Saint-Arnac

Saint-Arnac Sent Arnac
The village with the Corbières mountains in the background
Coat of arms
Saint-Arnac
Location within Languedoc-Roussillon region Saint-Arnac
Coordinates:
Country	France
Region	Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrénées
Department	Pyrénées-Orientales
Arrondissement	Perpignan
Canton	Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet
Intercommunality	Agly Fenouillèdes
Government
• Mayor (2008–2014)	Guy Calvet
Area1	6.60 km2 (2.55 sq mi)
Population (2007)2	120
• Density	18/km2 (47/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	66169 / 66220
Elevation	212–583 m (696–1,913 ft) (avg. 306 m or 1,004 ft)
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.

Saint-Arnac (Occitan: Çantarnac) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.

Geography

Saint-Arnac is in the canton of Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet and in the arrondissement of Perpignan.

Map of Saint-Arnac and its surrounding communes

Toponymy

Attested forms

The name of Saint-Arnac appears in 899 as villare Centernacho, followed by Centernacum in the 12th century. But already in 1137, Ermengaud de So gives the name Sent Ernach, which later becomes Sant Arnach or Sanctum Arnachum, and then Saint-Arnac or Saint-Arnach in French. ·

Etymology

The original name, Centernach, is probably that of a landowner, followed by the suffix -acum, which may be either :

• Centerinus (from Centenus) ;
• Cincturinus (from Cinctura) ;
• Centuriones (from centurion).

The mistake made in the 12th century by homonymy is a reference to a supposed saint Arnach, who never existed, although Arnac used to be a common german name at the time (from arn, eagle, followed by -acum).

Population

Population 1962-2008

See also

• Communes of the Pyrénées-Orientales department

References

• INSEE