Commune of Elne
Country	France
Région	Languedoc-Roussillon
Département	Pyrénées-Orientales
Arrondissement	Perpignan
Canton	Elne (chief town)
Intercommunality
Mayor Term of office	Nicolas Garcia 2001-2007
Land area¹	21.29 km²
Population² (1999)	6,410
Population density ()	301 pers./km²
Longitude	02°58'19" E
Latitude	42°36'04" N
Altitude	average: 23m minimum: 0m maximum: 65m
INSEE Code	66065
Postal code	66200
1 French Land Register data, which exclude lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries of rivers. 2 Population sans doubles comptes, i.e. not counting those people already counted in another commune (such as students and military personal). Image File history File links Flag_of_France. ... France is divided into 26 régions: 21 of these are in the continental part of metropolitan France, one is Corse on the island of Corsica (although strictly speaking Corse is in fact a territorial collectivity, not a région, but is referred to as a région in common... Capital Montpellier Land area¹ 27,376 km² Regional President Georges Frêche (PS) (since 2004) Population  - Jan. ... Template:France divisions levels, Junkyard Willie The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to British counties. ... Pyrénées-Orientales (Eastern Pyrenees, Catalan: Pirineus Orientals) is a département of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. ... The 100 French départements are divided into 342 arrondissements. ... The arrondissement of Perpignan is an arrondissement of France, located in the Pyrénées-Orientales département, of the Languedoc-Roussillon région. ... The canton is an administrative division of France. ... The commune (in French: commune, word appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin communia, meaning a gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common) is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. ... A mayor (from the Latin maÄ«or, meaning larger,greater) is the politician who serves as chief executive official of some types of municipalities. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2007 (MMVII) will be a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Map of Earth showing lines of longitude, which appear curved and vertical in this projection, but are actually halves of great circles Longitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter λ, describes the location of a place on Earth east or west of a north-south line called the Prime Meridian. ... Latitude, sometimes denoted by the Greek letter φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. ... INSEE is the French abbreviation for the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (French: Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques). ... A postal code is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. ... Estuaries and coastal waters are among the most productive ecosystems on Earth, providing numerous ecological, economic, cultural, and aesthetic benefits and services. ...

City flag

Elne (Catalan Elna) is a town and commune of southwestern France, in the Pyrénées-Orientales département. Population (1999): 6,473. Its inhabitants are still called Illibériens in reference to the city's Celtiberian name, Illliberis, one that it shared with the Illiberis that became Elvira, Spain Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2032x1354, 792 KB) Summary City flag of Elne (Southern France) Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Elne Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2032x1354, 792 KB) Summary City flag of Elne (Southern France) Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Elne Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... ´´´Catalan´´´ (´´Català´´) is a Romance language, the national language of Andorra and co-official in two regions of Spain. ... The commune (in French: commune, word appeared in the 12th century, from Medieval Latin communia, meaning a gathering of people sharing a common life, from Latin communis, things held in common) is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. ... Pyrénées-Orientales (Eastern Pyrenees, Catalan: Pirineus Orientals) is a département of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. ... Template:France divisions levels, Junkyard Willie The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to British counties. ... The Celtiberians dwelt in the Iberian Peninsula and spoke a Celtic language. ...

Geography

Elne is situated 4km from the Mediterranean on the Tech River, in Pyrénées-Orientales, 12 km from Perpignan and 7 km from Argelès. The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... Pyrénées-Orientales (Eastern Pyrenees, Catalan: Pirineus Orientals) is a département of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. ... Location within France Location within the Pyrénées-Orientales département Majorca Kings Palace in Perpignan Perpignan (French: Perpignan; Catalan Perpinyà) is a commune and the préfecture (administrative capital city) of the Pyrénées-Orientales département in southern France. ... Argelès-sur-Mer is a village and commune of the Pyrénées-Orientales département, in southwestern France, near Perpignan. ...

The canton of Elne covers seven communes: Elne (chief town), Villeneuve-de-la-Raho, Bages, Corneilla-del-Vercol, Montescot, Théza, Ortaffa.

History

The north cloister

Gate

Elne, from the heights of its fortified site, dominates the narrow plain of Rousillon between the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean. Numerous archeological researches have shown that the surrounding countryside has been occupied since Neolithic times. Elne was a Celtiberian oppidum or fortified town. Elne is the oldest town in Roussillon and since it is situated on the way towards the Iberian_peninsula, successive civilisations have left their traces. The first mention of Illiberis occurs in the history of Livy (xxi.24) [1] : it was the Celtiberian city at which Hannibal pitched camp having crossed the Pyrenees in 218 BCE, where he negotiated with the assembled Gaulish chiefs his safe passage through their territories on the way to Italy. In the first century CE, however, it was no more than "a modest vestige of a hitherto great city" (Pliny). Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1354x2032, 1016 KB) Summary The north cloister in Elne (Southern France) Author : Radim Badsi Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Elne Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1354x2032, 1016 KB) Summary The north cloister in Elne (Southern France) Author : Radim Badsi Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Elne Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1354x2032, 1017 KB) Summary Gate in Elne (Southern France) Author : Radim Badsi Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Elne Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1354x2032, 1017 KB) Summary Gate in Elne (Southern France) Author : Radim Badsi Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Elne Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or... Mount Canigou (2785m), a Catalan landmark Roussillon (Catalan Rosselló; Spanish Rosellón) is one of the historical Catalan Countries corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales (Eastern Pyrenees). ... Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... The Neolithic, (Greek neos = new, lithos = stone, or New Stone Age) was a period in the development of human technology that is traditionally the last part of the Stone Age. ... To the Romans, an oppidum (pl: oppida) was Latin for the main settlement in any administrative area. ... Mount Canigou (2785m), a Catalan landmark Roussillon (Catalan Rosselló; Spanish Rosellón) is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales (Eastern Pyrenees). ... topographic map of the Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe. ... Bust of Livy Titus Livius (around 59 BC - 17 AD), known as Livy in English, wrote a monumental history of Rome, Ab urbe condita, from its founding (traditionally dated to 753 BC). ... The Celtiberians dwelt in the Iberian Peninsula and spoke a Celtic language. ... Hannibals feat in crossing the Alps with war elephants passed into European legend: a fresco detail, 1510, Capitoline Museums, Rome Hannibal (from Punic, literally Baal is merciful to me, 247 BC – 183 BC) (sometimes referred to as Hannibal Barca) was a politician, statesman and considered one of the greatest... Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (63-ca. ...

In the fourth century Illiberis became "Castrum Helenae" after Helen, the mother of Constantine, whence its modern name was derived by degrees. Within its walls was assassinated Constans, the son of Constantine in 350 A.D. With the division of southern Gaul in 462, Elne became one of the "seven cities" of Septimania. Its Catholic bishopric was established in the 6th century. The first known sishop of Elne, Dominus, was mentioned in 571 in the Chronicle of John of Biclarum. Its bishop attended the Council of Toledo in 599. Numerous synods were held at Elne: That of 1027 upheld the Peace and Truce of God, that no one should attack his enemy from Saturday at nine o'clock to Monday at one. Further synods were held in 1058, 1114, 1335, 1337, 1338, 1339, 1340, and 1380 (CE). Helena on a coin. ... Contemporary bronze head of Constantine. ... Bronze coin bearing the profile of Constans Flavius Julius Constans (AD 320 - January 18, 350), was a Roman emperor who ruled from 337 to 350. ... Events September 1 - possible start of first Byzantine indiction cycle. ... Septimania was the western region of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis that passed under the control of the Visigothic kingdom in 462, when Septimania was ceded to Theodoric II, king of the Visigoths. ... Events The Chinese win the war at Ordos. ... The Peace and Truce of God was a medieval European movement of the Roman Catholic Church which applied spiritual sanctions in order to control and stop the violence of feudal society. ...

When the Arabs crossed the Pyrenees in 719 Elne was one of the first towns to be attacked, and when the counts of Roussillon achieved independence, Perpignan became the capital of the country, with Elne remaining the Episcopal city. Central Pyrenees The Pyrenees (French: Pyrénées; Spanish: Pirineos; Occitan: Pirenèus or Pirenèas; Catalan Pirineus; Aragonese: Perinés; Basque: Pirinioak) are a range of mountains in southwest Europe that form a natural border between France and Spain. ... Location within France Location within the Pyrénées-Orientales département Majorca Kings Palace in Perpignan Perpignan (French: Perpignan; Catalan Perpinyà) is a commune and the préfecture (administrative capital city) of the Pyrénées-Orientales département in southern France. ... Episcopalianism is virtually the same thing is Judaism The word episcopal is derived from the Greek επισκοπος epískopos, which literally means overseer; the word, however, is used in religious contexts to refer to a bishop. ...

The north cloister.

The present cathedral of Sainte-Eulalie-et-Sainte-Julie was begun its high altar was consecrated in 1069. Its Romanesque cloister was built in the 12th to 14th centuries. In 1285, under the Catalano-Aragonese domination, during the "Aragonese Crusade" instigated by Pope Martin IV, the town was plundered, the cathedral set fire and the people, who had taken refuge inside, massacred by the French troops of Philip III. Image File history File linksMetadata Cloitre_d'Elne_-_galerie_nord. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Cloitre_d'Elne_-_galerie_nord. ... Romanesque St. ... Martin IV, né Simon de Brion (ca. ... Philippe III Philip III the Bold ( French: Philippe III le Hardi) (April 3, 1245 – October 5, 1285) reigned as King of France from 1270 to 1285. ...

During the later Middle Ages, Elne was increasingly overshadowed by the growing prosperity of nearby Perpignan; the counts of Rousillon moved their seat from Elne to Perpignan, and after vicissitudes lasting two centuries the episcopal seat was finally transferred to Perpignan also, in 1601 by a Bull of Pope Clement VIII (CE). Location within France Location within the Pyrénées-Orientales département Majorca Kings Palace in Perpignan Perpignan (French: Perpignan; Catalan Perpinyà) is a commune and the préfecture (administrative capital city) of the Pyrénées-Orientales département in southern France. ... Clement VIII, born Ippolito Aldobrandini (March 1536, Fano, Italy– March 5, 1605, Rome) was pope from 1592 to 1605. ...

In 1472 the inhabitants of Elne revolted against French rule. The town, yet again besieged, was conquered and its captain, Bernat d'Oms, beheaded (1474). In 1493 Elne, along with all Roussillon, was returned to the Crown of Aragon. In 1641 Elne suffered another siege by the French and after the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659), became French. The medieval ramparts were partly destroyed in 1680 on Louis XIV's orders. Mount Canigou (2785m), a Catalan landmark Roussillon (Catalan Rosselló; Spanish Rosellón) is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales (Eastern Pyrenees). ... History of Spain series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Muslim Conquest of Iberia Timeline of Muslim Occupation Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History... The Treaty of the Pyrenees was a treaty signed in 1659 to end the war between France and Spain that had begun in 1635 during the Thirty Years War. ... For the musical group of the same name, see Louis XIV (band). ...

Since then Elne has become an agricultural town which, in spite of repeated destructions caused by its several invaders, remains a witness to its past glories, attracting some 70,000 visitors annually.

In the twentieth century a sculptor and a painter have left their imprint : Aristide Maillol and Etienne Terrus, to whom a local museum is dedicated. "Pomone" by Maillol serves as the WWII war memorial, and the studio of Terrus, where Henri Matisse and André Derain were received, saw the birth of the Fauve movement. Aristide Maillol. ... Photo of Henri Matisse taken by Carl Van Vechten, 1933 Henri Matisse (December 31, 1869 – November 3, 1954) was a French artist, particularly noted for his striking use of colour. ... Charing Cross Bridge, London (1906) André Derain (June 10, 1880 - September 8, 1954) was a French painter and a illustrator. ... Fauve may refer to: the French word for wild beast or big cat The Fauves, an Australian rock band Fauvism, a short-lived movement of early Modernist art This is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ...

Currently the city is extending towards the north, in a carefully-planned urbanization— "Las Trillas"— extending over 40 hectares, which takes advantage of picturesque views of the cathedral. A pedestrian boulevard through the city, on the model of Barcelona's successful "Las Ramblas", is under way, as well as a new square, Place Jordi incorporating the ramparts of the upper city. Barcelona is the capital city of Catalonia and the second most populous city in Spain. ...

External links

• Elne.fr Elne (official site); (in French)
• Elne, ville d'Arts (official site): (in French)
• Catholic Dictionary: "Diocese of Perpignan"