Fos-sur-Mer - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

Geography

Fos-sur-Mer is located at approximately 50 km in the North-West of Marseilles, on the littoral the Mediterranean N, at the bottom of a gulf which is inserted between the pond of Berre and the delta of the the Rhone, and at the Southern end of the plain of the Crau. The commune has 6 km of sand beaches, two ponds, Engrenier and the Stomach, and is crossed by the channel of Marseilles to the Rhone.

Demography

History

Prehistory

The site of the Mourre-Poussiou attests of the frequentation of groups of hunters-gatherers of the Épipaléolithique. This small plate of lengthened form is located on Eastern bank of the pond of the Stomach, to approximately 1 km in the North-East of the city. Its circumference consisted of rock shelters dug by the erosion of various times. Those disappeared or crumbled in consequence of the retreat of cliff. Largely deteriorated by the installation of two water towers and thereafter by the action of clandestine diggers, the site was the subject of excavations by the prehistorian max Escalon de Fonton into 1971,1972,1973 then in 1977 and 1979. Those made it possible to highlight not only one occupation of the site during the Épipaléolithique (Valorguien and Montadien for which one has a C14 date: 8980 + 200 B.P.) but also during the Mesolithic (Castelnovien). The sector also delivered some thin vestiges (shards of pottery) of the Neolithic final and the Chalcolithique.

Antiquity

During the Gallo-Roman Antiquity, Fos-sur-Mer was a port of first order, undoubtedly attached to the city of Arles. Its name, Fossae Marianae , is besides at the origin of the current name of Fos. It is indicated on famous the Table of Peutinger, in the shape of a label used only on this document for the port of Ostie, which gives an idea of its importance. To date, the question of the localization of Fossae Marianae remains posed.

Perhaps however, the presence of a complex whole of constructions currently submerged and located in the Saint-Gervais handle, to the west of the point of the same name, will provide a beginning of answer. One located there the vestiges of an important architecture in cut blocks of large apparatus, with assembly with Tail-with swallow, a thick wall in blocking as well as a formed device of large piles. With were a score of meters of the beach also located alignments of blocks of stone (more than 300) bored in their center of a circular cavity (for wood pillars?) and which forms two rectangular whole of 36 X 110 m, interpreted like possible installations of building site naval. Lastly, in 1975, to some 200 m in the west of the whole of immersed structures was discovered the vestiges of a Gallo-Roman Nécropole which delivered a score of steles and funerary furnace bridges including five bearing of the inscriptions. This necropolis which can be the first centuries after Jesus-Christ is today submerged by 4 to 5 m of water to some 300 to 400 m of the shore but was obviously out of water at the time of its use.

In the same zone of Saint-Gervais, in seaside, investigations carried out in 1984 then in 2004 revealed the vestiges of a probably pertaining to worship and funerary building (basilica?) as well as a necropolis dating from the late Antiquity. The building is illustrated only by one fragment of 10 m length wall. On each side were put at the day of the tombs and the sarcophagi with their lids as a bâtière. This necropolis Christian woman can be located between 5th and the 7th century. Under this one remain of the vestiges of Gallo-Roman tombs.

The Middle Ages

With the Middle Ages, Fos-sur-Mer was the original Fief lords of Fos . It was appeared as a long littoral band of approximately 25 km for a width lower than 10 km and included the castle, one of oldest and most important of Western Provence, the village and the grounds of Fos, the rural churches like Saint-Julien and Saint-Pierre close to Martigues and the Abbaye of Saint-Gervais of Fos.

The latter was located between the pond of the Stomach and the large marsh of Low the Crau. The first mention of the place, in 923, makes mention only one church already dedicated to Gervais saint, quoted like an appendix with the church Saint-Saver of Fos. Conceded a time with the bishop of Marseilles by the archbishop of Arles, Manassès, it was then restored with this last about fifty years later. On the initiative of a priest, Pation, undoubtedly charged with the church, and with the agreement of the archbishop of Arles, a community of monks is established in 989 and was harnessed there, perhaps with the assistance of the lords of Fos, with the construction of the buildings of the abbey. This one was devoted officially in May 992 by the archbishop of Arles. In 1081, after having revolved in the spiritual orbit of the abbey of Saint-Victor of Marseilles, the abbey of Saint-Gervais was yielded to the Abbaye of Cluny. It was the only abbey affiliated to Cluny of all maritime Provence. The privilege of the pope Innocent II which confirmed in 1130 the possessions of the abbey of Saint-Gervais mentions 22 churches distributed in at least seven dioceses. This distance of the abbey-mother and the circumstances of time (perhaps the Wars Baussenques, 1145-1162) explain why this supervision did not last more than 80 years. In 1223, the abbey was placed, not without a tough resistance of the abbots of Saint-Gervais during more than 35 years, under the jurisdiction of the archbishop of Arles which made of it soon an abbey of Chanoine S regular to which it links the churches of Saint-Saver and Sainte-Marie de Fos, Saint-Pierre de Lavalduc and Sainte-Marie de Bouc for the maintenance of the small community.

The family of the lords of Fos, undoubtedly from local stock, drew her name from the Garde of the castle of Fos which would have been entrusted to him during the 10th century by the archbishop of Arles, Manassès, nephew of Hugues of Arles and Master of most of Western Provence. At died of this last, in 961, Fos would have preserved their function but from now on for their own account by transforming it into hereditary office. This castle occupied a remarkable strategic position, controlling the access to the saline and fisheries of the pond of Berre and one of the ways connecting Marseilles to Arles.

The first lord of known Fos is Pons de Fos whose name appears in a Charte of the abbey of Saint-Victor, the “Brief of Cadière”, probably of the end of Xe century. It is probable that one can identify it in Pons Old the city in 965 with the title of Vicomte at the sides of the count d' Arles Boson II. At the conclusion of the expulsion of the Buckwheats of Provence in 972, this Pons de Fos is lived to allot by the count of Provence, (Guillaume Ier) known as the Liberator, part of the released grounds, more precisely the oriental party of the littoral zone of évêché of Toulon. From now on, the lords of Fos were also lords of Hyères. They drew especially their richness from the presence from saline on their territories, in particular those of the ponds of Lavalduc and Engrenier in the seigniory of Fos, and had the appearance of “lords of salt”.

In 1018, the lords of Fos tried to transform their seigniories into Alleu X and refused the suzerainty of the count de Provence on Fos and Hyères. A three year old followed war carried out by the count Guillaume II of Provence which lost the life in there 1018 and whose allies, the Viscounts of Marseilles, occupied the castle of Fos in 1020. Waste of time and effort, little time after, as of 1031, a new campaign was carried out and the territory of Fos was devastated by the army comtale. The lords of Fos still expressed their will of independence by being sulky the assembled peace. About 1048, the situation had hardly changed and GUI, lord of Fos, always refused the suzerainty of the count de Provence for Fos and Hyères, from where a new conflict at the conclusion which, in 1056, it ends finally up being subjected. This result was more undoubtedly obtained by the negotiation than by the force because the same year, Rostaing, wire of GUI, obtained évêché of Aix, which could not have been done without the agreement of the count de Provence. In 1060, Fos are again qualified the faithful ones of the count. Towards 1070, the lords of Fos seized the Bridge of the Fishermen, not of control of the close fisheries, the exit of the pond of Berre and the road of Marseilles to Arles. One needed the intervention of the Viscounts of Marseilles and the lords of the Beams to oblige them to return their catch.

The death of Bertrand Ier, in 1093, left the county of Provence without direct male heir. It leads about it a partition of Provence and the coexistence of three houses comtales. The lords of Fos lent oath of fidelity then and recognized as suzerain the count of Toulouse Raymond of Saint-Gilles.

The lords of Fos took part in the First crusade (1096 - 1099) in the person of Pons IV of Fos , precisely in the army of the count de Toulouse.

In 1112, by its marriage with Soft, girl of the countess Gerberge of Provence, the county of Provence échut to the count de Barcelone Raimond Berenger which then hastened to appear in Provence to take advantage of its rights. At the time of the homage to which many lords in subjected themselves 1113, the counts de Fos did not appear among the families represented. In 1115/1116, Raimond-Berenger thus conducted a campaign to subject the recalcitrant ones and, on this occasion, seized the castle of Fos where it accepted the homage of Pons V of Fos for the territories of Fos and Hyères.

Economy

Formerly the commune lived saline Marais S, but from now on the economy of the city is based on industry, with the presence of an important harbor industrial complex. The city enjoys an excellent position concerning the exchanges: the Mediterranean allows exchanges towards several countries, in particular the countries of North Africa. Fos-sur-Mer is very well served by the highways (which arrive at the doors of the industrial complex) driving towards the Spain and the Italy, but also towards French the big cities cities (Lyon, Paris, Marseilles) even towards any European destination; the proximity of the the Rhone is also a considerable asset. Thus, the city attracted various industries, in particular the Métallurgie (which employs nearly 4.700 people in 1998 is approximately 70% of the active population in 1999) with Sollac the Mediterranean (which manufactures mainly Acier S) and Ascometal, special steel producer bound for auto industry in Europe, the refinery with Esso and chemistry with Lyondell Chemical Company. On a proposal from Bernard Granié (then socialist mayor of Fos-sur-Mer) in an article of June 4th, 1999 and of Jean-Noël Guérini (socialist president of the General advice of the Rhone delta) in an initial plan of waste disposal, the Urban community Marseilles Provence Métropole projects the construction of an incinerator able to treat 300.000 T of waste annually. But the two men operate a at the end of 2002 abrupt reversal political against their adversary Jean-Claude Gaudin, and the tensions around this project are sharp today.

Monuments

The church Saint-Saver which is on the heights of Fos-sur-Mer is classified historic building.

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