Roujan

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Roujan
Rojan
Roujan coat of arms
Roujan (France)
Roujan
region Occitania
Department Herault
Arrondissement Beziers
Canton Cazouls-lès-Beziers
Community association Les Avant-Monts
Coordinates 43 ° 30 ′  N , 3 ° 19 ′  E Coordinates: 43 ° 30 ′  N , 3 ° 19 ′  E
height 49-246 m
surface 17.02 km 2
Residents 2,158 (January 1, 2017)
Population density 127 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code 34320
INSEE code 34237

Roujan - town center with Église Saint-Laurent and war memorial

Roujan ( Occitan : Rojan ) is a town in the south of France and a municipality with 2158 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Hérault department in the Occitania region .

location

The circular village ( Circulade ) Roujan is located on a hill at an altitude of about 120 meters above sea level. d. M. about 21 kilometers (driving distance) northeast of Béziers ; the small town of Pézenas is about 15 kilometers to the south-east. The small river Peyne flows through the municipality. The round villages Gabian , Margon and Caux are located within a radius of about five kilometers.

Population development

year 1968 1975 1982 1990 1999 2006 2017
Residents 1481 1379 1409 1366 1486 1852 2158

At the beginning of the 19th century the population of the community was around 1200; Since then - despite slight fluctuations after the phylloxera crisis and due to the progressive mechanization of agriculture - steady population growth has been observed, which is still ongoing due to the relative proximity to the city of Béziers and the significantly lower property prices in the countryside.

economy

In earlier times, the residents of the village lived largely on self-sufficiency from agriculture, with both grain and wine being grown. In addition, they ran a little cattle (pigs, chickens, etc.). As in many places in Languedoc , viticulture dominated in the 19th century; the local winegrowers' cooperative markets the wine produced here through the Languedoc , Pays d'Herault and Pays d'Oc appellations . Because of the sales crisis for French wine, however, only about half of the agricultural land is still viniculture; on the other half, grain ( wheat , maize ) and sunflowers are grown again. Tourism has also played a marginal role in the income of residents and the municipal treasury since the 1960s.

history

It is assumed that a Celtic rampart ( castrum ), which was later occupied by the Romans, was at the beginning of local history. On the other hand, the fortified villages called Circulade could also be based on originally medieval plans. Cassan Abbey, founded in 1080, promoted the further development of the village.

Attractions

  • The old town center of Roujan belongs to the type of circulades - round villages that were built around a core consisting of a castle and / or church for defense reasons and whose outer house front served as a replacement for an expensive city wall.
  • The former priory church ( Église Saint-Laurent ) outside the ring of houses originally dates from the 13th / 14th centuries. Century and is one of the few examples of rural Gothic architecture in the south of France. The church was built in the 18./19. Thoroughly revised in the 19th century: the former Gothic west portal, which protruded slightly from the facade, was walled up and replaced by a new one on the south side; in addition, the eye-catching side chapels at the gable end were added. The originally preserved west window consists of seven six passports of equal size . The interior of the church has a single nave and is spanned by a ribbed vault that rests on figurative consoles . The church building was recognized as a monument historique in 1954 .
Église Saint-Nazaire
Abbaye de Cassan
  • The church of Saint-Nazaire , assigned to the pre-Romanesque period (9th / 10th century) due to its simple stone work and above all because of its monolithic window arches, stands about one and a half kilometers south of the village in the vineyards ( 43 ° 29 ′ 31 ″  N , 3 ° 19 ′ 1 ″  O ). Perhaps it was once the parish church of a place that has long since disappeared. It has an almost square apse and a double-barreled external staircase leading to a gallery , which - like the portal protruding from the south wall - was added later. The small church building was recognized as a monument historique in 1981 .
  • Approximately one and a half km northwest of Roujan ( 43 ° 30 '35 "  N , 3 ° 17' 17"  O ) is the former Augustine -Priorat Cassan , sometimes referred to as abbaye or as Château is titled. Already founded in 1080, the monastery was badly affected during the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) and the Huguenot Wars (1562-1598), so that in 1605 only eight canons were counted. In 1671 it came under the care of the Abbey of Sainte Geneviève in Paris ; The present monastery buildings date from this time. Only the Romanesque church, consecrated in 1115 and covered by a barrel vault , remained largely original. The church, monastery building and gardens were recognized as Monument historique in 1953 and 1998, respectively .

literature

  • Alfred Crouzat: Histoire de la ville de Roujan et du prieureÌ de Cassan, suivie d'une notice sur les diverses communes du canton. British Library, Historical Print Editions 2010, ISBN 978-12-49009-33-7 .

Web links

Commons : Roujan  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Église Saint-Laurent, Roujan in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  2. ↑ Chapelle Saint-Nazaire, Roujan in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)
  3. ↑ Ancien prieuré de Cassan, Roujan in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)