Arrigas 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 ...

in the Gard department in southern France.

Geography

The village is in the

Cévennes The Cévennes ( , ; oc, Cevenas) is a cultural region and range of mountains in south-central France, on the south-east edge of the Massif Central. It covers parts of the ''départements'' of Ardèche, Gard, Hérault and Lozère. Rich in geogra ...

, above the D999 road between Le Vigan and Alzon.

History

Arrigas possesses a number of Megalithic remains including the dolmen of Arrigas on the route to Peyraube, and the dolmen of Peyre Cabussélado near the border with the commune of Arre. There are also three knocked-over

menhirs A menhir (from Brittonic languages: ''maen'' or ''men'', "stone" and ''hir'' or ''hîr'', "long"), standing stone, orthostat, or lith is a large human-made upright stone, typically dating from the European middle Bronze Age. They can be foun ...

at the mountain pass de Vernes, and more lower down at the place called Troulhas. The village itself was founded in the 12th century by a colony of

Benedictine , 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 ...

monks under the dependency of St Victor of

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

; a church is mentioned in 1113 and a monastery in 1135. By the 14th century, during the Hundred Years' War, the church was fortified. During the

French Wars of Religion The French Wars of Religion is the term which is used in reference to a period of civil war between French Catholics and Protestants, commonly called Huguenots, which lasted from 1562 to 1598. According to estimates, between two and four mi ...

the d'Albignac family, lords (seigneurs) of Arrigas, embraced the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, alongside part of the population. But later their loyalty to the Crown led the d'Albignacs to change camp. In 1625, when

Henri, duc de Rohan Henri (II) de Rohan (21 August 157913 April 1638), Duke of Rohan and Prince of Léon, was a Breton-French soldier, writer and leader of the Huguenots. Early life Rohan was born at the Château de Blain (now a part of Blain, Loire-Atlantique), ...

led the uprising of the Protestants of Languedoc, Charles d'Albignac took up the Catholic cause of the King,

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown ...

. His castle at the Pont d'Arre was taken by the Protestant zealots, while the fortified church of Arrigas was almost completely destroyed. Some months later, at the Siege of Creissels, Charles d'Albignac stopped the advance of the troops of Rohan, and afterwards he was elevated by the King to become the Baron d'Arre. After the destruction of the Pont d'Arre, the d'Albignac family built the château of Arrigas. Louis-Alexandre d'Albignac was born here in 1739 and became a Lieutenant-General in the armies of the King, then a

général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

in the Revolutionary and Imperial armies, decorated with the royal Order of Saint Louis and the Imperial

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. After a remarkable career under the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for ...

, d'Albignac put himself in the service of 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 ...

and accepted becoming the first mayor of Le Vigan (the main town of the region) in 1790. He took up service against the enemies of the Revolution in the Camp of Jales, and then served in the army, either the armies of the Alps or the Rhine. He is the most illustrious of the children of Arrigas, although he died in his own house in Le Vigan in 1825. Arrigas is lively village from July to August when home owners from all over France, Europe and even Canada descend to spend the summer holidays. There are communal (3 day) fetes in mid July and at the end of August. A little cooler because of its mountain location it provides a welcome break from the fierce heat of the coastal regions of Languedoc.

Geography

History

Population

See also