Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert

Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert
region	Occitania
Department	Herault
Arrondissement	Lodève
Canton	Gignac
Community association	Vallée de l'Hérault
Coordinates	43 ° 44 ' N , 3 ° 33' E Coordinates: 43 ° 44 ' N , 3 ° 33' E
height	54-812 m
surface	38.64 km 2
Residents	253 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	7 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	34150
INSEE code	34261

Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert is a French commune with 253 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region . It belongs to the arrondissement of Lodève and the canton of Gignac .

Today the village with its monastery and the Pont du Diable (Devil's Bridge) in the nearby municipality of Saint-Jean-de-Fos is a major tourist attraction. It is classified as one of the Plus beaux villages de France ( Most Beautiful Villages in France ).

geography

The medieval town is located in the Verdus valley , which flows into the Hérault River nearby . The Hérault forms a narrow gorge (gorge) there , known as the Gorges de l'Hérault . The next larger city is Montpellier , which is about 40 km southeast of the village.

history

The medieval town on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela has been well preserved. William of Aquitaine is said to have founded the monastery of Gellone here as a penance around the year 804 . That is why the community was called Gellone in the Middle Ages . With the canonization of Wilhelm in 1066 and the accompanying increase in the stream of pilgrims to his grave, Gellone became known under his new name " Monastery of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert ". Since 1998 it has been listed as part of the UNESCO World Heritage “ Paths of the Pilgrims of St. James in France ”.