You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (April 2023) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Pouzilhac (French pronunciation: [puzijak]; Occitan: Posilhac) is a French commune in the Gard department in southern France, formerly Languedoc-Roussillon.
Pouzilhac | |
|---|---|
 A general view of Pouzilhac | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Pouzilhac  | |
  Pouzilhac  Pouzilhac | |
| Coordinates: 44°02′31″N 4°34′50″E / 44.0419°N 4.5806°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Occitania |
| Department | Gard |
| Arrondissement | Nîmes |
| Canton | Redessan |
| Intercommunality | Pont du Gard |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Thierry Astier[1] |
Area 1 | 16.04 km2 (6.19 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 744 |
| • Density | 46/km2 (120/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 30207 /30210 |
| Elevation | 168–261 m (551–856 ft) (avg. 230 m or 750 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Geography
editPouzilhac is situated on the right bank of the Rhone next to the route national 86 and its close access to the A7 motorway (Remoulins, Tavel, Bollène).[3] The commune covers 16 km² and has 733 inhabitants since the last population census in 2018. Surrounded by the municipalities of Valliguières, La Capelle-et-Masmolène and Saint-Paul-les-Fonts, Pouzilhac is located 14 km southwest of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, the largest city in the area. Located at 218 meters above sea level, the Ragouse is the main waterway that crosses the town of Pouzilhac.
History
editThe oldest occupation of the site dates back to the Bronze Age, around 2500 B.C.[3]
The Romans left many traces of their occupation, an inscription in the masonry of the church testifies to the existence of a "villa".[3]
During the medieval period, since the 11th century, a castrum existed, first mentioned in 1121 as Castrum de Posilhac.[4]: 171 In 1176 it appeared as Villa de Posiliaco [4] In 1258, the municipal archives of Valliguières mention it as 'Posillanum' and in 1355 as 'Posilhacum'.[4] A Posillac took part in the First Crusade alongside the Count of Toulouse.[3]
It was during the religious wars in Europe in 1662 that the community took strategic importance with the construction of fortifications, and experienced a demographic progression.[3] Pouzilhac belonged to the viguerie of Roquemaure, a viguerie of the diocese of Uzès which included fourteen villages: Les Essarts, Lirac, Montfaucon, Pujaut, Rochefort, Roquemaure, Saint-Geniès-de-comolas, Saint-Hilaire-d'Ozilhan, Saint-Laurent-des-Arbres, Sauveterre, Saze, Tavel, and Valliguières.[4]: 188
The 12 th century chapel of Saint-Privat de Pouzilhac appears under the name 'Priory Sainct-Privat de Pouzilhac' in 1620.[4] The chapel occupies a site located along the ancient Roman road linking Nîmes to Alba Augusta, on which ancient inscriptions and epitaphs have been discovered.[5]: 525
Population
edit| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | 328 | — |
| 1968 | 357 | +8.8% |
| 1975 | 372 | +4.2% |
| 1982 | 403 | +8.3% |
| 1990 | 373 | −7.4% |
| 1999 | 434 | +16.4% |
| 2008 | 612 | +41.0% |
| 2010 | 618 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 660 | +6.8% |
| 2018 | 734 | +11.2% |
| 2020 | 739[6] | +0.7% |
Sights
edit
There is the Château de Pouzilhac and the Église Saint-Privat de Pouzilhac, (both private property) as well as the Chapelle Saint-Privat de Pouzilhac. There are also 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites within a radius of 30 km around Pouzilhac: Nimes, Orange, Avignon and Pont du Gard.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 4 May 2022.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "Communes - Pont du Gard". 14 January 2015. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Eugène Germer-Durand, 'Dictionnaire topographique du département du Gard, Imprimerie impériale, Paris, 1868
- ^ Michel Provost, Carte archéologique de la Gaule (30/2 GARD), Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 1999.
- ^ "Populations légales 2006 − Commune de Pouzilhac (30207)". www.insee.fr. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
 | This Gard geographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |