Lamanon () is a commune located in the

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( ; , ; ; "the Mouths of the Rhône") is a Departments of France, department in southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var (department), Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the sout ...

department, part of the

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in southern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Its inhabitants are called ''Lamanonais'' in French. North of the village the archaeological site of Grottes de Calès represents a cave dwelling from prehistoric to medieval times.

Toponym

The oldest known form is ''Alamannon'', found around 1031. It changes then towards ''de Lamanone'' (1253). This toponym could come from a German name, ''Alaman'', together with the suffix ''-onem'', while the initial a disappeared due to apheresis. Lamanon is pronounced ''Lamanoun'' in provençal in the

Mistralian norm The Mistralian norm is a linguistic norm for the Occitan language Occitan (; ), also known by its native speakers as (; ), sometimes also referred to as Provençal, is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan ...

Geography and climate

Directions

;Railroads * Trunk roads : the Route nationale 538 (RN 538) crosses the village from the north to the south while the RN 17d runs alongside the east-west direction. The RN 72 and 72f connect it to the neighbouring village in the West, Eyguières. * Motorway : the nearest motorway is the

A7 autoroute The A7 Autoroutes of France, Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Soleil (English: the Motorway of the Sun) is a French motorway. It continues the A6 autoroute (France), A6 and links Lyon to Marseille. The autoroute du Soleil is long and fo ...

, reachable by two interchanges : Salon-Nord or Sénas. There is a rest area near Lamanon. ;Public transport * Libébus : the village is served by two bus lines from the agglomeration community's (Agglopole Provence) public transport network.: lines 11 and 12. * TER PACA : line 9 of the regional train service (Marseille-Avignon, by Salon and Cavaillon) passes through the village.

Geology

On the west side of the village stands the ''défens'' of Eyguières, the eastern part of the chaîne des Alpilles. ''Défens'' is a French medieval term for a lord's property used as a warren or a hunting place. Similarly, in the north-east, one finds the défens of Alleins. The Roquerousse hills are located in the south-east of the village. During the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

epoch, 12 million years ago, the river Durance did not flow into the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

but into the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. It passed nearby Lamanon before forming a large delta covering what is now the Berre lagoon and the Crau plains. Therefore, Lamanon is situated in the ancient Durance valley.

Climate

The climate in the

Alpilles The Alpilles ( , ) is a small range of low mountains in Provence, southern France, located about south of Avignon. Geography The range is an extension of the much larger Luberon range. Although it is not high – some 498 m (1,634 ft) ...

is considered as

mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. Winters are mild and dry while summers are warm and dry. The hottest months are July and August when the mean temperature rises to (+29 °C) ; in December and January, the chillest months, it drops to (+3 °C).Maussane-les-Alpilles Climate, neighbouring village
holidaycheck.fr. The rainiest month is January with 7 days of rain on average, against 2 days in July. The Alpilles area receives more precipitation than the Mediterranean seaside : 500 mm/year in

Camargue The Camargue (, also , , ; ) is a coastal region in southern France located south of the city of Arles, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône river delta. The eastern arm is called the Grand Rhône; the western is the ''P ...

against 600–700 mm/year in the Alpilles. There have been dramatic freezes in the 19th century with the

turning to ice, but since then it has become very rare.

The mistral

The mistral is a very powerful north/north-east wind, blowing strongly 100 days per year on average and slightly 83 days per year, which leaves only 182 days without wind per year. It is said to be two sorts of mistral: the "white mistral" clearing the sky from any cloud and the "black mistral" accompanied by rain.

Meteorological data

Lamanon does not have a weather station, the nearest being in

Salon-de-Provence Salon-de-Provence (, ; or , ), commonly known as Salon, is a commune located about northwest of Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône department (Metropolis of Aix-Marseille Provence), region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southern France. It ...

. The following table shows temperatures and rains for the period 1971-2000 :

History

On the northern part of the current village, the archaeological place called Grottes de Calès features prehistoric dwelling sites. They were inhabited until the 16th century. Originally, it was an

oppidum An ''oppidum'' (: ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age Europe, Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celts, Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread acros ...

with roads connecting different villages. In the second half of the Iron Age (7th to 6th centuries BC), the population starts to settle down and to build the ''castrum'', with streets and buildings. The increasing commerce in Méditerranée reaches the Alpilles where they trade cereals for luxury goods. In the following centuries, the population in the Alpilles decreased drastically because of the growing attraction of the Arles trading post. At the end of the Iron Age (2nd or 1st centuries BC), many sites were repopulated. With the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

invasion in Provence, the ''oppida'' in the Alpilles, including Lamanon's one, were dismantled, the only remaining being places of worship, such as the Saint-Jean chapel.Y. Marcadal, « À la périphérie de la chaîne », in ''Les Alpilles'', ''op. cit.'', p. 147. After the fall of the

Western Roman Empire In modern historiography, the Western Roman Empire was the western provinces of the Roman Empire, collectively, during any period in which they were administered separately from the eastern provinces by a separate, independent imperial court. ...

, the area became part of the County of Provence. After a time of turmoil, the death of Queen Joanna I in Naples, caused a war of succession for the County of Provence. An alliance of several Provençal towns (Aix, Nice and Tarascon) supported Charles of Durazzo, Queen Joanna I's adversary, murderer and successor, against Louis I of Anjou, brother of

John II of France John II (; 26 April 1319 – 8 April 1364), called John the Good (French: ''Jean le Bon''), was King of France from 1350 until his death in 1364. When he came to power, France faced several disasters: the Black Death, which killed between a thir ...

who was adopted by Queen Joanna in exchange of his help during the war against Charles of Durazzo. During summer 1383, Charles VI, King of France, Louis of Anjou's grandnephew, took action and mandated the Seneschal of Beaucaire, Enguerrand d'Eudin, to support Louis I in raising an army, thus conquering strongholds and villages, such as Lamanon. In 1384, Louis I of Anjou died after being crowned King of Naples (defeating Charles of Durazzo). Arles and Marseille, followed by a lot of towns, pledged allegiance to his son, Louis II of Anjou, who was only 7 years old. When his mother, Marie de Blois, Louis I's widow, arrived in Provence and asked Seneschal d'Eudin to give Lamanon up for Louis II, he refused on the name of Charles VI the King. During the French Revolution, a comité de surveillance is established in Lamanon, charged to list every foreigner in France, as strangers were suspected to be plotters. It does not manage to recruit the twelve members as needed by the Convention and among those who were recruited were peasants and illiterates. Even though, the comité declared that they were no suspect in the village, which was only populated by farmers at this time.

Administration

According to the French laws, due to its size, the village has a town council of 19 members (article L2121-2 du Code général des collectivités territoriales). At the last elections in 2014, Roland Darrouzès was re-elected for the sixth time with 54,87% of valid votes against Nicolas Sias, the participation rate being 72,53%. A recent modification of the vote procedure forbade to strike out names on the ballot paper, which was possible until then for villages under 3500 inhabitants. This led to situation, such as in 2008, where Roland Darrouzès scored the antepenultimate place but was still elected by his list as mayor.

Succession of mayors

From 1789 to 1799, the mayor was elected by direct suffrage for two years and re-eligible. The voters were the active citizens paying a tax equivalent to at least three working days in the village. To be candidate, one needed to pay taxes at least equal to ten working days. From 1799 to 1848, the 22 frimaire an VIII constitution changed this procedure: mayors are now nominated by the

préfet A prefect (, plural , both ) in France is the State's representative in a department or region. Regional prefects are ''ex officio'' the departmental prefects of the regional prefecture. Prefects are tasked with upholding the law in the departme ...

for small towns under 5000 inhabitants. During the Restauration regime, local councillors are also nominated. After 1831, the mayor is then nominated by the king for towns over 3000 inhabitants, by the préfet elsewise, but the local councillors are elected for six years. From July 3, 1848, to 1851, mayors were elected by the town council for towns under 6000 inhabitants. From 1851 to 1871, they were again nominated by the préfet in towns under 3000 inhabitants, for five years as for 1855. Since 1871, mayors are elected by the town council after its election by universal suffrage.

Twin towns

Lamanon is twinned with: * Gualba, Spain

Population and society

Demography

Education

The village has a

nursery school A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin c ...

and a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

, both public. Afterwards, pupils go to collège (high-school) at the Collège ''Lucie-Aubrac'' in Eyguières. Then, they go to the lycée (high-school) de ''L'Emperi'' in

Sports

There are many sport associations in the village: tennis, cycling, pétanque, football, gym. Also, one can find a stud farm and a

GR footpath The GR footpaths are a network of long-distance walking trails in Europe, mostly in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain. They go by the following names: , , , , – generally meaning "long trail" or more literally "great route". T ...

, GR n°6.

Health

There are several doctors and a pharmacy. Not far, in Eyguières, there is a cardiovascular center. The nearest hospital is in

Economy

Agriculture

The vin de pays des Alpilles is a country wine from the North of

which is not part of the

Appellation d'origine contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...

label. It was known until 2001 under the name "Vin de pays de la Petite Crau". The production is about 6000 hectolitres per year. Its vineyard lies on a stony soil, delimited by the Durance in the north and the

in the south.Louis Menjucq, président de l'ANIVIT (sous la direction de), ''Vins de pays de France'', Éd. Romain Pages, Saint-Cloud, 1991, , p. 86. The village produces an

olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...

protected by an AOC label since August 1997. The different olive species used are the salonenque, the beruguette, the grossane and the verdale from the Bouches-du-Rhône.

Tourism

Around the Alpilles, tourism is declined around three axes: first, the historical and cultural tourism including visits (

Les Baux-de-Provence Les Baux-de-Provence (; "Les Baux of Provence"; Provençal: ''Lei Bauç de Provença'' or ''Li Baus de Prouvènço'' ), commonly referred to simply as Les Baux, is a rural commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-C� ...

, Glanum, etc.) and festivals, such as the Festival des Alpilles. Secondly, the relaxation tourism, taking advantage of the growing business around guestrooms and hotel trade, with the local animations such as market and artisans. Thirdly, the green tourism around walking trails in the hills.

Main sights

* A castle * The giant plane tree of Lamanon could have been planted by Catherine de Médicis during the 16th century when she came in

to meet

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinisation of names, Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French Astrology, astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed Oracle, seer, who is best known for his book ''Les Prophéti ...

. The tree was formerly owned by a private individual but he recently donated his land to the village. * The Calès dwellings. This underground living place is very popular among tourists. Located in a large basin with dozens of dwellings, it is connected to the Saint-Denis chapel, just above a water-spring. Each year, Lamanon hosts one of the biggest concerts of the festival des Alpilles, the "Lam' du blues", starring big names such as Tony Joe White, Billy Boy Arnold, John Primer, Billy Branch, Lurrie Bell, Louisiana Red or Wes Mackey.

People

* Jean Honoré Robert de Paul de Lamanon, also known as Robert de Lamanon, (1752–1787), a member of the La Pérouse expedition around the world (August 1 – December 11, 1785) and eventually died in it. * Bertran de Lamanon (1210–1270), provençal

troubadour A troubadour (, ; ) was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100–1350). Since the word ''troubadour'' is etymologically masculine, a female equivalent is usually called a ''trobairitz''. The tr ...

and lord of Lamanon

References

{{authority control Communes of Bouches-du-Rhône Archaeological sites in France