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Orgon

Orgon
Commune
Church of the Assumption and castle of the Duke of Guise
Church of the Assumption and castle of the Duke of Guise
Coat of arms of Orgon
Coat of arms
Orgon is located in France
Orgon
Orgon
Coordinates: 43°47′29″N 5°02′20″E / 43.7914°N 5.0389°E / 43.7914; 5.0389Coordinates: 43°47′29″N 5°02′20″E / 43.7914°N 5.0389°E / 43.7914; 5.0389
Country France
Region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department Bouches-du-Rhône
Arrondissement Arles
Canton Salon-de-Provence-1
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Guy Robert
Area1 34.78 km2 (13.43 sq mi)
Population (2012)2 3,120
 • Density 90/km2 (230/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
INSEE/Postal code 13067 /13660
Elevation 62–298 m (203–978 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.

Orgon (ancient: Urgonum, Castrum de Urgone) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.

Neighbouring villages and small towns include Les Baux-de-Provence, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and Cavaillon. Orgon is one of the twelve communes of the Alpilles area, a small mountain chain made famous through the paintings of Vincent van Gogh and novels of the French author Alphonse Daudet. The river Durance runs through it.

The village of Orgon harbours a 19th-century monastery overlooking the Durance valley (Notre Dame du Beauregard) and the ruins of a Templar castle.

In history, Orgon is known through the attempted lynching of Napoleon Bonaparte on his way to Saint Helena passing through the village. Orgon was also the birthplace of the French poet Antoine Pomme (1620) and the painter Louis Espérandieu (1787-1857).

Having given its name to a specific type of limestone found only in this area, the recent plans of extension of the mining activities of the company OMYA in Orgon have led to protest actions by French intellectuals throughout the country, worried about the risks to the preservation of the natural and historic specificities of Alpilles hills. The dispute regarding the extension plans of the multi-national mining company OMYA have to an extent come to an end through the announced nomination of the territory as a protected Regional Parc as of January 1, 2007.


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