- Villelongue
Villelongue is a
village and commune in theHautes-Pyrénées "département" of south-westernFrance . The town has a population of approximately 200. It belongs to the Communaute de Communes du Davantaygue.Villelongue is situated on the flank of the
Hautacam mountain, around a stream called the Ruisseau d'Isaby, and descends to theGave de Gavarnie torrent.It consists of a main village with a smaller hamlet above called
Ortiac . Ortiac boasts a charming medieval chapel. The woods above Ortiac conceal the Abbey of Saint-Orens, now in ruins.Villelongue has considerably expanded in recent years, as new tracts are open to development and as the road infrastructure have developed to allow inhabitants to commute to
Lourdes andTarbes .Villelongue is unusual among local towns in having a latinate name, rather than a name deriving from Bigourdan (the local dialect of the
Occitan language ). The name is said to derive from of a latin villa (i.e. a large farm) dating from late antiquity, situated in the lower part of the modern village, in an area known as "Las Longas".ee also
*
Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department
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