Bouillargues

Commune

The town hall of Bouillargues

Coat of arms

Bouillargues

Location within Occitanie region

Bouillargues

Coordinates: 43°48′03″N 4°25′39″E / 43.8008°N 4.4275°ECoordinates: 43°48′03″N 4°25′39″E / 43.8008°N 4.4275°E

Country

Government

• Mayor (2008–2014)

Marc Dupuis

Area¹

15.77 km² (6.09 sq mi)

Population (2008)²

5,805

• Density

370/km² (950/sq mi)

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

INSEE/Postal code

30047 /30230

Elevation

27–84 m (89–276 ft)
(avg. 74 m or 243 ft)

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

²Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Bouillargues is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. It includes the hamlets of Garons, Caissargues and Rodilhan. It is situated to the southeast and close to the city of Nimes and in 2013 it had just over 6,000 residents.

Bouillargues is located just southeast of the city of Nimes, at the northern edge of the Camargue and between two major highways, the N113 and the RD 135. The centre of Nimes is 7.6 kilometres (4.7 mi) away, the airport is 3.4 kilometres (2.1 mi) to the south, Montpellier is 59 kilometres (37 mi) away, Avignon 54 kilometres (34 mi), Marseilles 117 kilometres (73 mi) and Paris 717 kilometres (446 mi). The climate in Bouillargues is hot in summer and mild in winter. As of January 2013, there were just over 6,000 inhabitants of the town. The area was renowned for its production of grain.

The suffix "-argues", common in the south of France, suggests that the town of Bouillargues has been in existence since antiquity. Originally called "Buliancius" after Bublius who owned property there, it was known as Bouillargues in 1706. In 1182, there was already a community consisting of four farms or estates. The sixteenth century saw turbulent times in the area during the French wars of religion. The Catholics revolted in 1572 and the town changed hands several times, with the church being destroyed and then rebuilt. In 1654, the Huguenots built a temple but this was ordered to be demolished in 1663. By 1737, Joseph de Louet, Baron de Manduel had subjugated the village and his place was later taken by François Hercule Massip. In 1790, Bouillargues became a commune, and later the hamlets of Garons, Caissargues and Rodilhan were annexed.

St Felix Church (Église St Félix) was built around 1156 but was damaged along with the rest of the village during the Albigensian Wars in 1167. It was completely destroyed during the wars between the Protestants and the Catholics but was rebuilt in 1654, enlarged in 1843 and completed in 1890. It houses an 18th-century wooden statue of the Virgin Mary bearing the infant Jesus.

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Wikipedia