Pompignan is a commune in the Gard department, in the Occitanie region, 10 km south of Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort.
Bordering the department of Hérault to the west and south, its territory of 41 km² crossed by various streams belongs to the Cévennes Piedmont and its altitude ranges from 153 to 522 m.
The locality in some way ensures the transition between the Causse de l'Hortus to the south and the first foothills of the Cévennes to the north, framed by forests, the massifs of Bois de Monnier (to the west) and Coutach (to the East).
Renowned for its rich biodiversity, Pompignan presents landscapes of scrubland cut by canyons where small streams flow. The commune is covered with shrubby or herbaceous natural environments (52% of its surface area), forests (18%), agricultural areas (26%)…
For a long time the activity there was dedicated to pastoralism and cereal cultivation. In the 18th century, silkworm cultivation and some artisanal specialties such as tannery were added. From now on, viticulture and stone extraction (for paving and construction) are the two vectors of the economy.
Occupied very early by man (caves, dolmens, ancient burials have been unearthed), Pompignan has a feudal castle in the Middle Ages, now in the form of vestiges. Later, the village, which remained faithful to Catholicism, was affected by the Camisards revolt.
Today, the heritage and preserved environment of the town, which has some 960 inhabitants, delight lovers of green tourism between the Cévennes and the coast.
At the heart of a vast plain which evokes the savannah by its colors and its rare vegetation (scrubland), the village has some heritage sites of interest.
This is the case, for example, of the Saint-Saturnin church, cited from the 11th century. Later, from 1267, serving a small priory, it depended on the abbey of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert by decision of Pope Clement IV. The original Romanesque style building was first affected by the Wars of Religion then by a fire at the beginning of the 18th century. A new church is then rebuilt on the site of the old cemetery. Neo-Romanesque style on the outside, it has a ribbed vault on the inside, and its dimensions reflect the prosperity of the time: its nave measures more than 45 m and the vault rises to more than 18m. We note that the imposing-looking porch with its archivolt with multiple moldings has been engraved, since 1905, with the republican motto, "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity", like five other communes in Gard.
On the Town Hall Square, facing the church is the old school and a former 19th century asylum where visitors or destitute people could be accommodated. A sundial is installed on the facade. Furthermore, there is a bronze statue sculpted by the Nîmes artist Léopold Morice in 1892 which pays homage to Mathias Alphonse Bourras (1836-1880), an officer from the village who distinguished himself during the war of 1870.
Taking the main street or "Grand'rue", section of the road which once linked Montpellier to the Cévennes, some noble residences are worth noting, which have interesting architectural elements: medieval arch framing a door, braced lintel or mullioned window from the Renaissance period…
To the northwest, a walk of several kilometers leads to the hermitage of Notre-Dame de Monnier, a former priory from the medieval period rebuilt in the 17th century and which was occupied by solitary monks until the end of the 18th century. The buildings restored after the Second War are now private. A Romanesque chapel next to the hermitage, a place of pilgrimage every Pentecost Monday. The whole is surrounded by woods and small heritage elements (wells, charcoal burners' huts).
We must also mention the Mirabel castle, to the south-east of the small town, the stately residence of the Alleman of Mirabel built in the 15th century, damaged by the Huguenots and enlarged and rebuilt in the 19th century. Redesigned, the property now houses a reception center for the disabled.
Also note that the remains of the feudal castle are no longer accessible, for security reasons (they were visible as well as a castle chapel, on the Saint-Jean mountain, to the east).
It is then time to take advantage of the potential offered on the municipal territory in terms of hiking: punctuated by plots of vines, quarry sites, loops and paths allow you to appreciate a specific and protected environment (scrubland rich in aromatic herbs and frequented by sometimes threatened birds and insects, wood). These typical hilly landscapes dominated by several summits and ridges are also ideal for horseback riding: contact the Ecurie des Bruces on +33 6 13 22 19 63.
For hiking or mountain biking, certain routes include forays towards the causses to the south or the Cévennes foothills to the north: maps and information from the intercommunal tourist office on +33 4 66 77 57 51.
