Cévennes
The Cévennes ( , ; oc, Cevenas) is a cultural region and range of mountains in south-central France, on the south-east edge of the Massif Central. It covers parts of the ''départements'' of Ardèche, Gard, Hérault and Lozère. Rich in geogr ...
Megalithic
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.
The ...
remains including the
dolmen
A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were so ...
of Arrigas on the route to Peyraube, and the dolmen of Peyre Cabussélado near the border with the commune of Arre. There are also three knocked-over menhirs at the mountain pass de Vernes, and more lower down at the place called Troulhas.
The village itself was founded in the 12th century by a colony of
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, found ...
monks under the dependency of St Victor of
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fran ...
; a church is mentioned in 1113 and a monastery in 1135. By the 14th century, during the
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantag ...
, the church was fortified.
During the
French Wars of Religion
The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mil ...
the d'Albignac family, lords (seigneurs) of Arrigas, embraced the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and i ...
, alongside part of the population. But later their loyalty to the Crown led the d'Albignacs to change camp. In 1625, when Henri, duc de Rohan led the uprising of the Protestants of Languedoc, Charles d'Albignac took up the Catholic cause of the King,
Louis XIII
Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...
.
His castle at the Pont d'Arre was taken by the Protestant zealots, while the fortified church of Arrigas was almost completely destroyed. Some months later, at the Siege of Creissels, Charles d'Albignac stopped the advance of the troops of Rohan, and afterwards he was elevated by the King to become the Baron d'Arre.
After the destruction of the Pont d'Arre, the d'Albignac family built the château of Arrigas. Louis-Alexandre d'Albignac was born here in 1739 and became a Lieutenant-General in the armies of the King, then a général de division in the Revolutionary and Imperial armies, decorated with the royal
Order of Saint Louis
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a rewa ...
and the Imperial
Légion d'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...
.
After a remarkable career under the
Ancien Régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for " ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
, d'Albignac put himself in the service of the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
and accepted becoming the first mayor of Le Vigan (the main town of the region) in 1790. He took up service against the enemies of the Revolution in the Camp of Jales, and then served in the army, either the armies of the Alps or the Rhine. He is the most illustrious of the children of Arrigas, although he died in his own house in Le Vigan in 1825.
Arrigas is lively village from July to August when home owners from all over France, Europe and even Canada descend to spend the summer holidays. There are communal (3 day) fetes in mid July and at the end of August. A little cooler because of its mountain location it provides a welcome break from the fierce heat of the coastal regions of Languedoc.
Population
See also
* Estelle, a hamlet located on the territory of the commune
*
Communes of the Gard department
This is a list of the 351 communes of the Gard department of France.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):Communes of Gard