Beaucaire (;

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language Occitan (; o ...

and

Provençal Provençal may refer to: *Of Provence, a region of France * Provençal dialect, a dialect of the Occitan language, spoken in the southeast of France *''Provençal'', meaning the whole Occitan language *Franco-Provençal language, a distinct Roman ...

: ''Bèucaire'' ) is a commune in the

Gard Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in the

Occitanie Occitanie may refer to: *Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French *Occitania (administrative region) Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...

region of

Southern France Southern France, also known as the South of France or colloquially in French language, French as , is a defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi ...

. In 2018, it had a population of 15,718. Its inhabitants are known as ''Beaucairois'' or ''Beaucairoises'' in French. In 2020, the commune was awarded one flower by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition of cities and villages in Bloom.

Geography

Vue du Canal du Rhône à Sète, à Beaucaire

Beaucaire is located on the River Rhône some 15 km south-west of

Avignon Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...

and 10 km north of Arles. Across the river from Beaucaire lies Tarascon, which is in Bouches-du-Rhône department of Provence. Access to the commune is by the D999 road from

Jonquières-Saint-Vincent Jonquières-Saint-Vincent (; oc, Jonquièra de Sent Vincenç) is a french commune located in the Gard department in Occitanie. Population In 2020, Jonquières-Saint-Vincent had a population of 3,811 inhabitants. Twin towns — sister citi ...

in the west which passes through the north of the commune and the town and continues east to Tarascon. The D966L comes from

Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard (; Provençal: ''Sent Bonet del Gard'') is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. Population Gallery File:Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard.jpg File:Saint-Bonnet-du-Gard2.jpg See also *Communes of the Gard department ...

in the north and comes down the banks of the Rhône to the town. The D90 branches off the D986L in the commune and passes in a circle around the town then continues east across the Rhone changing to the D99B. The D15 goes south from the town to Fourques. The D38 goes south-west from the town to Bellegarde. The D28 links the ''Ile du Comte'' to the east bank of the Rhone. A railway passes through the commune coming from Tarascon in the east with a station in the commune then it continues to

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...

in the west.

Beaucaire station Beaucaire station ( French: ''Gare de Beaucaire'') is a railway station in Beaucaire, Gard, Occitanie, southern France. Within TER Occitanie TER Occitanie or liO TER Occitanie is the regional rail network serving the region of Occitanie, sou ...

has rail connections to Nîmes, Avignon and Montpellier. Apart from the main town there are also the districts of Gaudon, Tour Saint-Pierre, Pauvre Menage, Malatrache, Mas du Consul, Mas Saint-Andre du Boschet, Mas de la Bastide, Mas des Lecques, Le Fer a Cheval, Saujean, Mas de Sicard, Bieudon, and Enclos d'Argent. The commune has a large urban area in the north-east with the rest of the commune farmland. There is also an extensive network of irrigation canals covering most of the farmland. The Rhône river forms the whole eastern border of the commune as it flows south to join the sea at Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône. The river is also the departmental border between

Gard Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;Bouches-du-Rhône. The Canal du Rhône à Sète passes through the commune from Saint-Gilles in the south-west and joins the Rhone in the town. Parallel to the Rhône on its eastern side is a canalised waterway called ''Laune de Pillet'' (the branch of the Rhone here called the ''Bras de Beaucaire''). The Rhône and the waterway together create the ''Ile de Pillet''. The river itself has not been navigable to the south since the creation of the Vallebregues barage in 1969; through traffic must navigate the ''Laune de Pillet''. The river lock which once connected the Canal du Rhône à Sète to the Rhône has also been closed since 1969, but the lock is planned to reopen in due course. As it is the north-east arm of the Canal du Rhône à Sète is a ''cul-de-sac''.

Terrain

The entire town is located in the Rhône Valley and has fairly flat terrain mainly formed by the plain of the Rhône. The north of the commune has hills, especially north of the town centre where the castle is located (80 metres high) as well as Saint-Roman (130 metres).n

Name

Called ''Ugernum'' by the Romans, Beaucaire derived its modern name from the medieval ''Belli Quadrum'', which described the pine-clad rock rising abruptly from the river. Alternatively, 'Beaucaire' may be the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

version of the Occitan language name 'Bèucaire': * ''Beau'' < French ''beau'' ('Beautiful') <

''bèl''/''bèu'' ('Beautiful') * ''Caire'' <

''caire'' ('Cut stone or rock') [in

''pierre de taille'']. Beaucaire appears as ''Beaucaire'' on the 1750 French cartography#Cassini maps, Cassini Map and the same on the 1790 version.

History

Ancient time

Founded in the 7th century BC, Beaucaire was known as a city on the famous Via Domitia, the first

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

built in Gaul linking Italy to Spain (121 BC.). It was at this point that the Via Domitia divides in the direction of Arles,

Remoulins Remoulins (; oc, Remolins) is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. The town lies on the River Gardon or Gard, and is a short distance downstream of the Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard, in nearby Vers-Pont-du-Gard. The current bridg ...

, and Saint-Gilles. At that time, Beaucaire was called ''Ugernum''. This was where, after the capture of Rome by the Vandals in 455, the Gallo-Roman nobility met to elect Avitus as the new emperor. A Roman mausoleum has been discovered on the ''Île du Comté''.

Middle Ages

Château de Beaucaire (Gard) vue côté Nord

The Middle Ages saw a slowdown in the expansion of the city. Beaucaire did not escape the troubles during this dark period. It underwent invasions of

Burgundians The Burgundians ( la, Burgundes, Burgundiōnes, Burgundī; on, Burgundar; ang, Burgendas; grc-gre, Βούργουνδοι) were an early Germanic tribe or group of tribes. They appeared in the middle Rhine region, near the Roman Empire, and ...

, Visigoths, and Saracens. It was at that time that the first ramparts were built and the castle was expanded. The city took the name ''Beaucaire'' (which means "beautiful stone", probably in reference to its many buildings, to its quarries, or the fact that it had the first hills on the Rhone coming from the sea). During the

Albigensian Crusade The Albigensian Crusade or the Cathar Crusade (; 1209–1229) was a military and ideological campaign initiated by Pope Innocent III to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc, southern France. The Crusade was prosecuted primarily by the French crown ...

Raymond VI of Toulouse Raymond VI ( oc, Ramon; October 27, 1156 – August 2, 1222) was Count of Toulouse and Marquis of Provence from 1194 to 1222. He was also Count of Melgueil (as Raymond IV) from 1173 to 1190. Early life Raymond was born at Saint-Gilles, Gard, ...

besieged Beaucaire in May 1216. The efforts of Simon de Montfort to relieve the town were repulsed. The city fell after a three-month siege. In the 13th century

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the d ...

made several trips to Beaucaire. The city was expanding and its population increasing. Despite the

Hundred Years War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

and the Wars of Religion (14th to the 16th century), the splendour and refinement of the architecture grew along with the wealth of the Beaucairois merchants. In 1579 Beaucaire was held by Henri I de Montmorency, the catholic governor of Languedoc, but tolerant. The captain of the city was Jean de Parabere who was soon to play his own game. Damville then provoked a riot to recover the city but even though Parabere was decapitated, the city remained in the hands of the Huguenots, thanks to reinforcements sent by

François de Coligny François de Coligny (1557–1591) comte de Coligny and seigneur de Châtillon-sur-Loing was a French Protestant general of the Wars of Religion. He was the son of Gaspard II de Coligny (1519–1572), Admiral of France (''Amiral de Coligny'') ...

, the son of Gaspard II de Coligny.

Modern era

At the end of the

in 1453,

Charles VII of France Charles VII (22 February 1403 – 22 July 1461), called the Victorious (french: le Victorieux) or the Well-Served (), was King of France from 1422 to his death in 1461. In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, Charles VII inherited the throne of F ...

declared that Beaucaire would become the site of the ''Fair of la Madeleine'', a commercial fair that would enable the trade of goods from all of the

Mediterranean Basin In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and w ...

countries to all of France. By the mid-seventeenth century, the Fair was the largest commercial fair in the Mediterranean region, allegedly exceeding in a week the total volume of trade done in Marseilles in a year. It remained the dominant Mediterranean trade fair until the arrival of the railway in the mid-nineteenth century. The advent of the railway and the end of river trade as well as the removal of its tax-free status by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

gradually destroyed the Fair of the Madeleine and plunged Beaucaire into anonymity. One result of these years of commercial dominance was the construction of a remarkable number of architecturally significant mansions and palaces by rich merchants of many nationalities. The fair still exists in the form of carnivals, bullfights, and various festivities. Camargue bulls are run through the streets. It always starts on 21 July and always ends on a Monday and lasts at least six days.

French Revolution and Empire

Beaucaire was capital of the district from 1790 to 1795. During the French Revolution the commune was temporarily called ''Pont-National''.

Contemporary period

At the end of the 19th century and the early 20th century some works of great value are built such as the ''banquette'' - a stone retaining wall along the eastern side of the city which protected it from the flooding of the Rhône, food markets, and the Municipal Casino which is now the Festival Hall. It was also at this time that the Canal du Rhône à Sète was widened. It connects Beaucaire to the

Canal du Midi The Canal du Midi (; ) is a long canal in Southern France (french: le Midi). Originally named the ''Canal royal en Languedoc'' (Royal Canal in Languedoc) and renamed by French revolutionaries to ''Canal du Midi'' in 1789, the canal is considere ...

. In 1940 Beaucaire had a large population of Belgian refugees, mostly from

Farciennes Farciennes (; wa, Fårcene) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On January 1, 2018, Farciennes had a total population of 11,247. The total area is 10.39 km2 which gives a population density of 1,083 inh ...

. They became twin communes in 1969. In 2016, they gained international attention for naming a street " Rue du Brexit" as a tribute to the United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union.

Heraldry

Town planning

Beaucaire is one of 79 member communes of the Territorial Coherence Scheme (SCOT) of South Gard and is also one of the 41 communes of ''Pays Garrigues Costières''.

Housing

The town of Beaucaire had 7,769 housing units in 2017, 86% of which were primary residences. There are more single-family houses (55%) than apartments (44%) with the majority of homes having 3 or 4 rooms. 51% of residents own their own housing. Of the rental housing (3,148 units in 2017) 31% are

HLM An habitation à loyer modéré (HLM, , ), is a form of low-income housing in France, Algeria, Senegal, and Quebec. It may be public or private, with rent subsidies. HLMs constitute 16% of all housing in France.Dossier complet: Commune de Beaucaire (30032)
INSEE, retrieved 13 September 2020

Administration

List of Successive

Mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...

The Municipal Council is composed of 23 members including the Mayor and 9 deputies.

Twinning

Beaucaire has twinning associations with: *

(Belgium) since 1969. * Montelupo Fiorentino (Italy).

Demography

In 2017 the commune had 15,963 inhabitants.

Education

The commune has: *4 kindergartens *5 Elementary schools *2 primary schools *3 colleges *2 professional schools

Health

Since 30 January 2014 Beaucaire has a multi-activity healthcare division with multi care professionals, a dental centre, opticians, and a hearing specialist.

Cultural events and festivities

*The Salon des Métiers d'Art is held every year in October. Many craftsmen are selected and come to exhibit their original works. Since 2015, this event has taken place in the conservation area of ??Beaucaire on the Place Georges Clemenceau and also in the inner courtyard of the Town Hall and its Conservatory. *The Mediterranean Equestrian Meeting is held every year on the first weekend in July. Hundreds of horses from all over Europe meet in Beaucaire. This event diversified in 2015 with a children's area to introduce children and attract families. This huge demonstration, whose total cost is around 100,000 euros, has not been subsidized by the regional council since 2015. Despite the decline in endowment, the commune still maintains it and gives it more scope. *The City of books since 2007. It hosts publishers, booksellers and organizes a festival of storytelling. *The Summer Festivals have events such as bullfighting and cultural shows. The city is a member of the ''Union of French bullfighting cities''. *Le Drac from 20–22 June each year. A celebration of the

myth Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

of Le Drac. The townsfolk bring the monster to life in the form of a long procession which snakes through the town led by a swarm of children carrying lanterns.

Worship

The Catholic parish of Beaucaire is part of on the

diocese of Nîmes In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

''Plaine gardoise''. Protestants also have a church in the commune. There is a Mosque for

Moslems Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

Economy

Population and income tax

In 2017 the workforce was 6,726 people, including 1,601 unemployed (23.8%). These people are mostly employees (85.1%) and most work outside the commune (57%). At the end of 2015 there were a total of 1,544 business enterprises in the commune: 152 in agriculture, 128 in industry, 226 in construction, 851 in Trade, transport, and services (of which 303 in automobile trade and repair), and 170 in administration, education, health, or social services.

Notable businesses in the commune

Among local businesses, the ''Craft Brewery of Beaucaire'' produces and markets several varieties of beer regionally with some Camargue rice. There are also: a Ciments français cement plant (subsidiary of the Italcementi group), and a Casanis plant from the Bacardi group which markets Get 27. The headquarters of the multinational group

Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits Marie Brizard Wine & Spirits () is a French wine and spirits producer and distributor. The company was founded in 1991. It is listed on the French stock market, and is a member of the CAC Small 90 index. The recipes of its most famous liquor, "''Ani ...

(formerly Belvédère) has been located in Beaucaire since 2011.

Culture and heritage

A large number of buildings and sites in Beaucaire are registered as historical monuments, including: *Chateau of Beaucaire and its triangular

Keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

. *Many Mansions and facades from the 17th and 18th century. *The Taureau Cocardier (Cocardier bull) Goya, a sculpture by Camille Soccorsi (1984) in the Place Jean-Jaurès. *The Paul Laurent bullring where are held bullfight events, and shows and concerts during the feria of Sainte-Madeleine. *The Sculpture of Drac in the Place de la Republique. *The Vieux Mas, a farmhouse from 1900. *On the plateau north-west of the town, near the cemetery, lie milestones from the ancient Via Domitia. Consisting of a single stone, they are positioned to the right of the way in the direction Beaucaire-Narbonne. There are many due to the addition of a new milestone in the name of the emperor reigning at each significant repair. These multiple milestones are called ''Columns of Caesar''. Rhône, château de Beaucaire.jpg, The Rhône and the Château of Beaucaire. Beaucaire - Chateau 2.jpg, The Château de Beaucaire. Chateau de Beaucaire donjon 1.JPG, The triangular

of the Chateau of Beaucaire Hotel Margallier.jpg, The Hotel of Margallier. Bornes milliaires Beaucaire.jpg, Columns of Caesar. Taureau de la manade Nicollin dans les arènes Paul-Laurent de Beaucaire.jpg, The Bullring Beaucaire - Casino.jpg, Beaucaire Casino

Croix Couverte de Beaucaire

Beaucaire-Oratoire de la croix couverte-20130617

The ''Croix Couverte de Beaucaire'', or the Covered Cross, is a 14th century stone oratory located in Beaucaire at what is now the intersection of the ''Route to Fourques'' and the ''Chemin de Beauvoir.'' The monument has three faces rising off a triangular base, each with a large Gothic arched opening and an open stone balustrade at the top. The vaulted space holds the support for a stone cross, the oratory's original cross is now located in the Auguste Jacquet Museum at the

Château de Beaucaire The Château de Beaucaire (Provençal dialect, Provençal: ''Castèu de Bèucaire'') is a ruined castle in the ''Communes of France, commune'' of Beaucaire (Gard), Beaucaire in the Gard ''Departments of France, département'' of France. The ex ...

. Classified as a historical monument since October 10, 1906, the structure was likely built by John, Duke of Berry, Governor of Languedoc. In 2019, the commune of Beaucaire inaugurated a program to study the monument and create a plan to repair damage to the stonework, improve adjacent drainage, relocate adjacent power poles and lines, and make general improvements to the site.

Religious heritage

*The Troglodytic

Abbey of Saint-Roman The Abbey of Saint-Roman (French: Abbaye de Saint-Roman) is a cave monastery located in the communes of Beaucaire and Comps, in the Gard ''département'' of France. The site, which includes the ruins of a castle, the château de Saint-Roman-d' ...

: atop a limestone outcrop overlooking the Rhone valley at the confluence of the Gardon. This amazing cave monastery, which depended on

Psalmody Abbey Psalmody Abbey, also Psalmodie Abbey or Psalmodi Abbey (french: Abbaye de Psalmody, Psalmodi or ''Psalmodie''), was a Benedictine abbey located near Saint-Laurent-d'Aigouze in the Camargue, in the department of Gard and the region of Languedoc-Ro ...

was abandoned in the 16th century. A fortress was later built partly with stones from the abbey. It was dismantled in 1850 and only a few vestiges of the fortifications are still visible. *The Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame-des-Pommiers dating from the 18th century, the largest church in the city, baroque. *The Church of Saint Paul, built in the Provençal

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

style. *An Oratory in memory of Saint Bonaventure and the Virgin; Second Empire period; near Place Jean-Jaurès and the road to Nîmes. Beaucaire Saint-Roman 729.jpg, The Abbey of Saint-Roman Notre-Dame Beaucaire.JPG, The Collegiate church of Notre-Dame Beaucaire, église St Paul, intérieur1.jpg, The Church of Saint Paul interior

Museums

*The Auguste-Jacquet Museum: a museum of history, archeology and traditions of Beaucaire. Located in the former convent of the

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

sisters at the foot of the medieval castle. *The Horse and Equestrian Art Museum, Hall of the Four Kings, Rue du 4 September.

Literature

Poets, living in or passing through Beaucaire, remembered it through their lyrical writing: Joseph D'Arbaud, Marie-Antoinette Rivière (Antoinette of Beaucaire), Juliette Borely, Artalette of Beaucaire.

Legend

Beaucaire has a legend of the formidable '' drac'', a monster that rises from the depths of the sea to seize and devour its prey. One day the monster grabbed a young laundress and brought her to his cave. The story says the woman expected the worst, but the ''drac'' explained that what he wanted was a nanny for his son, the ''draconnet''. Thus the washerwoman fed the little monster for seven years before she was set free. But one day at the fair the ''drac'' came to the market, having taken on a human appearance. The washerwoman recognized her former captor and incited the crowd to riot. Furious at being unmasked, the ''drac'' blinded the washerwoman. According to Gervase of Tilbury who wrote this tale in 1214, she remained blinded until the end of her days.

Notable people linked to the commune

* Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse (1197-1249) returned Beaucaire, his birthplace, to the lords of Nord in 1216; * Jacques Cœur (around 1395/1400-1456), took refuge in 1455; *

François de Rovérié de Cabrières François-Marie-Anatole de Rovérié de Cabrières (30 August 1830 – 21 December 1921) was a French Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Montpellier from 1874 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate i ...

(1830-1921),

Bishop of Montpellier The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Montpellier (–Lodève–Béziers–Agde–Saint-Pons-de-Thomières) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Metropolitae Montis Pessulani (–Lotevensis–Biterrensis–Agathensis–Sancti Pontii Thomeriarum)'' ...

then

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

; * Jack Thieuloy (1931-1996), French writer of ''L'Opéra de Beaucaire'' ; *

Bonaparte, author of ''Souper de Beaucaire'' ; * (Jean-)Pierre Blaud (1773/74-1859), inventor of

Blaud's pills Iron supplements, also known as iron salts and iron pills, are a number of iron formulations used to treat and prevent iron deficiency including iron deficiency anemia. For prevention they are only recommended in those with poor absorption, ...

; * César Blaud, (died at 77 years old), researcher and author of ''Antiquité de la ville de Beaucaire'', 1819; * Madeleine Blaud (1887-1942), graduate of the Montpellier school of pharmacy, author of ''The high schools of tomorrow'', 1918; * Alexandre Pleindoux, doctor, author of medical books and a militant republican; *

Noël Vandernotte Noël Vandernotte (25 December 1923 – 18 June 2020) was a French rowing coxswain who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was the son of Fernand Vandernotte and the nephew of Marcel Vandernotte Marcel Henri Vandernotte (29 July 1909 � ...

(1923-), retired author, youngest athlete in the history of the modern Olympic Games ''ad vitam æternam'' (Medal in 1936 as a rowing coxswain); * Sauveur Betelli, called ''Toto'', bullfighter, resistance fighter;Gard: Toto Betelli 90 years, "the last of the resistant old bullfighters"
midilibre.fr. * Jacques Lardie (1947-), publisher, political journalist, polémicist cartoonist, illustrator, diploma of fine arts, he signed his articles and cartoons with various nicknames with the most common ''Jihel''. Creator of an important historical series called ''Ciment de l'histoire''; * Michel Odasso (1947-2010), professional footballer from Nîmes Olympique and AS Monaco FC; * Myriam Stocco (1951-), Miss France 1971, 5th princess of Miss Universe 1971, finalist in

Miss World Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss Int ...

1971, 3rd princess in Miss Europe 1971; * Élizabeth Blaud-Costes (1962-), author of ''Épopée du costume provençal, de l'orient à la foire de Beaucaire, de l'Antiquité à nos jours'', 2012; * Ludovic Zerti (1968-), bullfighter; * Johnny Ecker (1973-), professional footballer professionnel for Nîmes Olympique,

Lille OSC Lille Olympique Sporting Club (), commonly referred to as LOSC, LOSC Lille or simply Lille, is a French professional football club based in Lille, Hauts-de-France that competes in Ligue 1, the top flight of French football. Lille has played its ...

Olympique de Marseille Olympique de Marseille (, ; oc, Olimpic de Marselha, ), also known simply as Marseille or by the abbreviation OM (, ), is a French professional men's football club based in Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Founded in 1899, the club pl ...

, EAG; * Youssef Hajdi (1979-), actor; * Pierrick Vidal (1981-), president of the ''Fédération française de la course camarguaise''; * Stéphanie Chantry (1983-), Bronze medallist in light weight doubles Rowing championship of France in 2003 at Vaires-sur-Marne, champion of France 2012 at Lorient, and silver medallist at the World Championships of Rowing in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

in 2013. Bronze medal in mixed doubles in the Championships of France sprint in 2013 at Mantes-la-Jolie, silver medal in 4X at the French Cup in 2014 at

Brive-la-Gaillarde Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of oc, Briva la Galharda) is a commune of France. It is a sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the agglomeration was 7 ...

, and bronze medal at the Championships of France in the double light weight rowing at

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

on 8 June 2014.

References

External links

Beaucaire official website
in French
Beaucaire Blog and Photos
{{authority control Communes of Gard