Avaux

Avaux
the Church of Notre-Dame
Coat of arms
Avaux
Location within Grand Est region  Avaux
Coordinates: 49°27′24″N 4°05′03″E / 49.4567°N 4.0842°ECoordinates: 49°27′24″N 4°05′03″E / 49.4567°N 4.0842°E
Country	France
Region	Grand Est
Department	Ardennes
Arrondissement	Rethel
Canton	Asfeld
Intercommunality	Pays Rethélois
Government
• Mayor (2008–2020)	Didier Marby
Area^1	13.19 km^2 (5.09 sq mi)
Population (2010)^2	464
• Density	35/km^2 (91/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	08039 / 08190
Elevation	57–130 m (187–427 ft) (avg. 60 m or 200 ft)
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. ^2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Avaux is a French commune in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region of northern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Avalois or Avaloises.^[1]

The commune has been awarded two flowers by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom.^[2]

Geography

Avaux is located some 22 km west by south-west of Rethel and 38 km south-east of Laon. Access to the commune is by the D523 from Évergnicourt in the south-west which changes to the D137 at the border then continues to the village and north-east to join the D18 south-west of Saint-Germainmont. The D966 forms the western border of the commune as it goes south from Lor to Evergnicourt. Apart from thin strips of forest along the eastern and southern borders the commune is entirely farmland.^[3]

The Canal latéral à l'Aisne forms the southern border of the commune and the Aisne river forms the eastern border then runs through the south of the commune parallel to the canal as it flows west to eventually join the Seine at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine.

Neighbouring communes and villages

Heraldry

The official status of the blazon remains to be determined. Blazon: Azure, a lion crowned Argent issuant, in chief Or a crescent of Sable between two mullets the same.

Administration

List of Successive Mayors^[4]

From	To	Name	Party	Position
2001	2008	Pascal Beguin
2008	2020	Didier Marby

(Not all data is known)

Demography

In 2010 the commune had 464 inhabitants. The evolution of the number of inhabitants is known from the population censuses conducted in the commune since 1793. From the 21st century, a census of communes with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants is held every five years, unlike larger communes that have a sample survey every year.^{[Note 1]}

Population Change (See database)

1793	1800	1806	1821	1831	1836	1841	1846	1851
506	574	504	644	705	716	725	682	704

1856	1861	1866	1872	1876	1881	1886	1891	1896
-	-	753	710	649	653	650	631	606

1901	1906	1911	1921	1926	1931	1936	1946	1954
602	592	575	405	431	404	417	359	361

1962	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2006	2010	-
355	327	317	293	404	454	463	464	-

Sources : Ldh/EHESS/Cassini until 1962, INSEE database from 1968 (population without double counting and municipal population from 2006)

Sites and monuments

Avaux was once called Asfeld-le-Château as it was the seat of a fortified house of the Counts of Avaux. The chateau has disappeared.

The Church of Notre-Dame contains a Painting: the Nativity of the Virgin (18th century), which is registered as an historical object.^[5]

Notable people linked to the commune

• Claude de Mesmes, Count of Avaux (1595-1650), diplomat and man of letters.
• Jean-Jacques de Mesmes, Count of Avaux: best known for developing the town of Asfeld.
• Yves Gibeau, his family came from Avaux and he lived in the commune during part of his youth.^[6]

See also

• Communes of the Ardennes department

Notes

1. At the beginning of the 21st century, the methods of identification have been modified by Law No. 2002-276 of 27 February 2002, the so-called "law of local democracy" and in particular Title V "census operations" allows, after a transitional period running from 2004 to 2008, the annual publication of the legal population of the different French administrative districts. For communes with a population greater than 10,000 inhabitants, a sample survey is conducted annually, the entire territory of these communes is taken into account at the end of the period of five years. The first "legal population" after 1999 under this new law came into force on 1 January 2009 and was based on the census of 2006.

References

1. Inhabitants of Ardennes (French)
2. Avaux in the Competition for Towns and Villages in Bloom Archived December 10, 2014, at the Wayback Machine. (French)
3. Google Maps
4. List of Mayors of France (French)
5. Ministry of Culture, Palissy PM08000040 Painting: the Nativity of the Virgin (French)
6. Yannick Hureaux evoking his friend Yves Gibeau in a conference at Avaux on 22 May 2009 Article on 4 June 2009 extracted from l'Union magazine (French)

External links

• Avaux on Lion1906
• Avaux on the 1750 Cassini Map
• Avaux on the INSEE website (French)
• INSEE (French)