Pommiers (Gard)
| Pommiers | ||
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| region | Occitania | |
| Department | Gard | |
| Arrondissement | Le Vigan | |
| Canton | Le Vigan | |
| Community association | Pays Viganais | |
| Coordinates | 43 ° 57 ' N , 3 ° 36' E | |
| height | 218-628 m | |
| surface | 6.51 km 2 | |
| Residents | 56 (January 1, 2017) | |
| Population density | 9 inhabitants / km 2 | |
| Post Code | 30120 | |
| INSEE code | 30199 | |
Pommiers is a French commune with 56 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Gard department in the Occitanie region .
geography
The municipality of Pommiers lies on the extreme southern edge of the Cevennes Mountains and is characterized by the scenic transition to the Causses , which are characteristic plateaus for the region. It is located 46 kilometers northeast of the regional capital Montpellier and is part of a very sparsely populated area, although Le Vigan is a small town only a few kilometers north . The core town is located in the hills, while the valleys of the Arre river and its small tributary Glèpe run significantly deeper . The village occupies a correspondingly dominant position and offers a good view of the surrounding mountains and ridges. The vegetation consists mainly of chestnuts as well as stone and sessile oaks . In addition to the core town, the municipality includes the small settlements or farms of Roquevieille , Le Cun , La Blaquière and Mas Roubieux .
The neighboring municipalities of Pommiers are Molières-Cavaillac , Avèze and Le Vigan in the north, Saint-Bresson in the east, Saint-Laurent-le-Minier in the southeast and Montdardier in the south and west.
Infrastructure
There are various connections to neighboring towns via local roads. The D48, which leads to Avèze, should be emphasized, as this connects to the D999 and thus also connects to Le Vigan. On the one hand, the D999 provides the connection to the A75 motorway and, in the other direction, via the Ganges, provides access to the major cities of Montpellier and Nîmes .
History and culture
The place was first mentioned around 1200 and was named Pomaribus in a document from 1270 . This is probably derived from the Latin term pomarium , which means "orchard". In 1435 the place name appeared for the first time in its current spelling. The origin of the name can also be seen in the coat of arms created in 1694; this depicts an apple tree with fruits. During the period before the French Revolution, Pommiers was under the jurisdiction of the Viguerie of Le Vigan and Meyrueis and ecclesiastically belonged to the Diocese of Nîmes. In the 17th century Protestantism spread strongly in the Cevennes region, which is in contrast to all of France. In 1621 the villagers sent some representatives to a Calvinist sermon in Le Vigan, but the majority could not be convinced and decided against a break with the Roman Catholic Church. At least a Protestant minority emerged, which did not have its own church and held their services in a simple house. The place was only slightly affected by the Cevennes War (1702–1705), at the center of which was the conflict between the denominations, so that only minor incidents occurred.
The Romanesque village church of Saint-André probably dates back to the 12th century and was expanded to include the Saint-Joseph chapel in the 19th century . With its pointed arch and the ogive in the ceiling above the chancel , the church building has two architectural features that are unique for the region. On June 15, 1883, residents of Pommiers donated a 2.20 meter high and 350 kilogram heavy statue of St. Mary, which was erected in the village and was the focus of an annual procession until around 1940.
An important aspect of the local economic history is mining, which already played a certain role in the Middle Ages through the extraction of certain iron ores. Around 1870 this activity came up again, this time the extraction of the mineral calamine for zinc production was in the foreground. According to a measurement, the zinc content was around 27 percent. The mineral was mined for more than a hundred years, but production shifted to the neighboring communities of Montdardier and Saint-Laurent-le-Minier at the beginning of the 20th century. For a long time, calcination also played a role , which was carried out with the help of lime kilns until 1830 and made use of the region's geology, which is rich in limestone soils. In the direction of Avèze there was a factory for the production of carbonated mineral water from 1920, which ceased operations shortly after the end of the Second World War . Agriculture traditionally involved on the one hand the self-sufficiency of the residents with certain foods. On the other hand, olive and mulberry trees once existed in large numbers; the latter were used to raise silkworms. In the course of the 20th century, however, their importance declined sharply.
The recent history of Pommiers includes a decline in local infrastructure with a simultaneous significant improvement in connections to the surrounding area. A new school building was built in the 1880s and was used for almost a century before the school was finally closed due to the small population. The premises were partly converted into holiday accommodation and partly used for the municipal administration. The poor road connection well into the 20th century, which at that time only existed via Avèze, was considerably improved in 1972 by a connection to the southern neighboring towns.
Population development
| year | 1962 | 1968 | 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 69 | 63 | 82 | 72 | 61 | 60 | 72 | 61 |
In 1793 Pommiers had 223 inhabitants and experienced a further increase to the historical high of 348 people, which was reached in 1846. Subsequently, there was a steady slight decrease to 220 residents in 1911. From the First World War until the middle of the 20th century, however, there was a sharp decline in population before the number of residents reached a level of around 60 from the 1960s up to 70 people. During the First World War, 17 soldiers fell from the community and thus a considerable part of the population, in the Second World War two residents died in acts of war.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mairie de Pommiers , annuaire-mairie.fr
- ↑ a b La commune de Pommiers ( Memento of the original from November 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , cc-paysviganais.fr
- ↑ a b c d e f g Pommiers ( Memento of the original from October 2, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , PDF file about the place on cc-paysviganais.fr
- ↑ Pommiers - Notice communale , cassini.ehess.fr
