The Regordane Way is the southernmost section of the historical route that links

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to Lower

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

and the

Camargue Camargue (, also , , ; oc, label= Provençal, Camarga) is a region of France located south of Arles, between the Mediterranean Sea and the two arms of the Rhône delta. The eastern arm is called the ''Grand Rhône''; the western one is the ''P ...

. It runs from

Le Puy-en-Velay Le Puy-en-Velay (, literally ''Le Puy in Velay''; oc, Lo Puèi de Velai ) is the prefecture of the Haute-Loire department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of south-central France. Located near the river Loire, the city is famous for its ca ...

, south west of

St Etienne ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

Saint-Gilles-du-Gard Saint-Gilles (; Provençal: ''Sant Geli''; en, St. Giles) or Saint-Gilles-du-Gard is a commune in the Gard department in southern France. It is the second most populous commune in the Nîmes metropolitan area. History The abbey of Saint-Gilles ...

to the south west of

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 ...

, a distance of 211 kilometres or 140 miles. The origin of its name is most likely that of the ancient Province through which it passes – la Regordana. This Province corresponded approximately to the triangular area linking the towns of Alés, Pradelles and

Largentière Largentière ( ; ''L'Argentièira'' in Occitan) is a commune and sub-prefecture of the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southern France. It is located in the narrow valley of the Ligne, approximately ten kilometres ...

. Its existence dates back to the dawn of man and its importance certainly grew from the year 843 onwards, when it became the most easterly route of a nascent Gaul. The Regordane was the fourth most important pilgrimage route in Christendom during this era, bolstered by its strategic position as a point of departure for

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of St ...

, the Holy Land (St Gilles was a port at the time) and

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GR 700

The GR 700 is

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 ...

's newest

Grande Randonnée The GR footpaths are a network of long-distance walking trails in Europe, mostly in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. They go by the following names: french: link=no, sentier de grande randonnée, vls, link=no, Groteroutepad, nl, L ...

route that follows approximately the

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

path of the Chemin de St-Gilles and the mystical trail The Regordane. The Saint-Gilles Way dates back to the mid-9th century and was Christendom's fourth most important pilgrimage by the 11th century. It runs from

to Saint-Gilles du Gard in

. The Regordane is a section of this trail that runs between Luc in Lozere and

Alès Alès (; oc, Alès) is a Communes of France, commune in the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie regions of France, region in southern France. It is one of the Subprefectures in France, su ...

at the foothills of the

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. The GR 700 runs from Le Puy en Velay to Saint-Gilles du Gard, but is not necessarily faithful to the original trails. The whole route uses the misnomer 'The Regordane Way.' This epithet is incorrect because it implies that the full route was formerly known as The Regordane, which was never the case. Moreover, the use of the word 'Way' implies a Roman origin (Way = Voie) which studies demonstrate is wrong.

Sources

* Marcel GIRAULT. Le Chemin de Régordane. Nîmes, Lacour, 3e éd. 1988.

External links

Regordane Info – The independent portal for The Regordane Way or St Gilles Trail
(in English and French) Hiking trails in France Tourist attractions in Haute-Loire Tourist attractions in Gard {{France-geo-stub