Sommières (; ) 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, located at the border with the Hérault department. It lies from

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...

, from

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

Geography

Sommières is to the south of the garrigues and on the edge of the Vaunage, a wine growing region. It straddles the River Vidourle.

History

The village first settled on the arcades of the Roman bridge on the Vidourle river, built by Roman Emperor

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

during the first century. The village grew in the protection of the castle. It was annexed into the French kingdom by King Louis IX in 1248, following the crusade against the Albigensiens. It became a Protestant stronghold, and it was besieged by the Catholics in 1573 and again by Louis XIII in 1622.

Siege of Sommières 1573

The Fourth War of Religion (1562–98) started with the St Bartholomew's Day massacre and finished with the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...

. The Catholic forces were trying to suppress the Huguenots in this one of their strongholds. Marshall Damville laid siege to Sommières for the second time on 11 February 1573, and the garrison held out until 9 April, resisting the attackers with red hot iron and boiling oil. Though nominally a royal victory, the defenders were offered generous terms, including the right for the garrison to march out with full honours of war. The Siege of Sommières delayed the advance of the royal army by two months and is calculated to have cost them 2500 lives. Only 38 houses remained standing

Siege of Sommières 1622

This time the Catholic king himself led the army. The siege was short. The town was back in Protestant hands in 1625 when the Protestant Duke of Rohan entered the city. He was to leave in haste and the Catholics were back. In 1703, Jean Cavalier the leader of the Camisards with a force of 800 men unsuccessfully attempted to take the city. The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes left the Protestants in a dangerous situation - and the

Château A château (, ; plural: châteaux) is a manor house, or palace, or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking re ...

at Sommières was used to incarcerate them - along with English and Dutch sailors and women accused of prostitution.Sommières 2000 ans d'histoire...
in French

Recent history

The town has always been prone to flooding, and as recently as 2002 the River Vidourle flooded, causing major damage to the town and properties along the bank. This time it washed out the Champion supermarket, which reopened at Villevieille in July 2008. In October 2008 this supermarket was rebranded Carrefour. The floods are called 'vidourlades'.Guide Michelin, Gorges du Tarn Cévennes Languedoc, 2nd edition 1994

Population

Sights

The village has a Roman bridge, a medieval centre, a fortified gate and the ruins of a castle. The Roman bridge is 190m long, it was built on the instructions of Emperor

at the start of the 1st century. It was restored in the 18th century.Structurae:The Bridge
/ref> At the town end of the bridge is the gothic town gate known as the 'Tour de l'Horloge'. Only 7 of the 19 arches can be seen, the others lie beneath the town where they act as cellars. The ancient

Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

(Via Luteva) leads from the gate, along the Grande Rue to the 'Marché-Haut' or Place Jean Jaurès, the old wheat market. Here it turns left and leaves the town heading to

Alès Alès () is a Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture in the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southern France. Until 1926, i ...

, and

Economy

Sommières used to be a centre for leather and linen.

Personalities

The writer Lawrence Durrell lived in Sommières from 1966 to 1990, and is buried in the churchyard of the Chapelle St-Julien de Montredon. The writer Alan Furst lived in Sommières in 1969 while teaching at the University of Montpellier on a Fulbright Fellowship.

Radio Sommières 102.9 FM

Radio Sommières 102.9 FM (also called Radio-S) is one of the biggest non commercial radio exclusively made by youngsters from 9 to 18 years. It is possible to listen to Radio-S in Sommières on 102.9 MHz. But the sending power is limited to 10 W PAR, so it is almost impossible to listen to it outside Sommières. It is possible to listen Radio-S over all the world via the radio's internet site. The participants are free to create their own programmes and broadcast them.

Gallery

File:PlaceSommière.JPG, The medieval centre of Sommières File:Vidourlade à Sommières.jpg, The 2002 floods at Sommières