Pont-Saint-Esprit

Pont-Saint-Esprit
Pont-Saint-Esprit
	Commune
	Saint Saturnin church and the medieval bridge over the Rhône River
	Coat of arms
	Location of Pont-Saint-Esprit
	Pont-Saint-Esprit Pont-Saint-Esprit
	Coordinates: 44°15′27″N 4°38′57″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 (2017-01-01)[1]	10,336
• Density	560/km2 (1,400/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 (Occitan: Lo Pònt Sant Esperit, "Holy Spirit Bridge") 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, LSD-25, 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:

Notes and references

"Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
https://celt.ucc.ie//published/T300002-001/index.html
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

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[1] "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.

[2] ttps://celt.ucc.ie//published/T300002-001/index.html

[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.