Arques, Aveyron

Arques
Commune
A general view of Arques
Location of Arques
Arques Show map of France Arques Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 44°19′05″N 2°48′05″E / 44.3181°N 2.8014°E / 44.3181; 2.8014
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Aveyron
Arrondissement	Millau
Canton	Raspes et Lévezou
Intercommunality	Pays de Salars
Government
• Mayor (2023–2026)	Delphine Allié[1]
Area 1	11.29 km2 (4.36 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	161
• Density	14/km2 (37/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	12010 /12290
Elevation	714–947 m (2,343–3,107 ft) (avg. 800 m or 2,600 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Arques (French pronunciation: [aʁk] ^ⓘ; Occitan: Arcas) is a commune in the Aveyron department in the Occitanie region of southern France.

Arques is located some 16 km east by south-east of Rodez and 6 km south of Laissac. Access to the commune is by road D29 from Agen-d'Aveyron in the north-west passing through the commune and the village and continuing south-east to Ségur. Apart from the village there are the hamlets of Le Mazet in the eastern arm of the commune and Moulin Fabre and Recoules south of the village. Except for two forests in the north the commune is entirely farmland.^[3]

The Ruisseau des Gardies rises in the north of the commune and flows south through the village joining the Viaur south of the village. The Ruisseau de Clauverhes rises in the north-east of the commune and flows south-east to join the Viaur south of the village. The Viaur river flows from the south-west through the southern part of the commune and forming part of the southern border before continuing west to the Barrage of Pont-de-Salars then continuing west to eventually join the Aveyron river at Saint-Martin-Laguépie.^[3]

^[3]

The word Arques derives from the Latin arx meaning "fortress".

The lordship of Arques extended over the Palanges mountains and included the current commune of the same name plus two enclaves currently in the communes of Segur and Vézins-de-Lévézou. Arques is mentioned in a donation to the Abbey of Conques in 1079. It was later attached to the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu. It was a dependency of the Lordship of Montrozier, under the Count of Rodez, then of the king.

List of Successive Mayors^[4]

Mayors from 1935

From	To	Name	Party
1935	1965	Joseph Amans
1965	1976	Albert Gineste
1976	1977	Guy Gineste
1977	2022	Bernard Andrieu	UMP then LR
2023	2026	Delphine Allié[1]

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arcasois or Arcasoises in French.^[5]

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	166	—
1975	147	−1.72%
1982	121	−2.74%
1990	136	+1.47%
1999	123	−1.11%
2007	128	+0.50%
2012	120	−1.28%
2017	135	+2.38%
Source: INSEE[6]

The table below compares the gender and age of the population with that of the department of Aveyron in the year 2017.

Percentage Distribution of Age Groups in Arques and Aveyron Department in 2017

	Arques		Aveyron
Age Range	Men	Women	Men	Women
0 to 14 Years	23	19	16.1	14.7
15 to 29 Years	13	10	14.6	12.3
30 to 44 Years	24	24	16.6	15.9
45 to 59 Years	15	16	21.3	20.5
60 to 74 Years	21	21	20.1	20.1
75 to 89 Years	4	9	10.2	13.8
90 Years+	1	1	1.1	2.7

Source: INSEE^[6][7]

• A Parish Church from the 16th century, a Bell-gable, and an altarpiece from the 17th century - gilded in the 18th century. A Bronze Bell (1755) is registered as a historical monument.^[8]
• The Rives Viaur, a hilly site at the end of Lake Pont-de-Salars.

• Communes of the Aveyron department

• Christian-Pierre Bedel (preface, Alain Pichon), Lo Pònt : Agenh, Arcas, Canet, Flavinh, Pradas, Tremolhas, Lo Vibal / Christian-Pierre Bedel e los estatjants del canton del Pònt, Rodez, Departmental Mission for culture, coll. "Al Canton", 1995, ill., cover ill.; 28 cm, 239 p. (ISBN 978-2-907279-20-8, ISSN 1151-8375, Notice BnF No. FRBNF36688567g) (Occitan/French)

• Arques on Géoportail, National Geographic Institute (IGN) website (in French)
• Argues on the 1750 Cassini Map