Allos

Allos is located some 12 km south of Barcelonnette and some 100 km north-west of Nice at an altitude of 1425 m. Neighbouring communes and villages ==Toponymy==

The locality appears for the first time in texts from 1056 under the name of ad Alodes which means Allods in Occitan. A Pre-Gallic hypothesis has also been considered more in line with local phonetic rules such as Fénié. The name Allos derived then from Al- designating "rocks". The form Alodes would be in this case a bad romanization. The commune is called Alòs in Occitan Vivaro-Alpine dialect. The name of the station ''La Foux-d'Allos'' means "narrow gorges" between the surrounding peaks. ==History==

The name of the people located in the upper valley of the Verdon is not certain but it may be the Eguiturii. and had its own consulat from 1233, by privilege from the Comte de Provence, and a Fair. Allos belonged to the Counts of Provence until 1388 then, with the Ubaye Valley and Nice, passed to the Counts of Savoy until 1713. From that time until the beginning of the French Revolution Allos was administratively attached to Barcelonnette. The first division of Basses-Alpes included Allos in the Barcelonnette district. During the Wars of religion the Duke of Lesdiguières bombarded the town without taking it in 1597. He had brought his army through the Col de Thuiles. The peculiarities of the Allos community, which occupies several deep valleys and whose habitat is dispersed across multiple villages, led to the creation of three parishes in the 17th century: one in La Foux, one in Bouchiers, and one in Baumelle. A large number of chapels were also built: 29 in total throughout history. Several major fires ravaged the town in 1718, 1747, and 1769. During the French Revolution the commune had a patriotic society which was created at the end of 1792. In the 20th century Allos became a tourist town: in 1935, the ski-lifts were built at Seignus and Foux. In the 1970s, when winter sports become mass entertainment, more ski resorts were built in two hamlets. It was not until 1985 qu'Allos turns towards the valley by integrating with the Arrondissement of Castellane. Heraldry Canting arms: Allos, in Latin Allosium, in Provençal Alouès. Alo-west Wing-bone. ==Administration==

List of Successive Mayors ;Mayors from 1971 The election of the City Council in March 2008 was the subject of an appeal to the administrative court of Marseille; the judgment led to new elections in September. ==Population==

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Allossards or Allossardes in French. Education The town has had a computerized library since 2004 (See online catalogue) in the Haut-Verdon library network (Communauté de communes du Haut-Verdon-Val-d'Allos) and has two primary schools (one at Allos and one in La Foux d'Allos). ==Economy==

Overview Allos is a high mountain commune whose main resource is tourism - hiking in the summer - but especially winter sports. In 2017 the active population was 525 people including 24 unemployed. These workers are mostly employed (66.9%) and the vast majority work in the commune (83%). This can be explained by the predominance of the tourism sector which provides sufficient employment to the people of the commune. As a result, most of the people of the commune work in services and administration (96% at the end of 2015). Industry, construction and agriculture employ 12 people in total. At the end of 2015 establishments active in the commune were mainly shops and services (372 of 501 establishments) and health and social administrative sector (91). Agriculture At the end of 2015 the primary sector (agriculture, forestry, fisheries) had 9 different establishments with 2 employees. Most of the survey data from the Ministry of Agriculture are subject to statistical secrecy which indicates low numbers and extent of cultivated land. In 2000 three farms used a utilized agricultural area (UAA) of 281 hectares - the area has been in sharp decline since 1988 (406 hectares). Industry In late 2015 the secondary sector (industry and construction) had 29 establishments mainly crafts (24 companies with no employees). The sector employs 10 people. Service activities The commune has two ski-stations: • Val d'Allos-La Foux, which links to the Pra-Loup ski area; • Val d'Allos-Le Seignus, which is called the village-station because it is connected by Aerial tramway to Allos village. Summer tourism is also developed with different lakes and mountain walks. In late 2015 the tertiary sector (trades and services) had 372 establishments (with 286 employees) plus 91 administrative establishments and the health and social sectors (employing 30 people). According to the Department of Tourism, tourism activity is very important for the commune with more than 5 tourists per resident and with a large capacity for accommodation. Several accommodation facilities for tourists exist in the commune (as of January 2020): • 10 hotels (3 ranked two stars, and one three-star) with a capacity of 161 beds; • no camping; • some furnished, some approved; • B & Bs are absent from the commune; • a large carrying capacity in various collective accommodations (summer shelters, youth hostels, holiday villages). It is nevertheless second homes that weigh more heavily on the capacity with 5,110 second homes (92.6% of the 5,520 dwellings). ==Culture and heritage==

The commune contains a very large number of sites that are registered as historical monuments. Lists below are abridged showing the main sites. There is also a very large number of items registered as historical objects located at: • The Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Fleur (2 items) • The Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Salette (1 item) • The Chapel of Saint-Antoine (11 items) • The Chapel of Saint-Laurent (8 items) • The Chapel of Saint Pierre (6 items) • The Chapel of Saint Sebastian (58 items) • The Chapel of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (5 items) • The Church of Notre-Dame-de-Valvert (59 items) • The Church of Notre-Dame-de-la-Baumelle (3 items) • The Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Lumiere (12 items) • The Church of Saint John the Baptist (21 items) Civil heritage There are still remnants of medieval structures: • The City Fortifications (Middle Ages) • The Banivol Tower (Middle Ages) is 7.2 m square. It may have protected a small town. • The Abrau Bridge (16th century) • A Lavoir (Public laundry) (19th century) • The Town Hall (19th century) ;Other sites of interest • The '''Ski-station of Foux d'Allos''' in the classic style of ski-stations with roofs dominated by corrugated iron (mid-1980s) • The Parish Church of Saint John the Baptist at la Foux (17th century) in traditional Romanesque style The commune also has many chapels which are also registered as historical monuments: • The Chapel of Saint Sebastian or Chapel of White Penitents (18th century) has the rise to glory of Saint Sebastian painted on the dome. • The Chapel of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine at Villard-Bas (19th century) • The Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce at Seignus-Bas (19th century). • The Chapel of Sainte-Brigitte and Saint-Joseph at Sainte-Brigitte (1890) • The Chapel of Saint-Roch at Plan-Ouest (17th century) • The Chapel of Saint Laurent at Seignus-Haut (1624) • The Chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Lumière (formerly a parish church) at Baumelle (1857) • The Chapel of Saint-Pierre near Basse-Colette (16th century) has a Retable closed by two small doors from the 16th century ;Other religious sites of interest • The Chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Monts has a sundial dated 1757 and bearing the legend Dieu seul est éternel; déjà loin de toi ("God alone is eternal; already far from you") • The Chapel of Saint-Jacques at Seignus-Bas The Church of Notre-Dame-de-Valvert The parish church of Allos dates from the first half of the 13th century and was listed as a historical monument in 1846 for the parts dating from the second half of the 9th and 10th centuries. It is built in Brickwork in a regular way with a chevet made of a single semicircular Apse, vaulted in cul-de-four. Like all churches in alpine style only the south wall has three bays which are semicircular. The decor is unusual with walls decorated with a series of small arcs. The decor is a late development (13th century) of the Lombard band. The capitals are adorned with foliage, except for the facade, and decorated with masks (Lombard influence) and animals. The front is reinforced by two buttresses at the corners. Raymond Collier identifies several characteristics of Notre-Dame-de-Valvert different from the communal type of alpine Romanesque: • the pilasters supporting the Arc-doubleaux are replaced by engaged columns (or half-columns); It was damaged at the beginning of the 17th century and again in 1697 by the war: the second time the Savoyards caused the collapse of the tower. The vault of the choir was repaired between that date and 1723 before the bell was worn out in 1727. The Allos fire on 15 November 1747 reached the church and caused extensive damage. A new tower was built in 1751. Major restoration work took place between 1894 and 1896: the bottom of the facade and the Mur gouttereau (guttered walls), the bay windows, and the Buttresses were completely rebuilt and the roof of the third bay itself was also completely rebuilt. The rest of the arches and the bell tower were rebuilt in 1899-1904 with various repairs, when the murals disappeared. Gallery Allos lake 01.jpg|Chapel Allos lake 02.jpg|Allos lake Allos lake 03.jpg|Allos lake and Mt. Pelat Allos lake 04.jpg|Allos lake and the chapel ==Notable people linked to the commune==

• Patritti: a painter of the 19th century • Jean-Esprit Pellissier, priest until 1905, he was the historian of the town. • Simon-Jude Honnorat (1783-1852), doctor and also the town historian and author of the Great dictionary of the Occitan language ==See also==