Pont-Saint-Esprit

Pont-Saint-Esprit
Pont-Saint-Esprit
Commune
	Saint Saturnin church and the medieval bridge over the Rhône River
	Coat of arms
	show Location of Pont-Saint-Esprit
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	Coordinates: 44°15′27″N 4°38′57″E / 44.2575°N 4.6492°ECoordinates: 44°15′27″N 4°38′57″E / 44.2575°N 4.6492°E
Country	France
Region	Occitanie
Department	Gard
Arrondissement	Nîmes
Canton	Pont-Saint-Esprit
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Claire Lapeyronie
Area 1	18.49 km2 (7.14 sq mi)
Population (Jan. 2018)	10,397
• Density	560/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	30202 /30130
Elevation	36–187 m (118–614 ft) ; (avg. 59 m or 194 ft)
	1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Pont-Saint-Esprit (French pronunciation: [pɔ̃ sɛ̃.t‿ɛspʁi], literally "Holy Spirit Bridge"; Occitan: Lo Pònt Sant Esperit) is a commune in the Gard département in southern France. It is situated on the river Rhône and is the site of a historical crossing, hence its name. The Ardèche flows into the Rhône, just to the north of the bridge. The residents are called Spiripontains.

History[]

The bridge was observed by the Irish pilgrim Symon Semeonis in 1323 on his way to the Holy Land: "Pont-Saint-Esprit where there is a famous stone bridge over the Rhône, half a mile in length, the height of which and the breadth of its arches are greatly admired by all those who cross over it."^[2]

Bouvier family origins[]

Pont-Saint-Esprit is famous as the town of origin of Michel Bouvier, a cabinetmaker, who was the ancestor of John Vernou Bouvier III, father of Jacqueline Kennedy.

1951 mass poisoning incident[]

On 15 August 1951, an outbreak of poisoning, marked by acute psychotic episodes and various physical symptoms, occurred in Pont-Saint-Esprit. More than 250 people were involved, including 50 persons interned in asylums and four deaths.^[3] Most academic sources accept ergot poisoning as the cause of the epidemic, while a few theorize other causes such as poisoning by mercury, mycotoxins, or nitrogen trichloride.^[4]^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8]

Population[]

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1793	5,766	—
1800	4,055	−29.7%
1806	4,331	+6.8%
1821	4,545	+4.9%
1831	4,953	+9.0%
1841	5,239	+5.8%
1851	5,538	+5.7%
1861	5,123	−7.5%
1872	4,350	−15.1%
1881	4,726	+8.6%
1891	5,262	+11.3%
1901	4,798	−8.8%
1911	4,685	−2.4%

Year	Pop.	±%
1921	5,801	+23.8%
1931	4,652	−19.8%
1946	4,149	−10.8%
1954	4,925	+18.7%
1962	5,778	+17.3%
1968	6,951	+20.3%
1975	6,709	−3.5%
1982	8,067	+20.2%
1990	9,277	+15.0%
1999	9,265	−0.1%
2006	9,661	+4.3%
2011	10,640	+10.1%
2012	10,651	+0.1%

International relations[]

Pont-Saint-Esprit is twinned with:

Egelsbach, Germany
Haverhill, United Kingdom
Penacova, Portugal

Notes and references[]

^ "Populations légales 2018". INSEE. 28 December 2020.
^ "The Journey of Symon Semeonis from Ireland to the Holy Land".
^ Gabbai, Lisbonne and Pourquier (1951-09-15). "Ergot Poisoning at Pont St. Esprit". British Medical Journal. 2 (4732): 650–651. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.4732.650. PMC 2069953. PMID 14869677.
^ Lisbonne, Gabbai (15 September 1951). "Ergot Poisoning at Pont St. Esprit". British Medical Journal. 2 (4732): 650–651. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.4732.650. PMC 2069953. PMID 14869677.
^ Finger, Stanley (2001). Origins of Neuroscience: A History of Explorations Into Brain Function. Oxford University Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-19-514694-3. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
^ Pommerville, Jeffrey C.; Alcamo, I. Edward (2013). Alcamo's Fundamentals of Microbiology: Body systems edition. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 734. ISBN 978-1-4496-0594-0. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
^ Cavaciocchi, Simonetta, ed. (2010). Economic and biological interactions in pre-industrial Europe, from the 13th to the 18th century. Istituto internazionale di storia economica F. Datini. Settimana di studio. Firenze University Press. p. 82. ISBN 978-88-8453-585-6. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
^ Frederick Burwick (1 November 2010). Poetic Madness and the Romantic Imagination. Penn State Press. pp. 180–. ISBN 978-0-271-04296-1. Retrieved 24 February 2013.

External links[]

Tourism office website
Document BBC Radio 4 programme on the Le Pain Maudit

[1] "Populations légales 2018". INSEE. 28 December 2020.

[2] "The Journey of Symon Semeonis from Ireland to the Holy Land".

[3] Gabbai, Lisbonne and Pourquier (1951-09-15). "Ergot Poisoning at Pont St. Esprit". British Medical Journal. 2 (4732): 650–651. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.4732.650. PMC 2069953. PMID 14869677.

[4] Lisbonne, Gabbai (15 September 1951). "Ergot Poisoning at Pont St. Esprit". British Medical Journal. 2 (4732): 650–651. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.4732.650. PMC 2069953. PMID 14869677.

[Finger2001-5] Finger, Stanley (2001). Origins of Neuroscience: A History of Explorations Into Brain Function. Oxford University Press. p. 221. ISBN 978-0-19-514694-3. Retrieved 24 February 2013.

[PommervilleAlcamo2013-6] Pommerville, Jeffrey C.; Alcamo, I. Edward (2013). Alcamo's Fundamentals of Microbiology: Body systems edition. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 734. ISBN 978-1-4496-0594-0. Retrieved 24 February 2013.

[Simonetta2010-7] Cavaciocchi, Simonetta, ed. (2010). Economic and biological interactions in pre-industrial Europe, from the 13th to the 18th century. Istituto internazionale di storia economica F. Datini. Settimana di studio. Firenze University Press. p. 82. ISBN 978-88-8453-585-6. Retrieved 24 February 2013.

[Burwick2010-8] Frederick Burwick (1 November 2010). Poetic Madness and the Romantic Imagination. Penn State Press. pp. 180–. ISBN 978-0-271-04296-1. Retrieved 24 February 2013.

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