Sommières
Encyclopedia
Sommières is a commune
in the Gard
department in southern France
.
It lies 22 km (13.7 mi) from Nîmes
, 28 km (17.4 mi) from Montpellier
.
s and on the edge of the Vaunage
, a wine growing region. It straddles the River Vidourle
.
in 1248, following the crusade against the Albigensiens. It became a Protestant stronghold, and it was besieged by the catholics in 1573 and again by Louis XIII
in 1622.
It has always been prone to flooding, and as recently as 2002 the River Vidourle flooded, causing major damage to the town and properties along the bank. This time it washed out the Champion supermarket, which reopened at Villevieille in July 2008. In October 2008 this supermarket was rebranded Carrefour.
The floods are called 'vidourlades'.
. The catholic forces were trying to suppress the Huguenot
s in this one of their strongholds. Marshall Damville laid siege to Sommières for the second time on 11th February 1573, and the garrison held out 9th April, resisting the attackers with red hot iron and boiling oil. Though nominally a royal victory, the defenders were offered generous terms, including the right for the garrison to march out with full honours of war. The Siege of Sommières delayed the advance of the royal army by two months and is calculated to have cost them 2500 lives. Only 38 houses remained standing
In 1703, Jean Cavalier
the leader of the Camisard
s with a force of 800 men unsuccessfully attempted to take the city. The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes left the protestants in a dangerous situation- and the chateau at Sommières was used as to incarcerate them- along with English and Dutch sailors and women accused of prostitution.
The Roman bridge is 190m long, it was built on the instructions of Emperor Tiberius
at the start of the 1st century. It was restored in the 18th century. At the town end of the bridge is the gothic
town gate known as the 'Tour de l'Horloge'.. Only 7 of the 19 arches can be seen, the others lie beneath the town where they act as cellars.
The ancient Roman road
(Via Luteva) leads from the gate, along the Grande Rue to the 'Marché-Haut' or Place Jean Jaurès
, the old wheat market. Here it turns left and leaves the town heading to Alès
, and Nîmes
.
The participants are free to create their one program and broadcast it.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Gard
Gard
Gard is a département located in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region.The department is named after the River Gard, although the formerly Occitan name of the River Gard, Gardon, has been replacing the traditional French name in recent decades, even among French speakers.- History...
department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
It lies 22 km (13.7 mi) from Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, 28 km (17.4 mi) from Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
.
Geography
Sommières is to the south of the garrigueGarrigue
Garrigue or phrygana is a type of low, soft-leaved scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. It is found on limestone soils around the Mediterranean Basin, generally near the seacoast, where the climate is ameliorated, but where annual summer...
s and on the edge of the Vaunage
Vaunage
The Vaunage is an area of southern France made up of the plain and the small hills around Nages. It is known for its oppidum. The Vaunage area is located between Languedoc and Provence and between Sommières and Nîmes...
, a wine growing region. It straddles the River Vidourle
Vidourle
The Vidourle is a river in southern France, flowing into the Mediterranean Sea in Le Grau-du-Roi. Its source is in the Cévennes mountains, northwest of Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort, at Saint-Roman-de-Codières. It flows generally southeast...
.
History
The village grew in the protection of the castle. It was annexed into the French kingdom by King Louis XLouis X of France
Louis X of France, , called the Quarreler, the Headstrong, or the Stubborn was the King of Navarre from 1305 and King of France from 1314 until his death...
in 1248, following the crusade against the Albigensiens. It became a Protestant stronghold, and it was besieged by the catholics in 1573 and again by Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
in 1622.
It has always been prone to flooding, and as recently as 2002 the River Vidourle flooded, causing major damage to the town and properties along the bank. This time it washed out the Champion supermarket, which reopened at Villevieille in July 2008. In October 2008 this supermarket was rebranded Carrefour.
The floods are called 'vidourlades'.
Siege of Sommières 1573
The Fourth War of Religion (1562–98) started with the St Bartholomew's Day massacre and finished with the Edict of NantesEdict of Nantes
The Edict of Nantes, issued on 13 April 1598, by Henry IV of France, granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in a nation still considered essentially Catholic. In the Edict, Henry aimed primarily to promote civil unity...
. The catholic forces were trying to suppress the Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
s in this one of their strongholds. Marshall Damville laid siege to Sommières for the second time on 11th February 1573, and the garrison held out 9th April, resisting the attackers with red hot iron and boiling oil. Though nominally a royal victory, the defenders were offered generous terms, including the right for the garrison to march out with full honours of war. The Siege of Sommières delayed the advance of the royal army by two months and is calculated to have cost them 2500 lives. Only 38 houses remained standing
Siege of Sommières 1622
This time the catholic king himself led the army. The siege was short. The town was back in protestant hands in 1625 when the protestant Duke of Rohan entered the city.He was to leave in haste and the catholics were back.In 1703, Jean Cavalier
Jean Cavalier
Jean Cavalier, real name Joan Cavalièr in Occitan, , the famous chief of the Camisards, was born at Mas Roux, a small hamlet in the commune of Ribaute near Anduze .-Early life:...
the leader of the Camisard
Camisard
Camisards were French Protestants of the rugged and isolated Cevennes region of south-central France, who raised an insurrection against the persecutions which followed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685...
s with a force of 800 men unsuccessfully attempted to take the city. The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes left the protestants in a dangerous situation- and the chateau at Sommières was used as to incarcerate them- along with English and Dutch sailors and women accused of prostitution.
Sights
The village has a Roman bridge, a medieval centre, a fortified gate and the ruins of a castle.The Roman bridge is 190m long, it was built on the instructions of Emperor Tiberius
Tiberius
Tiberius , was Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. Tiberius was by birth a Claudian, son of Tiberius Claudius Nero and Livia Drusilla. His mother divorced Nero and married Augustus in 39 BC, making him a step-son of Octavian...
at the start of the 1st century. It was restored in the 18th century. At the town end of the bridge is the gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
town gate known as the 'Tour de l'Horloge'.. Only 7 of the 19 arches can be seen, the others lie beneath the town where they act as cellars.
The ancient Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
(Via Luteva) leads from the gate, along the Grande Rue to the 'Marché-Haut' or Place Jean Jaurès
Jean Jaurès
Jean Léon Jaurès was a French Socialist leader. Initially an Opportunist Republican, he evolved into one of the first social democrats, becoming the leader, in 1902, of the French Socialist Party, which opposed Jules Guesde's revolutionary Socialist Party of France. Both parties merged in 1905 in...
, the old wheat market. Here it turns left and leaves the town heading to Alès
Alès
Alès is a commune in the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. It is one of the sub-prefectures of the department. It was formerly known as Alais.-Geography:...
, and Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
.
Radio Sommières 102.9 FM
Radio Sommières 102.9 FM (also called Radio-S) is one of the biggest non commercial radio exclusively made by teenagers from 9 to 18 years. It is possible to listen to Radio-S in Sommières on 102.9 MHz. But the sending power is limited to 10 W PAR, so it is almost impossible to listen to it outside Sommières. It is possible to listen Radio-S over all the world via the radio's internet site.The participants are free to create their one program and broadcast it.