Saint-Jean-du-Gard

Residence of the lords of Saint-Jean, the current castle, burned by the royal troops in 1560, was immediately rebuilt then enlarged in the 17th century. Witness of a secular history, the castle is attached to the wars of religions which marked the Cevennes. Within its walls stayed the marshal of Thoiras, the duke of Rohan, Bâville intendant of Languedoc, the marshal of Villars and many other illustrious characters. Its prisons have housed many prisoners. (Not accessible to the public)

Although old postcards designate it as Roman, this bridge is not that old. It was only built in 1733 to replace the ford equipped with planks allowing the crossing of the Gardon. Victim of the whims of the river, it was washed away several times.

This ancient bell tower is all that remains of the Romanesque church built by the Benedictines of Saint-Gilles in the 12th century and dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. It was destroyed during the Wars of Religion, in retaliation for the sacking of the city by the royal troops in 1560. The various fixtures and fittings of these remains testify to the successive phases of its construction or reconstruction from the 10th to the 16th century. From the end of the 16th century to the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, its bell announced both Catholic and Protestant services. Then, equipped with a clockwork, this bell tower chimes the hours of the village community.

Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author of “Treasure Island” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” crossed the Cevennes from Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Jean-du-Gard on foot with his donkey Modestine. He left on September 22, 1878 and arrived at his destination 12 days later. His route is known today as the “Stevenson Trail” or GR70.

Of this journey also remains an account written by the author and published in 1879 “Journey with a donkey in the Cevennes”. The fountain that pays tribute to him specifies the date of his arrival in Saint-Jean-du-Gard, October 2, 1878.

It is around this main axis that the construction of the village was organized. This physiognomy of “village streets” is typical of the Cévennes. The architecture of the Grand’Rue evolved greatly during the 17th and 18th centuries, under the influence of the St. Jean bourgeoisie, enriched by the gold tree industry. The houses of the Grand’Rue with their beautiful old doors still testify to this today.

Behind the Clock Tower, in the oldest part of the city, at the corner of rue Pasteur and rue Traversière, there is a house where the vicar used to live and where the Catholic community used to meet to celebrate mass after the demolition of the church and before a new one was built, between 1560 and 1685. On the lintel of the door on rue Traversière, one can see a cross and a date: 1567 recalling the function of this house as a religious building.

The temple of Saint-Jean-du-Gard was built on the plans of an architect from Alès, Mr. Renoux, with a neoclassical façade and on a piece of land acquired for this purpose in 1820. The finished building was consecrated on Friday, April 27, 1827. Before its construction, the reformed community met in a private property adjacent to the Place d’Armes called “Le Pavillon”.

In front of the castle is the church built after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes with the materials of the temple that had just been destroyed. The bell changed building and after having invited the inhabitants to preach, it called them to mass. One can see against the surrounding wall of the castle, behind the public weight, the vestiges (right foot and departure of vault) of one of the old doors of the city.

The town hall was born in 1649, following the acquisition of the house of an apothecary, to which the building was added. In 1950, the municipality decided to endow the town with a coat of arms that shows the representation of Mount Brion, the Clock Tower and the Old Bridge. The shield is surmounted by the motto: “Al sourel de la liberta” (In the sun of freedom).

By the avenue René Boudon and the Pont Neuf (from where you have a beautiful view on the Pont Vieux), you reach the station. The section of the railway line from Anduze to Saint-Jean-du-Gard was completed in 1909. It reinforced the economic role of the town at the confluence of the Borgne and the French valleys. Today, this line is animated by a very popular tourist steam train.