Villemagne-l'Argentière (; oc, Vilamanha, before 1989: ''Villemagne'') is a

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 ...

near

Bédarieux Bédarieux (; oc, Bedarius) is a town and commune in the Hérault department in the region of Occitanie in southern France. The town is surrounded by the Espinouse mountain and Orb river, and is in the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park. Th ...

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 in the Occitanie

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 an ...

in southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

History

At the end of the 7th century, the first monastery was founded by Clarinus Lubila, a monk of the

order of Saint Benedict , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

from

Monte Cassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first ho ...

. This monastery was situated at the northwestern edge of the village and consisted initially of a chapel, a , a refectory and kitchen, an infirmary and a hospice for the poor and for travellers. A century later, this monastery was destroyed by the

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

s then restored to life by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first ...

. In the 9th century, the name of ''Villemagna'' (big domain) appears for the first time, in the

Synods of Aachen (816–819) The Synods of Aachen between 816 and 819 were a landmark in regulations for the monastic life in the Frankish realm. The Benedictine Rule was declared the universally valid norm for communities of monks and nuns, while canonical orders were disting ...

among nineteen monasteries in Septimania which were required to furnish the Emperor neither with presents nor soldiers, but only prayers. The monastery had probably taken the name of an ancient

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...

domain situated nearby and called ''villa magna'' - the big villa – a very common name for an important agricultural estate. In 893, the abbey, which was then named after St. Martin, patron saint of the ancient parish, took the name of St Majan, confessor of

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

, whose relics had recently been stolen from Lombez, in Gascony, by Sulsani and Centulle, two monks from Villemagne. From then on, the pilgrims flooded into Villemagne, being situated not far from the road from

Arles Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...

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 S ...

, there to worship St Majan's relics, reputed for their intercessions in favour of the blind and the lame, in particular. In the 10th century the abbey came under the protection of the Lords of

Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...

and Béziers who granted the abbey numerous privileges as well as lands and a large quantity of silver. In the 12th century, Villemagne was under the control of the two most powerful noblemen in the region: * Roger

Trencavel The Trencavel was an important noble family in Languedoc between the 10th and 13th centuries. The name "Trencavel" began as a nickname and later became the family's surname. The name may derive from the Occitan words for "Nutcracker" (''trenca ...

, viscount of

Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the Au ...

and Béziers; *

Ermengarde of Narbonne Ermengarde ( Occitan: Ermengarda, Ainermada, or Ainemarda) (b. 1127 or 1129 – d. Perpignan, 14 October 1197), was a viscountess of Narbonne from 1134 to 1192. She was the daughter of Aimery II of Narbonne and his first wife, also named Ermengarde ...

. At this time, the abbey was put under the direct protection of the King of France, to protect it from the whims of these noblemen who wanted to resume the donations granted by their forefathers on the clergy during the terrors of the year 1000. In 1156, Louis VII of France authorized the Abbot of Villemagne to fortify the abbey and to surround the town with ditches protected by high towers. This authorisation was renewed in 1212 by Philippe Auguste, which allows us to date the current vestiges of ramparts and town gates. King Louis VII gave the monastery legal authority in civil, criminal and capital affairs, and confirmed the rights over the local silver mines, both existing or newly discovered, that the monastery shared with the viscount of Béziers and the viscountess of

. The mines were situated in the municipality of Pradal, which was then a dependency of Villemagne. These mines contributed greatly to the fortune and to the reputation of Villemagne and thus the suffix: Argentière was added to the name of the town. In 1510 the monastery and the church of St Majan were reconstructed. At this time, there were a dozen monks in residence, in a still prosperous monastery, with several dependent churches, Saint Raphaël, la Bastide, Soumatre and St. Pierre-de Brousson. The abbot retained a doctor, an apothecary and a surgeon, and welcomed vagrants. Villemagne maintained its prestige and its size until 1560, when the Protestants under Claude de Narbonne Caylus, Baron de Faugères, seized the Abbey, plundering and burning the archives. After numerous raids by one or another religious party, the surviving monks took refuge at Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, near Paris. They returned to the abbey of Villemagne in 1661 bringing with them their congregation from St. Maur. They restored the monastery and its abbey church, the current parish church of St. Majan. They requested permission to acquire the necessary lands for a garden for the monastery, which was granted a year later. Then the monks diverted the water from the ''del couven'' spring to a reservoir (now filled) which was in the middle of the monastery garden. This garden is situated to the West of the abbey, and is the site for a proposed historical garden to be developed by the village. At the beginning of the 18th century, the leaders of Villemagne asked the States of

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 king for financial assistance following numerous natural disasters: frozen olive trees in 1714, floods in 1741 and 1742 and especially in 1745. In the latter year, the river

Mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...

, which had until then been to the west of Villemagne, then changed its course cutting the town in two; the part of the town to the left (East) of the new course was severely damaged and was abandoned including its ancient church of St. Sauveur. The part of the town on the new right bank, which corresponds to the current historic centre of Villemagne, was covered with 1.80 m of water; when the water receded the town was partially buried under a deep layer of silt. Numerous further floods resulted in the village being raised by up to 3 metres in some places. The remaining five monks left Villemagne in 1793. After 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 coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

the churches were devastated and plundered and the surviving papers, charters etc. were destroyed by fire in the town square which explains the complete lack of historical archives. The ecclesiastical buildings were sold off by auction, including the abbey and its dependences, which were split between several new proprietors; the abbey church of St Majan, was transformed into a glass factory by the glassworker Giral, (who used coal from Graissessac to feed his furnaces). The then parish church St Grégoire was abandoned and after several years of neglect, its roof collapsed. The 19th century was again marked by devastating floods of the Mare, notably in 1818, 1840 and 1871, which led to the excavation of the river bed and the raising of the floor level in the church of St Majan, as well as the building of the protective dyke which was extended in 1844 and 1954.

Sights

Churches

Until the 13th century there were six churches in and around Villemagne. Today, only the site of St. Martin's and St. Sauveur outside the walls can be located, as well as St. Grégoire and St. Majan inside. The church of St. Grégoire, built at the end of the 12th century is in the purest

Romanesque style Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of medieval Europe characterized by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque style, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 11th century, this later ...

, apart from the window above the front door which was reconstructed with an ogival arch in a former Romanesque bay. The former church now houses an archaeological museum. The church of St. Majan still serves the village today, and was inaugurated and blessed in great pomp in 1664. It is built in the

Gothic style 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 ...

, with

ogival An ogive ( ) is the roundly tapered end of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional object. Ogive curves and surfaces are used in engineering, architecture and woodworking. Etymology The earliest use of the word ''ogive'' is found in the 13th c ...

arches.

Others

The Hôtel des Monnaies (the Mint) is a national monument and originates from the eleventh century when the currency of the lords of

, Béziers and Rodez was minted. On the northern face of this building, one can see a very beautiful lintel and Romanesque windows. This building is listed on the

2010 World Monuments Watch List of Most Endangered Sites The World Monuments Watch is a flagship advocacy program of the New York-based private non-profit organization World Monuments Fund (WMF) that calls international attention to cultural heritage around the world that is threatened by neg ...

and is currently undergoing a restoration scheme. You can also see the ancient ramparts, including the Barbican gate and the Mirande tower (part of the former monastery). The Pont du Diable ( Devil's Bridge) is a 13th-century bridge over the river

, about to the North of the village. It is 14m long with 2 arches, and descends at an angle of about 15° from the horizontal. The Hamlet of La Gure The birthplace of the celebrated Dr Jean-Léon Privat. Famous for his empirical studies in to nervous illnesses and his collaboration with Duchenne de Boulogne. Was one of the founding fathers of the modern spa town of Lamalou les Bains. He was born here, son of a shoemaker 10 November 1810.

Population

References

External links

History of the village Archives communales déposées de Villemagne-l'Argentière (1427-1966) Village website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villemagnelargentiere Communes of Hérault