commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Hérault
Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 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
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
in southern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
It lies near the town
Pézenas
Pézenas (; Languedocien: ''Pesenàs'') is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France.
Name
The name "Pézenas" is derived from the older name ''Piscenae'', probably from the Latin word ''piscenis'', meaning fi ...
.
History
Like many places in Languedoc-Roussillon, the village of Nizas has been continuously inhabited since prehistoric time. The vicinity of the village is rich in archeological sites, such as proto-anthropomorphic stele of Pla Méjo and ''la grotte de l'Homme Mort'', both from the
Chalcolithic
The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...
period.
The origins of the village of Nizas are certainly
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
, although there are remains from
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
amphora
An amphora (; grc, ἀμφορεύς, ''amphoreús''; English plural: amphorae or amphoras) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storag ...
manufacturing
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...
processes in neighbouring villages. There are evidences of Roman foundations from the 1st century AD under the early 18th-century church in the center of the village.
The name ''Nizas'' derived from the name of a Latin nobleman Nisius whose domain is buried under the modern village. Nizas is mentioned in the Carolingian texts (884 AD) as a villa. Following the collapse of the
Carolingian empire
The Carolingian Empire (800–888) was a large Frankish-dominated empire in western and central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as kings of the Franks since 751 and as kings of the Lom ...
, Occitanian peasantry who, prior to 950 lived mostly at dispersed farms, regrouped around castles of local nobles for protection. Thus, the fortified villages or "castra" in Occitan, appeared between 950 and 1050. "Castro Nizacio" is mentioned in time of crusades (1094–1114). The
circulade
In the Languedoc-Roussillon region of the south of France, a ''circulade'' is a traditional village that has been built in concentric circles. The center, which one might expect to be the site of a '' château-fort'' or a parish church, is as ofte ...
is well preserved in the historical center of the village called quartier de la Villette.
At the end of the 16th century, the Carrion family acquired the fief from the
bishop of Lodève
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
and adopted the name Carrion-Nizas. That was Jean-Raymond de Carrion-Nizas ( d. 1624), master-builder of walls of Pézenas, who built or re-built the current castle. The Carrion-Nizas family remained the lords of the village until the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
. The tomb of the Carrion-Nizas family is still in the church chancel.
Archival materials, such as old maps, postcards and photographs, census of population and parochial records going as far back as the early 17th century may be found on line at Archives départementales de l'Hérault.
Population
The inhabitants of Nizas are called ''Nizaçois''.
Sights
The present village dates from the 10th century with extensive building in the 12th and 13th centuries giving the characteristic shape of a
circulade
In the Languedoc-Roussillon region of the south of France, a ''circulade'' is a traditional village that has been built in concentric circles. The center, which one might expect to be the site of a '' château-fort'' or a parish church, is as ofte ...
. This is tight spiral configuration with the outer buildings having thick (up to 3 meters in places)
stone wall
Stone walls are a kind of masonry construction that has been used for thousands of years. The first stone walls were constructed by farmers and primitive people by piling loose field stones into a dry stone wall. Later, mortar and plaster ...
s as a defence. Since 2004, the historical district ''quartier de la Villette'' has been a pedestrian zone. The information below is largely based on the tourists signs.
Castrum tower
The tower is located in quartier de la Villette, the oldest part of Nizas. This four-sided tower (6.5 x 10 m) with walls 1.70m thick was originally surrounded by an enclosure which served as a farmyard to the old chateau.
Place du Griffe
From the 14th century onwards, the center of the village spread to the west of the original center (quartier de la Villette) around a new square – the Place du Griffe. In this square, in the center of a fountain, there is a statue of Marianne which is more mythological than republican. She is the Greek-Roman goddess Artemis-Diana or Belissena, her counterpart in Celt Iberian cosmos of divinities. She isn't wearing phrygian cap, but a star on her forehead, suggesting the guiding light to lead people from the darkness of ignorance.
Church
The cornerstone of the present church was consecrated on January 13, 1705 on the site of the former chapel of Saints Perpetue and Felicity which was demolished in 1703. The construction work was completed by August 1708. Saint Perpetue relics are still objects of veneration. /ref> The church is open for worship and visits only during the time of service.
Image:NizasApproaching.JPG , Approaching village of Nizas
Image:NizasOldWinePress.JPG , Old wine press converted to flowerbed
Image:NizasGeneralView.JPG , Picturesque view from a nearby hill at sunset
Image:NizasCentralSquare.JPG , Village square, La place du Griffe
Image:PlaceGriffeNight1.jpg, La place du Griffe at night - Cet endroit est brumeux et mystérieux
Image:NizasCastle.JPG , Castle of Carrion-Nizas, who remained the local lords from the late 16th century until the revolution. The castle is closed to public.
Image:NizasOldCastle.JPG , Old part of the village (quartier de la Villette).
Image:NizasChurch.JPG , Facade of the village church.
Image:NizasCoclico.JPG, Coquelicot ("Red poppy" in French)
Image:NizasLaGarrigue1.jpg, La garrigue ("garriga" in Occitan) - Mediterranean scrubland, Spring time
Image:NizasLaGarrigue2.jpg, Hills of Herault, Spring time
Image:NizasSheeps.jpg, Sheep