Nizas (; ) is a commune in the

Hérault Hérault (; , ) is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault (river), Hérault River, its Prefectures in France, prefecture is M ...

department in the Occitanie

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in southern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. 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'', meanin ...

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 Chalcolithic ( ) (also called the Copper Age and Eneolithic) was an archaeological period characterized by the increasing use of smelted copper. It followed the Neolithic and preceded the Bronze Age. It occurred at different periods in di ...

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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

, although there are remains from

Greek Greek may refer to: 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 of all kno ...

amphora An amphora (; ; English ) is a type of container with a pointed bottom and characteristic shape and size which fit tightly (and therefore safely) against each other in storage rooms and packages, tied together with rope and delivered by land ...

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 the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

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 (800–887) was a Franks, Frankish-dominated empire in Western and Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages. It was ruled by the Carolingian dynasty, which had ruled as List of Frankish kings, kings of the Franks since ...

, 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 member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

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 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'' in French.

Sights

The present village dates from the 10th century with extensive building in the 12th and 13th centuries giving the characteristic shape of a

. 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 plaste ...

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 13 January 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

References

External links

* * https://web.archive.org/web/20081121213906/http://www.agglo-heraultmediterranee.net/Sites_communes/nizas/index.php * https://web.archive.org/web/20090305200737/http://www.agglo-heraultmediterranee.net/Sites_communes/nizas/presentation.php {{DEFAULTSORT:Nizas, Herault Communes of Hérault