Auch
Cathedral in the town centre
Auch
Administration
Country	France
Region	Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Gers
Arrondissement	Auch
Intercommunality	Grand Auch
Mayor	Claude Bétaille (2001–2008)
Statistics
Elevation	115–281 m (377–922 ft) (avg. 166 m or 545 ft)
Land area1	72.48 km2 (27.98 sq mi)
Population2	21,744  (2008)
- Density	300 /km2 (780 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	32013/ 32000
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.

Coordinates: 43°38′47″N 0°35′08″E / 43.6465°N 0.5855°E / 43.6465; 0.5855

Auch (French pronunciation: [ɔʃ]; Gascon: Aush [awʃ]) is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Midi-Pyrénées, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony.

History[link]

The Ausci[link]

Auch is a very ancient town. The name of Auch comes from the Aquitanian tribe that inhabited the area at the time of the Roman conquest in the 50s BC. The name of this tribe, as recorded by the Romans, was Ausci (pronounced [awski] in Latin), singular Auscus. Aquitanians spoke a language related to the old Basque language, and a striking fact is that the name Ausci seems related to the native name of the modern Basques, who call themselves Euskal (pronounced [euskal] in Basque).^{[citation needed]}

At the time of the Roman conquest, the native name of Auch, as recorded by the Romans, was Elimberris. Elimberris is itself a variant of Iliberri, where Ili- comes from the Iberian word iltir' or iltur (the "t" is mute) meaning town, city, oppidum, a frequent prefix in names of Iberian cities, and which was probably borrowed into Basque and also Aquitanian (cf. modern Basque hiri, meaning "town"). In modern Basque there is also the word berri which means "new", so Iliberri is often interpreted as meaning "new oppidum" (based on the fact that Aquitanian and old Basque are related). However, this interpretation should be taken with caution. In the south of Spain, near Granada, an area far away from the Basque homeland, there was an Iberian city whose name the Romans also recorded as Iliberi, and here it seems the name recorded by the Romans is the phonetic transcription of Iberian Ilbirir, which comes from the Iberian stem ilbi- (meaning unknown), and not at all from an hypothetical il(t)i- (town) and Basque berri.

The Romans renamed the town Augusta Auscorum (or Augusta Ausciorum), which means "Augusta of the Ausci". Eventually, Augusta was dropped, and the name evolved into modern Gascon Aush, and modern French Auch. Inhabitants of Auch are known in French as Auscitains (pronounced [ositɛ̃])

Capital of Gascony[link]

During Roman times, Auch was one of the twelve civitates of the province of Novempopulana (Gascony).

In 409, when Eauze, the capital of Novempopulana, was ruined by the Vandals, Auch replaced it as the capital of Gascony. It became the seat of a Catholic archdiocese, the Archdiocese of Auch, covering the whole of Gascony, which lasted until the French Revolution, and whose archbishops claimed the title of Primate of Aquitaine, Novempopulana, and of the kingdom of Navarre.

Population[link]

Sights[link]

Auch is known for its Renaissance Cathédrale Sainte-Marie with its magnificent organ, carved stalls and rose stained-glass windows, La Tour d'Armagnac – a 14th century prison, as well as a statue of d'Artagnan who was based on the real life person, Charles de Batz, Comte d'Artagnan born nearby in the château de Castelmore, and written about by Alexandre Dumas.

Geography[link]

The River Gers flows through the town.

Transportation[link]

Auch is well connected to nearby cities and towns such as Agen, Toulouse and Tarbes by Routes Nationales.

Personalities[link]

Auch was the birthplace of:

• Jacques Fouroux (1947–2005), rugby union player
• Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse (1750–1812), admiral
• Dominic Serres (1719–1793), painter
• Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange (1877–1964), Dominican and prominent Neo-Thomist theologian

See also[link]

• Gascony Show – English language radio in Auch
• Communes of the Gers department

References[link]

• INSEE

External links[link]

• Official website (in French)
• Unofficial website about Auch (in French)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Auch

v t e Communes of the Gers department Aignan Ansan Antras Arblade-le-Bas Arblade-le-Haut Ardizas Armentieux Armous-et-Cau Arrouède Aubiet Auch Augnax Aujan-Mournède Auradé Aurensan Aurimont Aussos Auterive Aux-Aussat Avensac Avéron-Bergelle Avezan Ayguetinte Ayzieu Bajonnette Barcelonne-du-Gers Barcugnan Barran Bars Bascous Bassoues Bazian Bazugues Beaucaire Beaumarchés Beaumont Beaupuy Beccas Bédéchan Bellegarde Belloc-Saint-Clamens Belmont Béraut Berdoues Bernède Berrac Betcave-Aguin Bétous Betplan Bézéril Bezolles Bézues-Bajon Biran Bivès Blanquefort Blaziert Blousson-Sérian Bonas Boucagnères Boulaur Bourrouillan Bouzon-Gellenave Bretagne-d'Armagnac Le Brouilh-Monbert Brugnens Cabas-Loumassès Cadeilhan Cadeillan Cahuzac-sur-Adour Caillavet Callian Campagne-d'Armagnac Cannet Cassaigne Castelnau-Barbarens Castelnau-d'Anglès Castelnau-d'Arbieu Castelnau-d'Auzan Castelnau-sur-l'Auvignon Castelnavet Castéra-Lectourois Castéra-Verduzan Castéron Castet-Arrouy Castex Castex-d'Armagnac Castillon-Debats Castillon-Massas Castillon-Savès Castin Catonvielle Caumont Caupenne-d'Armagnac Caussens Cazaubon Cazaux-d'Anglès Cazaux-Savès Cazaux-Villecomtal Cazeneuve Céran Cézan Chélan Clermont-Pouyguillès Clermont-Savès Cologne Condom Corneillan Couloumé-Mondebat Courrensan Courties Crastes Cravencères Cuélas Dému Duffort Duran Durban Eauze Encausse Endoufielle Esclassan-Labastide Escornebœuf Espaon Espas Estampes Estang Estipouy Estramiac Faget-Abbatial Flamarens Fleurance Fourcès Frégouville Fustérouau Galiax Garravet Gaudonville Gaujac Gaujan Gavarret-sur-Aulouste Gazaupouy Gazax-et-Baccarisse Gée-Rivière Gimbrède Gimont Giscaro Gondrin Goutz Goux Haget Haulies Homps Le Houga Idrac-Respaillès L'Isle-Arné L'Isle-Bouzon L'Isle-de-Noé L'Isle-Jourdain Izotges Jegun Jû-Belloc Juillac Juilles Justian Laas Labarrère Labarthe Labarthète Labastide-Savès Labéjan Labrihe Ladevèze-Rivière Ladevèze-Ville Lagarde Lagarde-Hachan Lagardère Lagraulet-du-Gers Laguian-Mazous Lahas Lahitte 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Monlezun-d'Armagnac Monpardiac Montadet Montamat Montaut Montaut-les-Créneaux Mont-d'Astarac Mont-de-Marrast Montégut Montégut-Arros Montégut-Savès Montesquiou Montestruc-sur-Gers Monties Montiron Montpézat Montréal Mormès Mouchan Mouchès Mourède Nizas Nogaro Noilhan Nougaroulet Noulens Orbessan Ordan-Larroque Ornézan Pallanne Panassac Panjas Pauilhac Pavie Pébées Pellefigue Perchède Pergain-Taillac Pessan Pessoulens Peyrecave Peyrusse-Grande Peyrusse-Massas Peyrusse-Vieille Pis Plaisance Plieux Polastron Pompiac Ponsampère Ponsan-Soubiran Pouydraguin Pouylebon Pouy-Loubrin Pouy-Roquelaure Préchac Préchac-sur-Adour Preignan Préneron Projan Pujaudran Puycasquier Puylausic Puységur Ramouzens Razengues Réans Réjaumont Ricourt Riguepeu Riscle La Romieu Roquebrune Roquefort Roquelaure Roquelaure-Saint-Aubin Roquepine Roques Rozès Sabaillan Sabazan Sadeillan Saint-André Saint-Antoine Saint-Antonin Saint-Arailles Saint-Arroman Saint-Aunix-Lengros Saint-Avit-Frandat Saint-Blancard Saint-Brès Saint-Caprais Saint-Christaud Saint-Clar Saint-Créac Saint-Cricq Sainte-Anne Sainte-Aurence-Cazaux Sainte-Christie Sainte-Christie-d'Armagnac Sainte-Dode Sainte-Gemme Saint-Élix Saint-Élix-Theux Sainte-Marie Sainte-Mère Sainte-Radegonde Saint-Georges Saint-Germé Saint-Germier Saint-Griède Saint-Jean-le-Comtal Saint-Jean-Poutge Saint-Justin Saint-Lary Saint-Léonard Saint-Lizier-du-Planté Saint-Loube Saint-Martin Saint-Martin-d'Armagnac Saint-Martin-de-Goyne Saint-Martin-Gimois Saint-Maur Saint-Médard Saint-Mézard Saint-Michel Saint-Mont Saint-Orens Saint-Orens-Pouy-Petit Saint-Ost Saint-Paul-de-Baïse Saint-Pierre-d'Aubézies Saint-Puy Saint-Sauvy Saint-Soulan Salles-d'Armagnac Samaran Samatan Sansan Saramon Sarcos Sarragachies Sarraguzan Sarrant La Sauvetat Sauveterre Sauviac Sauvimont Savignac-Mona Scieurac-et-Flourès Séailles Ségos Ségoufielle Seissan Sembouès Sémézies-Cachan Sempesserre Sère Sérempuy Seysses-Savès Simorre Sion Sirac Solomiac Sorbets Tachoires Tarsac Tasque Taybosc Termes-d'Armagnac Terraube Thoux Tieste-Uragnoux Tillac Tirent-Pontéjac Touget Toujouse Tourdun Tournan Tournecoupe Tourrenquets Traversères Troncens Tudelle Urdens Urgosse Valence-sur-Baïse Vergoignan Verlus Vic-Fezensac Viella Villecomtal-sur-Arros Villefranche Viozan