Discover Uzès

Territoire in St-Quentin-La-Poterie (3/3)

Last instalment of our visit in St-Quentin-La-Poterie:

Territoire à Saint Quentin La Poterie - Partie 3... par TVSud

Territoire in St-Quentin-La-Poterie (2/3)

A TV visit of St Quentin La Poterie, near Uzès:

Territoire à Saint Quentin La Poterie - Partie 2... par TVSud

Territoire in Uzès (1/3)

Tv Sud is regional TV company. They have produced three episodes specifically about Uzès. All in French I'm afraid - but this way you can practice... In this first instalment: more about the history of the town and the sweet factory.

Territoire à Uzès - Partie 1 (30/09/2011) par TVSud

Old wash-houses in Uzège

A "lavoir" is a wash-house, a public place in France set aside for the washing of clothes. They are commonly sited on a spring or beside or set over a river. Many lavoirs are provided with roofs for shelter. Some wash-houses were built with sloping sides to the water-basin. Even when  they were flat, the surrounds could be used exactly like any washboard, as a surface for rubbing or brushing soap into soiled cloth. 

There are still lots of open-air wash-houses to be seen in Uzège - like in other warmer parts of Europe, but they are rarely used. Above, left, the wash-house in Uzès, built in 1854. That's why with the coming of piped water supplies and modern drainage, lavoirs have been steadily falling into disuse although a number of communes have restored ancient lavoirs some of which date back to the 10th Century.

Visit Uzès' history museum

When in Uzès with some time on your hands, go to the Ancien Evéché – in the courtyard, on the right hand side, you will see a sign for the Museum Georges Borias. Don’t hesitate to step in (and climb up).

History

The museum was set up in the early 20th century by two locals: a painter and a poet. The painter, José Belon, asked his artist friends to donate artworks in order to create a fine arts gallery. Albert Roux, the poet who wrote in Provençal dialect, wanted to create a « Museon Uzétien » - a folklore museum like the « Museon Arlaten » created by the famous Provençal poet Frédéric Mistral in Arles. The museum was created in 1910 and found its home at the townhall. Later they were completed with a collection donated by a local archeologist (items discovered in archaeological sites of the area).

After World War II, the museum had fallen into oblivion. Georges Borias, an art teacher at the local high school, saved it by reorganizing it. During more than forty years he directed this museum as a voluntary worker, helping to make it grow and improve. Since 1978, the museum is settled in l’Evéché, the former bishops’ palace (17th century), a beautiful heritage building located between the old city and the Eure valley.

A short history of Uzès (part 2)

The catholic recovery in the seventeenth century

The following years saw the start of a far-reaching counter-reform drive, marked by the foundation of convents, the reconstruction of churches and the gradual restriction of the freedom of Protestants. Jesuits settled down in Uzès, along with several other religious orders. Louis XIII appointed the bishop of Grillet in Uzès, one of the most dilapidated dioceses of the kingdom at the time. It became one of the town’s biggest construction works in the second half of the seventeenth century. In 1661 and 1662, Jean Racine stayed in Uzès and his interest in women prevented him from taking holy orders: “Be aware that, around here, one hardly ever sees mediocre loves: all passions are immoderate; and the spirits of this city, which are rather light-hearted in other matters, pursue their love interests more intensely than in any other country in the world”. The Episcopal palace was rebuilt in 1662.

In 1675, the King ordered that followers of the “so-called reformed religion” in Uzès and its surroundings should be excluded from the consulate and the city’s political council. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, in 1685, the temple was destroyed, while forced conversions and abjurations of protestants took place in public, on the place aux Herbes. Some Protestants who were deemed “fanatical” were locked up in the Bishop’s tower. The Camisards War (1702-1710) erupted in the Cévennes and the Uzège region. Faced with persecution and harassment, many business people left the town.

Return to prosperity in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

The region settled down again. As time went by, protestants again started holding assemblies, which were not only tolerated but also taxed. The town then enjoyed another period of prosperity. Textile mills multiplied and Uzès became famous for its silk stockings.

A short history of Uzès (part 1)

Famous for its magnificent medieval heritage, its cathedral and its duchy, Uzès is a charming Mediterranean town — its narrow streets lined with mansions and its friendly squares bustling with markets and feasts. Jean Racine lived there, and André Gide, who was born in the region, appreciated its mellow lifestyle. As a bishopric from the fifth century; a viscounty and then a duchy in the sixteenth century; and as a town marked by Reform: Uzès boasts a rich history that may be discovered through its remarkably preserved monuments.

By Marie Susplugas

The birth of Ucetia

The oldest signs of a settlement near Uzès, about one hundred thousand years ago, are to be found by the Alzon river, near the Eure spring. Between the fifth and second centuries B.C., a settlement was built on a high site. From the third century until the start of the second century B.C., the future city was populated by the Volcae Arecomici, who were familiar with writing and struck their own coins. All around the settlement, the landscape was transformed: the settlers planted vineyards and olive trees, villages sprouted up.

With the arrival of the Romans in 121 B.C., the region became part of the Transalpine and then the Narbonnaise province. An inscription found in Nîmes near the Jardins de la Fontaine refers to Ucetia. The town of Uzès first appears in the archives in the fourth century A.D. In the fifth century, it was known under the name of castrum Ucetiense. Although very little is known about the history of Uzès during Antiquity, it appears that the Romans used it as an administrative and cultural centre for the surrounding population. The Roman city was located in the same spot as the current historical centre. At the time, Uzès was already known as an important crossroads on the itinerary from Lyon to Nîmes.

In the fourth century, Christianity reached the region. Uzès became a bishopric in the fifth century. From 419 until the French revolution, sixty-four prelates served in the city and left their mark on it.

Uzès in the Middle Ages

From the fifth century, the town became a political and religious centre, under the impetus of powerful bishops who eagerly built new monuments. They also had the right to strike their own money and to dispense justice. Uzès developed

My first corrida in Nîmes

Last Sunday, we attended the last corrida of the "Féria des vendanges" in Nîmes. I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing. Tony Todd (The Connexion, June 2008 - read full article here or below) describes exactly my feelings:

"To this uninitiated first-timer the corrida experience was astonishing, surreal and full of paradoxes. The atmosphere was intense, the action was exciting and in many ways the event was exquisitely beautiful. And then you remember that this is a ritualised slaughter, and that if one thing is always guaranteed, it’s that the bull is going to be killed, every time (it is not uncommon for matadors to get gored, sometimes to death). Not wanting to be partisan, and being fascinated by a culture that actually allows this kind of thing to happen, I nevertheless want to see a corrida where the bulls can satisfy the crowd; to see if it is possible to feel that the bull has actually “honoured” himself and the ring by putting up a better fight. Maybe that is why corrida is enduring, insidious and dangerous: it’s made me want to go again."

For more about corridas, read Tony Todd's full article.

A day with Provence donkeys

The Provence donkey is a unique breed of donkey originating from the Basse-Provence, Haute-Provence and Dauphine regions of France. The Uzès  studfarm [le Haras d'Uzès] is where the Âne de provence's herdbook is located. Last week-end (September 10th and 11th), an exhibition was organized in Uzès alongside part of the Provence donkey national championship.

From 400,000 at the beginning of the 20th century, the number of donkeys had fallen to less than 20,000 by the 1980s. As a pet and useful for trekking, its number have risen again to about 40,000 animals. There are 9 breeds identified in France, with the breeding associations organizing many events and exhibitions in the different regions of France.

Since the 15th century this donkey (aka: Ane d'Arles; Ane de berger; Ane de la Crau; Ane de
Savoie; Ane de transhumance) has been used for transhumance between the Basse-Provence and the high mountain pastures of the Haute Provence. The Donkeys have a strong bone structure, a docile temperament, good limbs in order to travel the mountain tracks. The Provence donkey has a pinkish-grey coat, similar to turtledove grey; black dorsal stripe; stripes on the limbs. Average size is 1.20-1.33m (sires) and 1.17-1.30m (mares). Large straight head well attached to a strong thick neck; often white around the eyes. The long ears and the edge of the eyes often have a hint of brownish red. Straight back, wide loins, strong hindquarters and powerful strong limbs. The feet, with rather wide hooves for those of a donkey, are perfectly adapted for trekking and heavy weights.

The best abrivado in 2011

On the last Sunday of August, what I think is the best, most elaborate abrivado of the year took place in Vallabrix, 7 kilometers north of Uzès. A team of 6 Camargue cowboys in splendid Spanish costumes, with nice smiles on their faces and easy nice words for the crowd. A real pleasure !

An (original) abrivado used to be when cowboys (from Camargue and surrounding areas like some parts of the Gard provencal) got organized to transfer their herd of bulls from one place to another, usually from pasture to pasture - or to bull festivals during the holidays season. Because they wanted to avoid the annoyance of teenagers trying to lure some bulls away (for fun...), they were crossing villages at full galop. To do that efficiently, they had to form a V structure to guide the bulls keep the teenagers away.

Nowdays they move the bulls in trucks... But the abrivados are still a traditional part of summer village festivals in the region. However not all are as well organized and as enjoyable as that last one in Vallabrix - courtesy of Olivier Boutaud from the Doma Vaquera bull farm.

To watch the abrivado as if you were there yourself, click below or here. (View the original pictures on Picasa here)