| Pouzilhac | |
| Commune Status: | Commune |
| Image Coat Of Arms: | Blason de la ville de Pouzilhac (30).svg |
| Arrondissement: | Nîmes |
| Canton: | Redessan |
| Insee: | 30207 |
| Postal Code: | 30210 |
| Mayor: | Thierry Astier[1] |
| Term: | 2020 - 2026 |
| Intercommunality: | Pont du Gard |
| Coordinates: | 44.0419°N 4.5806°W |
| Elevation M: | 230 |
| Elevation Min M: | 168 |
| Elevation Max M: | 261 |
| Area Km2: | 16.04 |
Pouzilhac (in French pronounced as /puzijak/; Occitan (post 1500);: Posilhac) is a French commune in the Gard department in southern France, formerly Languedoc-Roussillon.
Pouzilhac is situated on the right bank of the Rhone next to the route national 86 and its close access to the A7 motorway (Remoulins, Tavel, Bollène). The commune covers 16 km² and has 733 inhabitants since the last population census in 2018. Surrounded by the municipalities of Valliguières, La Capelle-et-Masmolène and Saint-Paul-les-Fonts, Pouzilhac is located 14 km southwest of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, the largest city in the area.Located at 218 meters above sea level, the Ragouse is the main waterway that crosses the town of Pouzilhac.
The oldest occupation of the site dates back to the Bronze Age, around 2500 B.C.[2]
The Romans left many traces of their occupation, an inscription in the masonry of the church testifies to the existence of a "villa".[2]
During the medieval period, since the 11th century, a castrum existed, first mentioned in 1121 as Castrum de Posilhac.[3] In 1176 it appeared as Villa de Posiliaco [3] In 1258, the municipal archives of Valliguières mention it as 'Posillanum' and in 1355 as 'Posilhacum'.[3] A Posillac took part in the First Crusade alongside the Count of Toulouse.[2]
It was during the religious wars in Europe in 1662 that the community took strategic importance with the construction of fortifications, and experienced a demographic progression.[2] Pouzilhac belonged to the viguerie of Roquemaure, a viguerie of the diocese of Uzès which included fourteen villages: Les Essarts, Lirac, Montfaucon, Pujaut, Rochefort, Roquemaure, Saint-Geniès-de-comolas, Saint-Hilaire-d'Ozilhan, Saint-Laurent-des-Arbres, Sauveterre, Saze, Tavel, and Valliguières.[3]
The 12 th century chapel of Saint-Privat de Pouzilhac appears under the name 'Priory Sainct-Privat de Pouzilhac' in 1620.[3] The chapel occupies a site located along the ancient Roman road linking Nîmes to Alba Augusta, on which ancient inscriptions and epitaphs have been discovered.[4]
There is the Château de Pouzilhac and the Église Saint-Privat de Pouzilhac, (both private property) as well as the Chapelle Saint-Privat de Pouzilhac.There are also 4 UNESCO World Heritage Sites within a radius of 30 km around Pouzilhac: Nimes, Orange, Avignon and Pont du Gard.