Gallargues-le-Montueux

Gallargues-le-Montueux is a common French, located in the department of the Gard and the area Languedoc-Roussillon. Its inhabitants are called the Gallarguois and Gallarguoises .

Geography

Gallargues, at semi distance of Nimes (18 km in the east) and from Montpellier (22 km in the west) is the first hill rising of 60 meters to the top of the plain of Small the Camargue which, composed of ponds and old marshes drained until Aimargues (5 km in the south), joined Mediterranean coastline (15 km in the south) by exceeding only of 8 meters the sea level with the accesses of the national 113 Southern limit of the commune.

The Western limit of the commune is marked to 1 kilometer of the hill by the river Vidourle bordered of a Ripisylve (gallery-forest) classified Saule S and white poplars.

Also classified in North, the Pinède known as of Cabassut leads in direction of Aubais (3,6 km in north) and of Sommières (9 km in north) to a vast natural plate of rupestral Garrigue where dominate holm oaks, pine S, Laurier S and Cyprès.

At the south of the hill where the habitat is established locates the cultivated plain made up essentially of a Vignoble at the Cépage S carefully trained being neighborly with various market gardenings.

In the east the limit is marked by a river: the Razil.

History

The origin of Gallargues is very old.

Under the reign of the Roman Emperor Tibère, the existence of a villa belonging to the military powerful orator of VIIe Légion Quintus Statius Gallus is quoted on the hill which the village occupies today, whereas the local population groups with two kilometers in the city of Ambrussum, which saw relay that it brings to the Via Domitia (just like 2000 years later Gallargues exploits its position on the exchanger of the highway A9).

Then the collapse of the Roman empire at the 5th century causes events which here as elsewhere make migrate the populations towards the fortified towns and the heights. The excavations practiced at the time of the restoration of the Saint Martin's day church made it possible to establish the presence of a first church on the site of current and of a village around the Carolingian time (8th century).

The village becomes populated initially around its church and of its baptized fountain Saint Cosme, with the foot of the first castle now disappeared from the lord of the Rostaing places, whose existence is reported in 1027 by the act of creation of a convent that it protects on the city.

The Seigneurie will be then attached to the Baronnie de Lunel.

In 1295, Gallargues, asset with the baronnie of Lunel by the king of France Philippe IV Beautiful the, receives at the same time to him its charter of frankness, confirmed then by its successors François I {{er}} in 1533, Henri IV in 1660, Louis XIV in 1690. This charter confers the right to him to elect consuls freely founding there are seven centuries the democratic municipal authorities which the municipal council of the city perpetuates today.

In 1356, the seneshal of Beaucaire having ordered its setting in defense, a second castle whose tower called royal residence today is built and the city is strengthened by a rampart built with same material and in the same Acute-Dead equipment as that of to 6 meters height over 1,30 to 2 meters thickness and 600 meters of circumference defended by 5 grosses towers with 3 doors in harrowed warheads (Paris was then protected by the Enceinte from Philippe Auguste only 8 times wider).

At the time of the enumeration of 1384, Gallargues is a notable city counted for 30 fires when it is allotted by it 5 to Aubais, 6 with Saint-Laurent-with Aigouze, 5 with Langlade, 9 with Beauvoisin, 8 with Bellegarde, 8 with Fourques, 8 with Uchaud, 11 with the Cailar, its castle and the seigniory which depends on it is regarded as a sufficiently important possession so that the queen of Majorque Isabelle (which resides and dies at it in 1404) agrees to receive them from the king de France Charles VI in compensation selling price of Montpellier that his/her father Jaume III had concluded on October 25th, 1349 with the king from France Philippe VI without finally receiving the agreed payment.

On the way of the Pilgrimage of Saint-Jacques-to-Compostelle, Gallargues becomes a famous halt (always very attended nowadays where the commune maintains its tradition of hospitality). In the middle of the city, pointing out this bond, an imposing medieval residence, recently restored, is by famous popular tradition to have been the Holy Hospital Jacques.

Then as of its birth the Protestantisme allures Gallarguois which mainly converts there and the village cruelly pays its fidelity with its convictions because on October 11th, 1628 the armies of Louis XIII ordered by the Duc of Montmorency make the seat of the city which resists, demolish its ramparts, capture the Protestant garrison that order François de Valescure, set fire to the city and hang to the following day in Montpellier 63 their prisoners.

But making honor with its currency “ Rupibus firmior ” (more solid than the rock) the city changing knows itself even an undeniable prosperity at the 18th century and 19th century centuries whose quality testifies to the residences gallarguoises of the time when left the perimeter of its ramparts the city counts already two thousand gallarguois whereas France counts hardly 28.000.000 inhabitants (enumeration of 1790).

And in this beginning of the 21e century, Gallargues joins together more than 3000 inhabitants who appreciate the charm of their city and his remarkable situation at short distance of Montpellier, of Nimes, of the sea, the the Camargue which strongly marks its traditions and its festivals by its plays taurins.

The trade of the Maurelle with the Holland (matter obtained of a kind of Tournesol coloring in red cheese of Holland), the vine growing succeeded with a talent which the medals confirm that the remarkably vinified type of vines of Gallargues collect. With the dyeings of garance and the lucrative weaving of the " indiennes" (Hermes squares of the time) which made the reputation and the fortune of Gallarguois succeeds today its active city which takes a lead in forty hectares like major site of uses and activities of the area with Le Figaro, Smurfit, Antix, Bastide Medical and thirty other companies.

Demography

Places and monuments

At the top of the hill on which the city is built, there remains second castle of Gallargues the royal Tour of the 14th century MH.

With little distance in the walls of the third castle which had built at the 18th century the marquis de Rochemore finds the current temple one of most imposing of Languedoc IMH.

The church Saint Martin's day (which has just been remarkably restored) of Romance invoice finds its origin at the 8th century on same spot MH.

In the middle history of the city and perimeter formerly strengthened one can see today the hospital medieval Saint-Jacob real remains private IMH.

The field of Thomas Burnet imposing country house of the 18th century of elegant proportions built on cellars and remainders of former building of the 16th century is currently also a private residence IMH.

Scattered fragments of the old ramparts of the 14th century remain in the city.

An arch also of the Roman bridge on which the Via Domitia passed on Vidourle MH.

Personalities related to the commune

Quintus Statius Gallus, powerful orator military of Legion VII Geminated under the reign of Tibère which establishes its villa with the 77e thousand of via Domitia on the hill which carries since its name Gallargues (which means in Latin Gallus argum - the ground of Gallus).

Rostaing, first lord of Gallargues which announces and mentions its castle in the constitutive instrument of a Monastère in 1027.

Isabelle last titrated queen of Majorque (1337-1404) which took possession of the castle and the seigniory of Gallargues in 1395 (castle of which there remains a tower known as royal tower with equipment identical to that of the citadel of Acute-Dead).

Rochemore (marquis), family of high-ranking magistrates in Présidial of Nimes and the Court of the Assistances of Montpellier whose seigniory exceeded the current territory of Gallargues extended on other side of the Vidourle, which built their castle " moderne" in Gallargues in 1750, which burnt with the Révolution then partially restored and altered became under the Empire first the Temple.

Spirit Arrow-maker (1632-1710), bishop of Nimes, crowned speaker as famous as Bossuset at its time, member of the French Academy and creator of the Academy of Nimes, which ordered and directed the first restoration of the Saint Martin's day church after its devastation at the time of the wars of religion then itself reconsacrée it.

Henri Pitot (1697-1771), director of work of the Seneschalsy of Nimes then States of Languedoc (known to have brought running water to Montpellier by a 14 kilometers length aqueduct) which devoted twenty years of its life to direct in Gallargues a monumental building site of dams and outfalls to protect all the territory from raw from Vidourle.

Isaac Berard (1770-1819), native wine subsidiary shell of Gallargues which invented a reliable and economic technique of distillation and produced a machine bearing its name rival of the models patented by Nîmois Adam in 1801 and of the model of Alambic recommended by Chaptal.

Paulin Talabot (1799-1885) polytechnician (X 1819) founder of the company of the railroads of the Gard then of the company PLM which brought into service in 1845 the Nimes-Montpellier line on which it built the station of Gallargues then made this station a turntable of his network while building as from 1863 the open Gallargues-Sommières line in 1872.

Philippe Lamour (1903-1992) which made pass the channel which bears its name in edge of the city, then within the RACINE mission charged to arrange the Languedocien littoral recommended the choice of Gallargues for the exit of highway attaching the roads of the beaches.

Large Toni, (1935-2005) sculptor

the Allusion Group, composed of Adrien Andreo (song, guitar), Alexandre Andreo (low), Gauthier Reboul (battery).

See too

Common of Gard
the Community of communes Rhôny Vistre Vidourle

External bonds

Site on Gallargues and its monuments
Gallargues-le-Montueux on the site of the national geographical Institute
Gallargues-le-Montueux on the site of INSEE
Gallargues-le-Montueux on the site of Quid
Localization of Gallargues-le-Montueux on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Gallargues-le-Montueux on Mapquest

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