Le Cailar

History

The town has a rich archaeological history, and seems to have been inhabited since at least the late 6th century BC. There have been significant finds of pottery dating back to the 4th century BC, mostly unearthed in the churchyard. A cache of 3rd-century-BC weapons has been found which included swords, shields, spears and knives, along with about thirty human skulls which showed signs that the bodies had been decapitated. Le Cailar is first documented as Castellus in 675. The name later evolved to Caslarium (1243) and Le Caylar (from the 15th century). In the Middle Ages, the village belonged to the viguerie of Aigues-Mortes and the Diocese of Nîmes. The simple priory of Saint-Étienne-du-Caylar came under the chapter of Montpellier Cathedral while in 1112 Le Cailar Castle (Château du Cailar) belonged to Bernard Ato IV, Viscount of Nîmes. Saint-Étienne du Cailar Church was built in 1091.

Geography

Le Cailar is located at the confluence of the Rivers Vistre and Rhôny, about southwest of Nîmes on the edge of the Languedoc coastal plain. This area used to be a large lagoon which has gradually silted up over time. Le Cailar was an important trading centre allowing import of goods via the Mediterranean Sea and their distribution to the Nîmes Vaunage area. The town was still considered to be a port until the early 20th century as the Vistre remained navigable this far upstream. Le Cailar station has rail connections to Nîmes and Le Grau-du-Roi.

Most-observed species

• Cetti's Warbler

  Cettia cetti (Temminck, 1820) · Aves
  8,410
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,950
• Greater Flamingo

  Phoenicopterus roseus Pallas, 1811 · Aves
  7,331
• Little Egret/Western Reef-Heron

  Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  7,296
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,050
• Gray/Purple Heron

  Ardea cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,026
• European Goldfinch

  Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,540
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,520

Most recent

• M 4.3 — 2011-08-03
  4 km ESE of Barjac, France
• M 2.5 — 2008-12-23
  4 km ENE of Éguilles, France
• M 2.6 — 2008-04-15
  64 km SSW of Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, France
• M 2.6 — 2007-08-03
  1 km NE of Jonquières-Saint-Vincent, France
• M 2.5 — 2007-01-20
  16 km NW of Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône, France
• M 2.6 — 2007-01-04
  2 km W of Sorgues, France