Vauvert

Sister cities

• Valencina de la Concepción

History

Vauvert is first mentioned as the fief of Posquières (meaning "place of wells") when it was donated by Raymond Raphiel to Saint-Thibéry Abbey in 810. In the Middle Ages, a little village grew up around the frequently besieged castle on top of the Motte-Foussat, now known as Castellas. The Christians and the Jews created two separate communities in the village. In the 12th century, the rabbinical school was an important centre of Jewish teaching, recognized across Europe thanks to the contributions of Abraham ben David and Isaac the Blind. From the 13th century, the Christian sanctuary Notre-Dame du Val-Vert, just outside the village, gained increasing importance when it was visited by Louis IX, Charles IX, Francis I and Pope Clement V. As a result, in the 14th century the name of the village was changed to Vauvert. In 1540, the sanctuary was destroyed by the Protestants. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, the Protestant church, Temple Vielh, was destroyed in 1685 and the Catholic church was rebuilt and consecrated in 1689. From the Middle Ages, the inhabitants of Posquières-Vauvert enjoyed special rights to hunting, fishing, grazing and agriculture which had been granted by the barons. They are all listed in a document from 1299. Over the centuries, the hills known as "Costière" were increasingly acquired by the villagers from the barons, especially after the French Revolution. There they developed vineyards and wineries which became the major source of income during the Second Empire in the mid-18th century, resulting in an increase in population to some 6,000. The prosperity was however short-lived as the vines suffered when phylloxera hit the region at the beginning of the 19th century. The population was reduced to around 4,000 and did not start to grow…

Geography

Vauvert occupies about and is one of the largest municipalities in the Camargue. It extends for about in a north–south direction and in an east–west direction. The northern half is generally dry while the southern half is marshy. Vauvert is typical of the historic towns in the area. To the north it is bordered by vineyards, pine forests and orchards, and to the south by further vineyards, rice fields, ponds and marshes. The town itself consists of a 17th-century Catholic church, a belfry, and narrow streets with houses mainly from the 18th and 19th centuries. The economy of the area is based on the production of wine with several vineyards in the vicinity, and the town also has an industrial zone. A new enterprise which has opened in 2013 is a community garage supported by the social services. It is specially designed to help those receiving social support who are unable to pay the high rates normally charged for repairs.