View source for Uzès

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{For|the medieval Balkan Turkic people known as Uzes|Uzes (people)}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name               = Uzès
|native name        = {{native name|oc|Usès}}
|commune status     = [[Communes of France|Commune]]
|image              = Islamic Art (4782046090).jpg
|caption            = View of part of the town centre with [[Uzès Cathedral|Saint-Théodorit Cathedral]] and Fenestrelle Tower
|arrondissement     = Nîmes
|canton             = Uzès
|image coat of arms = Blason d'Uzès.svg
|INSEE              = 30334
|postal code        = 30700
|mayor              = Jean-Luc Chapon<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
|term               = 2020&ndash;2026
|intercommunality   = 
|coordinates        = {{coord|44.013|4.4205|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m        = 167
|elevation min m    = 49
|elevation max m    = 274
|area km2           = 25.41
|population         = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes   = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}
'''Uzès''' ({{IPA|fr|y.zɛs}}; {{Langx|oc|Usès}}) is a [[Communes of France|commune]] in the [[Gard]] [[Departments of France|department]] in the [[Occitania (administrative region)|Occitanie]] [[Regions of France|region]] of Southern [[France]]. Uzès lies about {{convert|25|km|mi|abbr=off}} north-northeast of [[Nîmes]], {{convert|40|km|mi|abbr=off}} west of [[Avignon]], and {{convert|32|km|mi|abbr=off}} southeast of [[Alès]].

==History==
[[File:Street of Uzes.jpg|thumb|Old town]]
Originally ''Ucetia'' or ''Eutica'' in Latin, Uzès was a small [[Gallo-Roman]] ''[[oppidum]],'' or administrative settlement. The town lies at the source of the [[Alzon]] river, at Fontaine d'Eure, from where a [[Roman aqueduct]] was built in the first century AD, to supply water to the city of [[Nîmes]], {{convert|50|km|0|abbr=off}} away. The most famous stretch of the [[aqueduct (Roman)|aqueduct]] is the [[Pont du Gard]], now a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/344|title=Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)|publisher=UNESCO}}</ref> which carried fresh water over splendid arches across the [[Gardon]] river.

[[Jews]] were apparently settled there as early as the 5th century. [[Saint Ferréol of Uzès|Saint Ferréol]], Bishop of Uzès, was said to have admitted them to his table. Complaints were made of him to King [[Childebert I]] for this issue, whereupon the bishop was required to turn against them, expelling those Jews from Uzès who would not convert to Christianity. After his death (581), many of the converts who had been baptised returned to Judaism.<ref>''[[Gallia Christiana]],'' vi. 613; [[Dom Vaissète]], ''Histoire Générale de Languedoc,'' i. 274, 545</ref> In 614 the Christian government expelled Jews from the region.

In early 8th century, Uzès was a fortified ''civitas'' and bishopric under the Archbishop of Narbonne. During the [[Islamic invasion of Gaul|Umayyad conquest of Gothic Septimania]], Uzès became the northernmost stronghold of [[al-Andalus|Muslim Spain]] circa 725. Charles Martel laid siege to the stronghold in 736, but it remained in Gothic-Andalusian hands up to 752. That year counts loyal to [[Ansemund]] of Nîmes ceded numerous of strongholds to the Frankish [[Pepin the Short]]. In 753 the stronghold rebelled against the Franks after Ansemund's assassination, but the uprising was suppressed and a Frankish trustee of Pepin imposed.

In the 13th century, Uzès hosted a small community of Jewish scholars, as well as a community of [[Cathar]]s.
[[File:UzesMarket.jpg|thumb|left|Farmers market]]
Like many cloth-manufacturing centers (Uzès was known for its [[serge (fabric)|serges]]), residents of the city and the surrounding countryside had become strongly Protestant during the 16th century, and religious and class conflicts played out in the Wars of Religion. The Languedoc region suffered considerable violence: Protestants trashed and burned many of the city's churches. Only two have survived to the 21st century. [[Saint-Étienne, Uzès|Saint-Étienne]] was reconstructed after the violence.

=== Ucetia ===
Ucetia is the name of a [[Gallo-Roman culture|Gallo-Roman]] [[oppidum]] in the Roman province of [[Occitania]]. Its existence was recorded on a list of eleven other settlements on a [[Stele|stela]] in [[Nîmes]] (ancient Nemausus)<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=2017-03-29|title=Stunning mosaics shed light on enigmatic past of Roman city in southern France|url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/stunning-mosaics-shed-light-enigmatic-past-roman-city-southern-france-1614314|access-date=2021-12-03|website=International Business Times UK|language=en}}</ref> on which its name appears as "VCETIAE".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), UCETIA|url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=ucetia-geo|access-date=2021-12-03|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu}}</ref> It was under the administration of Nemausus, to which it provided water via a [[Roman aqueduct]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Winkle|first=Christian|title=Ucetia|date=2006-10-01|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/brill-s-new-pauly/ucetia-e1223960|work=Brill's New Pauly|publisher=Brill|language=en|access-date=2021-12-03}}</ref> Ucetia was also known as ''Castrum Uceciense'', which is in the ''Notitia'' of the Provinces of Gallia.<ref name=":1" />

In 2017, Roman [[mosaic]]s were discovered by accident during construction at a local high school, and represented material proof of Ucetia.<ref name=":0" /> The mosaics had depictions of animals such as a deer, an owl, an eagle, and bulls.<ref name=":0" /> These have been identified as "honor to the Roman gods".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Uzès, City of Art and History {{!}} World Heritage Journeys of Europe|url=https://visitworldheritage.com/en/eu/uz%C3%A8s-city-of-art-and-history/a28f282b-4b52-4784-ba4d-98a8fd045eb5|access-date=2021-12-03|website=visitworldheritage.com}}</ref> For many European cultures, deer represented deities of the woodlands,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Deer mythology and folklore|url=https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/trees-plants-animals/mammals/deer/deer-mythology-and-folklore/|access-date=2021-12-03|website=Trees for Life|language=en-GB}}</ref> and the owl was a symbol of the goddess [[Athena]]. Together with the animals, decorations represented water, geometric shapes, colors, and patterns, including a design with ancient [[swastika]]-like elements.

Ucetia was inhabited from at least the 1st century B.C. until the 7th century A.D.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Carlos|first=Naia|date=2017-04-04|title=Lost Ancient City of Ucetia Finally Found With Iconic Roman Mosaics|url=https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/37035/20170404/lost-ancient-city-of-ucetia-finally-found-with-iconic-roman-mosaics.htm|access-date=2021-12-03|website=Nature World News|language=en}}</ref>

==== Ucetia and Pont du Gard ====
Ucetia was known to have been a source of water carried via [[Aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]] to many communities, especially ancient Nemausus (Nîmes), which grew to a population of about 30,000.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rasmussen|first=Clare Kathleen|date=2017|title=A Comparative Analysis of Roman Water Systems in Pompeii and Nîmes|journal=The University of Arizona|pages=50}}</ref> The aqueduct system included the [[Pont du Gard]]. Construction of the aqueduct led to a "classic Roman tragedy" of greed in the nearby cities and towns that affected Ucetia and other communities.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Courtice|first=Paul|date=1997-04-01|title=Water-Worshipers of Nemausus|url=https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/%28ASCE%291052-3928%281997%29123%3A2%2878%29|journal=Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice|language=EN|volume=123|issue=2|pages=78–81|doi=10.1061/(ASCE)1052-3928(1997)123:2(78)|issn=1052-3928|url-access=subscription}}</ref><!-- What does this mean? Explain with cites -->
===Second World War===
From September 1940 to 9 November 1942, PC [[Cadix]] operated at Château des Fouzes near Uzès, in [[Vichy France]]. 
It was a cryptographer team organized by French major [[Gustave Bertrand]], comprising 15 Polish men from the [[Polish Cipher Bureau]], 9 Frenchmen and 7 [[Second Spanish Republic|Republican Spanish]] refugees.
From there, they worked against [[The Axis|Axis]] ciphers including the [[Enigma machine]].

==Geography==
===Climate===

Uzès has a [[hot-summer Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Csa''). The average annual temperature in Uzès is {{cvt|14.5|C}}. The average annual rainfall is {{cvt|809.4|mm}} with November as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around {{cvt|23.7|C}}, and lowest in January, at around {{cvt|6.1|C}}. The highest temperature ever recorded in Uzès was {{cvt|43.9|C}} on 28 June 2019; the coldest temperature ever recorded was {{cvt|-12.1|C}} on 2 March 2005.

{{Weather box
|collapsed=y
|width=auto
|location = Uzès (1991−2020 normals, extremes 2002−present)
|single line = Y
|metric first = Y
|Jan record high C = 21.7
|Feb record high C = 24.2
|Mar record high C = 26.9
|Apr record high C = 30.9
|May record high C = 33.6
|Jun record high C = 43.9
|Jul record high C = 39.9
|Aug record high C = 41.5
|Sep record high C = 37.2
|Oct record high C = 31.4
|Nov record high C = 24.8
|Dec record high C = 20.4
|Jan record low C = -8.6
|Feb record low C = -11.5
|Mar record low C = -12.1
|Apr record low C = -4.6
|May record low C = 0.9
|Jun record low C = 5.1
|Jul record low C = 8.2
|Aug record low C = 7.2
|Sep record low C = 2.3
|Oct record low C = -1.5
|Nov record low C = -6.3
|Dec record low C = -9.5
|Jan high C = 11.4
|Feb high C = 12.6
|Mar high C = 16.7
|Apr high C = 20.2
|May high C = 23.8
|Jun high C = 29.3
|Jul high C = 32.0
|Aug high C = 31.4
|Sep high C = 26.7
|Oct high C = 21.3
|Nov high C = 15.6
|Dec high C = 11.9
|year high C = 21.1
|Jan mean C = 6.1
|Feb mean C = 6.9
|Mar mean C = 10.0
|Apr mean C = 13.3
|May mean C = 16.8
|Jun mean C = 21.4
|Jul mean C = 23.7
|Aug mean C = 23.3
|Sep mean C = 19.5
|Oct mean C = 15.4
|Nov mean C = 10.4
|Dec mean C = 6.9
|year mean C = 14.5
|Jan low C = 0.9
|Feb low C = 1.2
|Mar low C = 3.3
|Apr low C = 6.4
|May low C = 9.7
|Jun low C = 13.5
|Jul low C = 15.5
|Aug low C = 15.2
|Sep low C = 12.2
|Oct low C = 9.4
|Nov low C = 5.3
|Dec low C = 1.9
|year low C = 7.9
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 57.2
|Feb precipitation mm = 42.8
|Mar precipitation mm = 55.8
|Apr precipitation mm = 70.9
|May precipitation mm = 60.6
|Jun precipitation mm = 37.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 32.9
|Aug precipitation mm = 49.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 110.0
|Oct precipitation mm = 114.3
|Nov precipitation mm = 121.7
|Dec precipitation mm = 56.3
|year precipitation mm = 809.4
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 6.3
|Feb precipitation days = 5.0
|Mar precipitation days = 5.4
|Apr precipitation days = 7.2
|May precipitation days = 6.5
|Jun precipitation days = 4.2
|Jul precipitation days = 3.5
|Aug precipitation days = 4.0
|Sep precipitation days = 4.6
|Oct precipitation days = 6.6
|Nov precipitation days = 8.0
|Dec precipitation days = 5.7
|year precipitation days = 66.9
|source 1 = [[Météo-France]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_30334003.pdf
| title=Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records
| language = fr
| publisher = [[Météo-France]]
| access-date = September 4, 2022}}</ref>}}

==Dukes of Uzès==
The title of [[Lords, viscounts and dukes of Uzès|Duke of Uzès]], in the [[Crussol family]], is the premier title in the [[peerage of France]], coming right after the princes of the blood. The title of seigneur d'Uzès is attested in a charter of 1088. After part of Languedoc was attached to royal demesne (1229), the lords' (and later dukes') military skill and fealty to the Crown propelled their rise through the nobility, until, after the treason of the last [[Duke of Montmorency]], beheaded in 1632, the title of First Duke of France fell to Uzès, who retain their stronghold in the center of town today, which has expanded round the 11th century ''Tour Bermond''. If France were a kingdom, it would be the job of the duke of Uzès to cry out, ''"[[The King is dead. Long live the King|Le Roi est mort. Vive le Roi!]]"'' at each state funeral, and defend the honour of the queen mother. Twenty-one dukes have been wounded or killed as hereditary Champion of France over the centuries.

==Sights==
[[File:Duche-Uzes.JPG|thumb|right|[[Château d'Uzès|Duché Palace]]]]
The present-day city retains the trace of its walls as a circuit of boulevards. A [[Order of Friars Minor Capuchin|Capuchin]] chapel, built in 1635 to house the mortal remains of the dukes, occupies the site of a 1st-century AD temple dedicated to the first Roman Emperor, [[Augustus]].
There are monuments of the prestige of the former bishopric, once one of the most extensive of Languedoc, but extinguished at the Revolution, and private houses that witness the wealth that the textile trade brought in the 16th century. The town is also homes to three feudal towers, the Bermonde Tower (part of the ''[[Château d'Uzès|château du Duché]]''), the Bishop Tower and the Royal Tower.

[[Uzès Cathedral]] was destroyed in the [[Albigensian Crusade]], rebuilt, and destroyed again in the 16th century [[French Wars of Religion|Wars of Religion]]. Rebuilt again in the 17th century, it was stripped out during the French Revolution. The 11th century  [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] ''Tour Fenestrelle'' ("Window Tower"), with its paired windows, is probably the most famous icon of the city. It was listed as a [[Monument historique|French Historical Monument]] in 1862.<ref>{{Base Mérimée|PA00103250 | Ancienne cathédrale Saint-Théodorit}}</ref>

Uzès is locally famous for its Saturday market.  The market offers local produce, but it also boasts textiles made in the region and many tourist delights.<ref name="Ind2">- ''[http://villasinsouthoffrance.com/the-delights-of-uzes-market/567/ Delights of Uzes Market] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901141850/http://villasinsouthoffrance.com/the-delights-of-uzes-market/567/ |date=1 September 2011 }}''</ref>

== Economy ==
Tourism is one of the key industrial sectors, alongside the local arts scene and wine making.

The region has a long history in the production of [[Liquorice|licorice]]. The German company [[Haribo]] maintains a factory and museum in Uzès, which traces its roots back to the licorice factory Henri Lefont opened there in 1862. His company later merged with [[Ricqlès]], and was then taken over by Haribo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.museeharibo.fr/fr/ses-espaces_10.html|title=Ses espaces - Le Musée du Bonbon Haribo sur Uzès dans le Gard|website=www.museeharibo.fr|access-date=2016-12-05|archive-date=2018-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022091627/http://www.museeharibo.fr/fr/ses-espaces_10.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Population==
{{Historical populations
|align = none
|cols = 2
|percentages = pagr
|source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|38523|Uzès }}</ref> and INSEE (1968-2017)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-30334#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
|1793 |6150
|1800 |6350
|1806 |6287
|1821 |5684
|1831 |6162
|1836 |6856
|1841 |7274
|1846 |7215
|1851 |6934
|1856 |6333
|1861 |6242
|1866 |5895
|1872 |5574
|1876 |5585
|1881 |5449
|1886 |5146
|1891 |4989
|1896 |4819
|1901 |4889
|1906 |5182
|1911 |4804
|1921 |4098
|1926 |4456
|1931 |4212
|1936 |4033
|1946 |4667
|1954 |5222
|1962 |5649
|1968 |6851
|1975 |7078
|1982 |7525
|1990 |7649
|1999 |8007
|2007 |8088
|2012 |8578
|2017 |8454
}}

==Notable people==
* [[Firmin Abauzit]] (1679–1767), scholar who worked on [[physics]], [[theology]] and [[philosophy]]
* Vice-Admiral [[François-Paul Brueys D'Aigalliers]], Count de Brueys, (1753–1798), the French commander in the [[Battle of the Nile]].
*[[Oliver Bevan]] (2001–) English artist
* [[Leon Krier]], urbanist<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://shannonchance.net/2013/06/27/discovering-uzes-france/|title = Discovering Uzes, France|date = 27 June 2013}}</ref>
* [[Dhuoda]], duchess consort of [[Septimania]] and writer of the ''[[Dhuoda#Liber Manualis|Liber Manualis]]''
* [[Bernard Plantapilosa]], [[Count of Auvergne]] and second son of [[Dhuoda]]
* [[David Redfern]] (1936–2014) English music photographer
* [[Suzanne Verdier]] (1745–1813), writer
* [[Frédéric Gabillon]] (1976–), racing driver

==See also==
* [[Bishopric of Uzès]]
* [[Viscounts and Dukes of Uzès]]
* [[Philip O'Connor]]
*[[Communes of the Gard department]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book | last=d'Albiousse | first=Lionel | year=1881 | title=Guide de l'étranger à Uzès | place=Uzès | publisher=H. Malige | language=fr | url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5658914f }}
* {{cite book | last=d'Albiousse | first=Lionel | year=1887 | title=''Histoire des ducs d'Uzès : suivie d'une notice sur leur château ducal'' | place=Paris | publisher=H. Champion | url=https://archive.org/stream/histoiredesducsd00albi#page/n5/mode/2up | language=fr }} <!--Gallica: http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k503977p -->

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.uzes.fr Official website] {{in lang|fr}}
* [https://www.uzes-tourisme.com Tourist office website]

{{Gard communes}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uzes}}
[[Category:Communes of Gard]]
[[Category:Languedoc]]