people linked to the commune

* Bernard Renau d'Eliçagaray (Eñaut d'Elizagarai), called little Renau, born in 1652 at Armendarits and died in 1719, was a mathematician, Inspector General of the Navy, in 1689 author of the Theory of Operation of Vessels. He was especially famous for his Bomb vessels. The pastoral of Soule in 2007 (at Camou-Cihigue) was dedicated to him.
