Graissessac

Graissessac is a common French, located in the department of the Herault and the area Languedoc-Roussillon.

Geography

Located in the middle of the Mounts of Orb at 49 km of Béziers. The mounts Marcou (1093 Mr.), Huts (954 Mr.) and Aigut (1022 Mr.) form the solid mass which dominates the village.

History

Graissessac, whose reformed Church is girl of that of Bédarieux, is plunged in the storm of the Wars of religion in second half of the 16th century. Industry clothier there is then prosperous and represents the essence of the activity of the small village. The economic relations with outside, in connection with this activity, are important. The merchants and the industrialists, as a large Protestants majority (of the simple fact of prohibitions of the Catholic church in particular aiming the loan at pledges) circulate in the valleys while thus taking part in the propagation of the ideas of the Reform. Richelieu had to face a rising of the Protestants and it delivered a true war of State to them. The disorders had begun again since 1622 in the Cevennes. The fort of Graissessac is taken by storm by Mr. Rignac. The fallen place, the safe life is granted to the villagers in reward of their great courage. Richelieu, after having taken La Rochelle, principal fortified town of the insurrectionists, granted to reformed the edict of Ale grace (June 1629) by which the king of France Louis XIII guaranteed the application of the edict of Nantes. The mode of religious tolerance founded by Henri IV in 1598 was thus consolidated just as the obedience of the Protestants.

A half century later, in 1685, the promulgation of the edict of Fontainebleau per Louis XIV, who officializes the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, inaugurates for reformed the time of the " Désert". Two sites where these clandestine assemblies were held were located in Graissessac: first of all the long Prat at the bottom of the valley of Riols and a zone located along the brook of Provère. They did not accueilliaient only graissessacois but also the people come from the surroundings even moreover further. One counts, indeed, 100 to 200 faithful outsides to the commune (of Camarés in particular). However, the population being with very strong Protestant majority, the followers of the Reform did not hide.

The 19th century, the high content in coal of its basement allows its transformation into field. Graissessac between lime pit foot in the Industrial revolution. Its exploitation begins in 1845 aves creation from the company " Company of the mines of Graissessac" who disappears into 1857 before reappearing three years later (1860) under the name of " Company-Usquin-mines" (see Philippe-François-Didier Usquin. In 1863, the latter is replaced by the " Company of the four joined together mines of Graissessac" who will be finally nationalized in 1946. This industrial development could not have taken place without the development of means of transport fast and modern. In the beginning it is the company of GB (Graissessac-Béziers) at the beginning of Béziers which obtains the concession. The first years are remembered by errors of management, chicaneries, floods which lead the company to require its setting under sequestrations and which involve its bankruptcy since 1861. The State then will push the company of the Railroads of the South to repurchase the line (the transaction is finalized in 1865). The " Midi" in profits to ask a new concession on Millau at the beginning of the Tower of Orb. De Graissessac, the " Midi" push towards Pleasure-Andabre with a graining for the trains coming from Bédarieux. This line (Béziers-Séverac-Neussargues) is also that of the routing of the wines towards Paris. The railroad connecting Graissessac to Bédarieux, and by there with the remainder of the department, is completed in 1865. The opening-up of the site of extraction of Graissessac is thus carried out. The line is finally electrified in 1931-1932. The line the Turn-Graissessac is closed in 1954 for the travellers and 1978 for the goods traffic.

In 1999, Mr. Gerard Delfau, senator, applying at a meeting to the Senate with Mrs. Voynet then Minister for installation and environment are alarmed at " great budgetary and moral misery of the field of Graissessac". The village then undergoes a crisis of reconversion without precedent. However, the census of the population which is carried out the same year gives some signs of hopes. Indeed, it highlights, for the first time for a long time, the stabilization of the number of permanent inhabitants and especially a positive migratory rate. The many houses on sale are gradually repurchased by nationals of the European Union and French originating in the other areas.

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

cross of the 17th century (street of Barry).
mining vestiges (extraction of coal with open sky).

Personalities related to the commune

See too

Common of Herault

External bonds

Graissessac on the site of the national geographical Institute
Graissessac on the site of INSEE
Graissessac on the site of Quid
Localization of Graissessac on a chart of France and communes bordering
Plane on Graissessac on Mapquest

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