Opoul-Périllos
Encyclopedia
Opoul-Périllos is a commune
in the Pyrénées-Orientales
department in southern France
.
The commune's highest point, Montoliu de Perellós (707 meters, a summit located next to the river Aude), stands as Catalonia
's northernmost point (and, indeed, the Catalan-speaking countries) .
Opoul-Périllos spreads over a large area of 5,053 hectares (12,486 acres). In its present form it dates from January 1, 1972, when both villages where integrated into one single commune (Perellós, a tiny hamlet located some 10 km up into the mountain, had been virtually deserted since the end of WWII, the 1968 census returning just 4 inhabitants).
The area is dominated by limestone with numerous karst (caves, crevices, sinkholes). The village lies in a depression where the limestone is mixed with red clay. The town is crossed from north to south by Ròbol, a tributary of the Aglí
river.
The main (and almost, only) crop is the vineyard.
for "safe land", "asylum place").
Périllos is also mentioned in 1100 (Perelons), then Perillons and Perellons on the 13th century. The current spelling started to be used during the following century and guards no relation with the Catalan
adjective for "dangerous" (perillós). Perellós is generally assumed to be a place were perelloner (Catalan for "wild pear tree" or "dogwood tree", amelanchier ovalis
or pyrus spinosa species) grows. However, the hypothesis of a "stony place" (pedregós in modern Catalan) cannot be totally ruled out.
: 701 inhabitants in 1836, 1157 in 1886. Then, the rural exodus and the Great French Wine Blight
crisis led to a fairly sharp drop: there were just 702 inhabitants in 1926, 570 in 1946, with an all-time low of 482 inhabitants in 1975. The situation has improved over the last 30 years, and there were 595 inhabitants in the 2005 census.
As for Périllos, a village virtually cut off from the world, its decline was inevitable: after reaching a peak of 85 in 1861, population fell to 8 people in 1946, the last birth being registered in 1916. At the time of its aggregation to Òpol (1972), the village was already deserted.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...
department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The commune's highest point, Montoliu de Perellós (707 meters, a summit located next to the river Aude), stands as Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
's northernmost point (and, indeed, the Catalan-speaking countries) .
Opoul-Périllos spreads over a large area of 5,053 hectares (12,486 acres). In its present form it dates from January 1, 1972, when both villages where integrated into one single commune (Perellós, a tiny hamlet located some 10 km up into the mountain, had been virtually deserted since the end of WWII, the 1968 census returning just 4 inhabitants).
The area is dominated by limestone with numerous karst (caves, crevices, sinkholes). The village lies in a depression where the limestone is mixed with red clay. The town is crossed from north to south by Ròbol, a tributary of the Aglí
Agly
The Agly River is a river of southwestern France. Its source is in the Corbières hills, near Camps-sur-l'Agly. It flows through Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, Estagel, Rivesaltes and Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque before it flows into the Mediterranean Sea near Le...
river.
The main (and almost, only) crop is the vineyard.
Etymology
The village of Opoul is mentioned as Oped at about 1100, and as Opidum in 1149. These repeated spellings leave no doubt about the etymology: Òpol derives from oppidum, Latin for "fortress". However, the transition from Oped to Òpol (Opulo and Castell d'Òpol on the 13th and 14th centuries, respectively) is rather surprising. It would be logical to assume *Opedol as a diminutive form of Oped, which could have designated a small castle in the village as opposed to the fortress which dominates it (it is worth mentioning that the medieval fortress overlooking the village has been known as "castell de Salvaterra" from the 13th century onwards (salvaterra being CatalanCatalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
for "safe land", "asylum place").
Périllos is also mentioned in 1100 (Perelons), then Perillons and Perellons on the 13th century. The current spelling started to be used during the following century and guards no relation with the Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
adjective for "dangerous" (perillós). Perellós is generally assumed to be a place were perelloner (Catalan for "wild pear tree" or "dogwood tree", amelanchier ovalis
Amelanchier ovalis
Amelanchier ovalis, commonly known as Snowy Mespilus, is serviceberry shrub. Its pome fruits are edible and can be eaten raw or cooked.-External links:**...
or pyrus spinosa species) grows. However, the hypothesis of a "stony place" (pedregós in modern Catalan) cannot be totally ruled out.
Demography
Opoul's population was 135 fires (focs) in 1365, no more than 150 inhabitants (A foc was a medieval Catalan census measure for hearth tax purposes: 35 focs would amount to approximately some 150 inhabitants). Doubtlessly affected by great plagues and wars, population was down to 3 fires by the early 16th century. It was during the 19th century that population growth reached its peak, bolstered by a lower mortality rate and the development of viticultureViticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
: 701 inhabitants in 1836, 1157 in 1886. Then, the rural exodus and the Great French Wine Blight
Great French Wine Blight
The Great French Wine Blight was a severe blight of the mid-19th century that destroyed many of the vineyards in France and laid to waste the wine industry...
crisis led to a fairly sharp drop: there were just 702 inhabitants in 1926, 570 in 1946, with an all-time low of 482 inhabitants in 1975. The situation has improved over the last 30 years, and there were 595 inhabitants in the 2005 census.
As for Périllos, a village virtually cut off from the world, its decline was inevitable: after reaching a peak of 85 in 1861, population fell to 8 people in 1946, the last birth being registered in 1916. At the time of its aggregation to Òpol (1972), the village was already deserted.
See also
- CataloniaCatalonia (disambiguation)The term Catalonia may refer to:*The historical territory of Catalonia, also known as the Principality of Catalonia, nowadays split in the two following territories:**The autonomous community of Catalonia in Spain....
- Northern CataloniaNorthern CataloniaNorthern Catalonia is a term that is sometimes used, particularly in Catalan writings, to refer to the territory ceded to France by Spain through the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659...
- Communes of the Pyrénées-Orientales department