Sommières

Sister cities

• Callosa de Segura

History

The village first settled on the arcades of the Roman bridge on the Vidourle river, built by Roman Emperor Tiberius during the first century. The village grew in the protection of the castle. It was annexed into the French kingdom by King Louis IX in 1248, following the crusade against the Albigensiens. It became a Protestant stronghold, and it was besieged by the Catholics in 1573 and again by Louis XIII in 1622. The Fourth War of Religion (1562–98) started with the St Bartholomew's Day massacre and finished with the Edict of Nantes. The Catholic forces were trying to suppress the Huguenots in this one of their strongholds. Marshall Damville laid siege to Sommières for the second time on 11 February 1573, and the garrison held out until 9 April, resisting the attackers with red hot iron and boiling oil. Though nominally a royal victory, the defenders were offered generous terms, including the right for the garrison to march out with full honours of war. The Siege of Sommières delayed the advance of the royal army by two months and is calculated to have cost them 2500 lives. Only 38 houses remained standing This time the Catholic king himself led the army. The siege was short. The town was back in Protestant hands in 1625 when the Protestant Duke of Rohan entered the city. He was to leave in haste and the Catholics were back. In 1703, Jean Cavalier the leader of the Camisards with a force of 800 men unsuccessfully attempted to take the city. The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes left the Protestants in a dangerous situation - and the Château at Sommières was used to incarcerate them - along with English and Dutch sailors and women accused of prostitution. The town has always been prone to flooding, and as recently as 2002 the River Vidourle flooded, causing major…

Geography

Sommières is to the south of the garrigues (scrubland) and on the edge of the Vaunage, a wine-growing region. It straddles the River Vidourle.

Most-observed species

• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,558
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,473
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,085
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,074
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,063
• European Goldfinch

  Carduelis carduelis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,566
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,345
• Eurasian Blackcap

  Sylvia atricapilla (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  4,197

Most recent

• M 4.3 — 2011-08-03
  4 km ESE of Barjac, France
• M 2.6 — 2008-11-26
  1 km WSW of Creissan, France
• M 2.8 — 2008-11-25
  2 km N of Malataverne, 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