AIGUES-VIVES

Aigues-Vives, a village in the Minervois, owes its name to the latin "Aquaviva" (988) : "Aqua" which means water, and "Viva" which means living, running or gushing spring.

At an altitude of 165m, 415 Aigues-Vivois(es) live in this village including the hamlets of Cailhol, Cazelles and Paguignan.

At the confluence of the rivers Cessière and Cesse, on the border of the Hérault and the Aude, Aigues-Vives takes its name from a gushing spring: Aquaviva. It is a dynamic village with many shops.

Land of turbulent history, this village witnessed the revolt of the Gauls; thus, in the hamlet of Paguignan, a 2nd century temple was destroyed and burnt down during this conflict. Ten centuries later, Franciscan and Dominican monks built the church of Saint-Martin-le-Vieux on these Gallic ashes, whose characteristic southern Gothic style would, despite its rarity, influence as far away as Mallorca.