Ners is a commune in the

Gard Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;department 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 ...

History

Ners is part of a territory inhabited long before the Roman presence in the region. The village is located along the ancient road 'voie Régordane' going from Saint-Gilles to

Puy-en-Velay Le Puy-en-Velay (, ; , before 1988: ''Le Puy'') is the prefecture of the Haute-Loire department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Located near the river Loire, the city is famous for its cathedral, for a kind of le ...

. Along this road traders, pilgrims, crusaders and knights crossed the river

Gardon The Gardon or Gard (Occitan language, Occitan and French language, French: ''Gardon, Gard'', , ) is a List of rivers of France, river in southern France. It is the namesake of the Departments of France, department of Gard. Several of its trib ...

. In 1211 Ners is first time reported as a place of residence with the "castrum nercium" - a watchtower of the twelfth century. This tower was probably constructed as an outpost to the village of Vezenobres as well as to protect the few inhabitants of the village. The tower was gradually expanded and in 1480 it retained its castle walls and is to be considered the oldest building in the village.

Etymology

Etymologically the name can be derived from "Nertius", a Gallo-Roman person with great prestige in ancient times. A manuscript from 1247 mentions the name "Nercium" and in 1547 "Ners".

History

Etymology

Population

See also