Arques, Aude

Arques
View of Arques from the castle
Coat of arms
Arques
Location within Occitanie region  Arques
Coordinates: 42°57′12″N 2°22′33″E / 42.9533°N 2.3758°E / 42.9533; 2.3758Coordinates: 42°57′12″N 2°22′33″E / 42.9533°N 2.3758°E / 42.9533; 2.3758
Country	France
Region	Occitanie
Department	Aude
Arrondissement	Limoux
Canton	Couiza
Intercommunality	Pays de Couiza
Government
• Mayor (2014–2020)	Maxime Barbaza
Area1	18.53 km2 (7.15 sq mi)
Population (2009)2	268
• Density	14/km2 (37/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code	11015 / 11190
Elevation	329–854 m (1,079–2,802 ft) (avg. 356 m or 1,168 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. 2Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Arques is a French commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Arquois or Arquoises

Arques is located in the Pyrénées mountains some 25 km south-east of Limoux and 25 km north-east of Quillan. Access to the commune is by the D613 road from Serres in the west passing through the village and continuing to Albières in the east. The D54 goes north from the village to Valmigère. At the commune border the D70 branches from the D54 and follows a tortuous route to Bouisse. The commune is an alpine commune with rugged terrain but with some farms in the valley.

The Rialsesse river flows though the centre of the commune and the village from east to west gathering many tributaries. In the south the Ruisseau de Lait, with many tributaries rising in the commune, flows north-west into the Lac d'Arques (Arques Lake) which feeds the Rialsesse.

The area was owned by the Abbey of Lagrasse in the early 11th century, before coming under the control of the Lords of Termes. In 1231 the region was given by Simon de Montfort to Pierre de Voisins after the Albigensian Crusade. His successor, Gilles de Voisins, began the construction of the castle in 1280 and the organization of the Bastide. It was the northern barons who came to occupy the land of the Cathar heretics under the order of Pope Innocent III. The dynasty of Voisins was extinguished in 1518 with the marriage of Françoise with Jean de Joyeuse, a member of the House of Joyeuse who therefore became the owner of the lordship and barony of Arques. Arques castle was abandoned in favour of the Château des Ducs de Joyeuse (Castle of the Dukes of Joyeuse) in Couiza. Lords and barons of Arques-barons were hereditary barons of Languedoc (Pays d'états) and had a permanent seat in the Estates of Languedoc.