Pont-Saint-Esprit
Pont-Saint-Esprit (literally "Holy Spirit Bridge"; 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.
Pont-Saint-Esprit
- Name
- Pont-Saint-Esprit
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In this article
Overview
Overview
The residents are called Spiripontains.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Pont-Saint-Esprit • Commune Status — Commune • Arrondissement — Nîmes • Canton — Pont-Saint-Esprit • Insee — 30202 • Postal Code — 30130 • Mayor — Valère Segal • Term — 2024–2026 • Intercommunality — CA Gard Rhodanien • Elevation M — 59 • Elevation Min M — 36 • Elevation Max M — 187 • Area Km2 — 18.49
History
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." Italian canon Antonio de Beatis described the bridge in his 1517-1518 travel journal: "This has twenty tall, wide arches, is finely built in a pleasing stone and is still better paved." In the seventeenth century the Jewish immigrants from Spain were cast out of central Bayonne and settled in Saint Esprit. This quarter became known in popular parlance as Saint Esprit les Israélites because Jews constituted the majority of its population -which was extremely rare in France. It was a Jew of Spanish origin, Gaspar Dacosta, who introduced the art of chocolate-making to Saint Esprit, and indeed in France.
Climate
Climate
Pont-Saint-Esprit has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfa). The average annual temperature in Pont-Saint-Esprit is. The average annual rainfall is with November as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around, and lowest in January, at around. The highest temperature ever recorded in Pont-Saint-Esprit was on 6 August 2003; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 7 January 1985.
Bouvier family origins
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
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. Most academic sources accept naturally occurring ergot poisoning in rye flour as the cause of the epidemic, while a few theorize other causes such as poisoning by mercury, mycotoxins, or nitrogen trichloride.
International relations
International relations
Pont-Saint-Esprit is twinned with: • Germany Egelsbach, Germany • United Kingdom Haverhill, United Kingdom • Portugal Penacova, Portugal
Notable people
Notable people
• Michel Bouvier (1792–1874), carpenter and French American immigrant to Philadelphia • Joseph Di Mambro (1924–1994), French cult leader
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Pont-Saint-Esprit, revision 1347360243 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. Répertoire national des élus: les maires. 12 March 2025.
- 2.The Journey of Symon Semeonis from Ireland to the Holy Land.
- 3.Antonio de Beatis. The Travel Journal of Antonio de Beatis, 1517-1518. Translated by J.R. Hale (Ed) and J.M.A. Lindon. Hakluyt Society (1979)
- 4.Bayonne - jewish heritage, history, synagogues, museums, areas and sites to visit.
- 5.BAYONNE - JewishEncyclopedia.com. www.jewishencyclopedia.com.
- 6.Météo-France. Fiche Climatologique Statistiques 1991-2020 et records.
- 7.Gabbai, Lisbonne and Pourquier. Ergot Poisoning at Pont St. Esprit. British Medical Journal. 2. 4732. 650–651. 1951-09-15. 10.1136/bmj.2.4732.650.
- 8.Lisbonne, Gabbai. Ergot Poisoning at Pont St. Esprit. British Medical Journal. 2. 4732. 650–651. 15 September 1951. 10.1136/bmj.2.4732.650.
- 9.Finger, Stanley. Origins of Neuroscience: A History of Explorations Into Brain Function. Oxford University Press. 221. 2001. 978-0-19-514694-3.
- 10.Pommerville, Jeffrey C. Alcamo's Fundamentals of Microbiology: Body systems edition. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. 734. 2013. 978-1-4496-0594-0.
- 11.Cavaciocchi. Economic and biological interactions in pre-industrial Europe, from the 13th to the 18th century. Firenze University Press. 82. 2010. 978-88-8453-585-6.
- 12.Frederick Burwick. Poetic Madness and the Romantic Imagination. Penn State Press. 180–. 1 November 2010. 978-0-271-04296-1.
- 13.Cassini-Ehess 27609 Pont-Saint-Esprit
- 14.Population municipale entre 1968 et 2023, INSEE
- 15.Michel Bouvier (1792-1874) - HouseHistree. househistree.com.
- 16.Bédat, Arnaud. L'Ordre du Temple Solaire: Enquête et révélations sur les chevaliers de l'apocalypse. Libre Expression. 26. 1997. 978-2-89111-707-4.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 1
- John G. Fuller, The Day Of St. Anthony's Fire (New York: The MacMillan Company, 1968).
Makers, houses and production
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Makers, houses and production
The people, houses and objects recorded in connection with this place.
Born at
1- Jean d'AbundanceAuthor
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 September 2026.
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