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 is close to the town of
Clermont l'Hérault Clermont may refer to:
Places Australia
* Clermont, Queensland, a town in the Isaac Region
Belgium
* Clermont-sur-Berwinne, a town in Wallonia
Canada
* Clermont, Prince Edward Island
* Clermont, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec
* Clermont, Cap ...
.
Villeneuvette is a small village made up of a group of buildings built in the 17th century to create a royal clothmaking factory and to provide accommodation for its workers. Apart from a hotel and restaurant, the buildings are now restricted to residential use, many for holiday purposes.
The creation of Villeneuvette was promoted in 1677 by
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the countr ...
, the noted finance minister of King Louis XIV. It was one of his many initiatives to develop France's industrial base. The factory was powered hydraulically, the water being drawn from various water courses from existing basins. The factory was privately owned and produced cloth for the king, including uniforms for his armies. The factory was operational until 1955.
Since 1995, the village has been classified as a "''Zone de Protection du Patrimoine et du Paysage''", recognising the originality and importance of its heritage.
Since 2014, the site has been listed as ''
monument historique
''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...
'' by the French Ministry of Culture.
The original inscription above the gateway was "MANUFACTURE ROYALE" but this was later rather crudely changed by the Republic to "HONNEUR AU TRAVAIL" - Honour in work.