Sommieres trip planner

Sommières is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.It lies 22km from Nîmes, 28km from Montpellier.GeographySommières is to the south of the garrigues and on the edge of the Vaunage, a wine growing region. It straddles the River Vidourle.HistoryThe village grew in the protection of the castle. It was annexed into the French kingdom by King Louis X in 1248, following the crusade against the Albigensiens. It became a Protestant stronghold, and it was besieged by the Catholics in 1573 and again by Louis XIII in 1622. It has always been prone to flooding, and as recently as 2002 the River Vidourle flooded, causing major damage to the town and properties along the bank. This time it washed out the Champion supermarket, which reopened at Villevieille in July 2008. In October 2008 this supermarket was rebranded Carrefour. The floods are called 'vidourlades'.Siege of Sommières 1573The Fourth War of Religion (1562–98) started with the St Bartholomew's Day massacre and finished with the Edict of Nantes. The catholic forces were trying to suppress the Huguenots in this one of their strongholds. Marshall Damville laid siege to Sommières for the second time on 11 February 1573, and the garrison held out 9 April, resisting the attackers with red hot iron and boiling oil. Though nominally a royal victory, the defenders were offered generous terms, including the right for the garrison to march out with full honours of war. The Siege of Sommières delayed the advance of the royal army by two months and is calculated to have cost them 2500 lives. Only 38 houses remained standing