Pont-Saint-Esprit
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Saint Saturnin church and the medieval bridge over the Rhône River
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 Pont-Saint-Esprit
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Location within Occitanie region
Pont-Saint-Esprit
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| Coordinates: 44°15′27″N 4°38′57″E / 44.2575°N 4.6492°ECoordinates: 44°15′27″N 4°38′57″E / 44.2575°N 4.6492°E | ||
| Country | France | |
| Region | Occitanie | |
| Department | Gard | |
| Arrondissement | Nîmes | |
| Canton | Pont-Saint-Esprit | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor (2001–2008) | Gilbert Baumet | |
| Area1 | 18.49 km2 (7.14 sq mi) | |
| Population (2012)2 | 10,651 | |
| • Density | 580/km2 (1,500/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 30202 /30130 | |
| Elevation | 36–187 m (118–614 ft) (avg. 59 m or 194 ft) |
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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. |
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1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
Pont-Saint-Esprit (Occitan: Lo Pònt Sant Esperit) is a commune in the Gard département in southern France. It is situated on the Rhône River and is the site of a historical crossing, hence its name. The Ardèche River flows into the Rhône, just to the north of the bridge. The residents are called Spiripontains.
Pont-Saint-Esprit is famous as the town of origin of Michel Bouvier, a cabinetmaker, who was the ancestor of John Vernou Bouvier III, father of Jacqueline Kennedy.
On 15 August 1951, an outbreak of poisoning, marked by acute psychotic episodes and various physical symptoms, occurred in Pont-Saint-Esprit. More than 250 people were involved, including 50 persons interned in asylums and four deaths. Most academic sources accept ergot poisoning as the cause of the epidemic, while a few theorize other causes such as poisoning by mercury, mycotoxins, or nitrogen trichloride. In 2008, journalist Hank Albarelli speculated that the incident was a secret mind control experiment by the Central Intelligence Agency, a conclusion subsequently dismissed by historians and chemists.
Pont-Saint-Esprit is twinned with:
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Wikipedia