Discover the unique history of the village of Jonquières-Saint-Vincent through a trail marked by 11 panels on the theme of water. Meet at Place Saint-Vincent (next to Rue des Costières) in Jonquières-Saint-Vincent for the start of this bucolic walk of approximately 11 kilometers. An interpretive trail, "Along the Water's Edge," that combines a pleasant stroll with learning!
Recommendations for enjoying this lovely interpretive trail:
- Before embarking on a route, check if it is suitable for your activity and skill level. Ideally, do not go alone.
- Keep an eye on the weather: severe thunderstorms and flash floods can be dangerous.
- Hunting is a traditional activity in our villages. Ongoing hunts are indicated by signs. For your safety, do not venture onto hunting grounds.
- Please respect local customs, property, and animals. To do so, please stay on marked trails, close gates, and do not frighten or feed the animals.
- Respect natural sites and regulations. Be sure to take your rubbish with you.
- For your safety and the safety of others, do not carry or light any fire.
Thank you and enjoy your walk in Jonquières-Saint-Vincent!
Discover the "Along the Water's Edge" interpretive trail, step by step:
1. The Fountain of Saint Vincent
The Saint-Vincent fountain was built in 1853. It provides water year-round to the hamlet of the same hamlet from the Font Rédoune or Redonne spring.
This fountain was moved a few meters in 1862 and rebuilt during the renovation work on the adjoining church. At that time, two cast iron dolphins were added to each side of the central shaft.
Image: Saint Vincent Fountain
2. The Férignes water intake
The village of Jonquieres-Saint-Vincent It is supplied with water by three springs: Font Rédoune (Redonne), Font du Prat and Font Couverte. At the end of the 19th century, their flow no longer met the needs of the population and exposed them to epidemics due to their surface location and the risk of contamination from rainwater.
To remedy this, the municipality acquired a plot of land in 1939 on which a successful drilling operation was carried out.
Image: Schematic cross-section of the Féreignes water intake
In 1951, the Féreignes pumping station was commissioned. Water from this aquifer supplied the water tower located alongside the current departmental road linking Beaucaire to Nîmes. Standing 20 meters tall, its tower-mounted reservoir had a capacity of 260 cubic meters. Its commissioning in 1951 brought running water to all the houses in the village. Rehabilitated in 2001, this water tower has been out of service since 2012. New pumps have been installed to replace it. The pumping station still supplies the village with water.
Image: The Saint-Vincent water tower
3. The Costières canal and the Boissière water tower
By creating the Lower Rhône and Languedoc Company, Philippe Lamour aimed to help regional agriculture diversify through the development of canals. Starting from a water intake on the Rhône upstream of Fourquesthe main canal reaches the gates of Montpellier.
The diversion canal serving the municipality of Jonquières-Saint-Vincent is called the Costières Canal and terminates at the Boissière site. The construction of the pipelines initially met with some opposition, which was quickly dismissed in light of the agricultural benefits generated by the abundant water supply.
The cultivation of a few varieties of cherries and grapevines constituted the bulk of the village's harvest. The arrival of this new resource allows farmers to plant a wide variety of fruit trees, providing harvests spread over a long period of the year.
A water tower designated as a "20th Century Heritage" site
The Boissière water tower was built in 1960. Designated as a 20th-century heritage site, this civil engineering structure is the work of Guillaume Gillet, a nationally renowned architect specializing in reinforced concrete. Winner of the competition for the construction of four water towers (Saint-Gilles, Bouillargues, Redessan, and Jonquières-Saint-Vincent), his innovative design integrates contemporary architecture into the surrounding landscape, combining function and aesthetics.
4. The Font Couverte spring
This is the main source that has long supplied the village of Jonquières: the main fountain, the wash house, the watering troughs and the drinking fountains.
In an 1855 project for a wash house and fountain in Jonquières, it is mentioned that the pipes are deteriorated because they date back more than 80 years (1785). It was decided to increase the flow of the same main spring by adding two other nearby springs: the Font du Roustisseur and the Font de Prat, and to bring the water into a 6 m3 reservoir built on the edge of the Beaucaire-Nîmes road.
Image: Reservoir 1 (1855)
In 1893, a project to enlarge the Jonquières wash house and build new watering troughs required additional water intakes to reinforce the main spring. In 1905, a new reservoir with a capacity of 35 m³ was built a few meters from the old one.
The abundance of water in this area has encouraged the establishment of gardens to supply families and provide moments of relaxation in the coolness of the surroundings.
Image: Reservoir 2 (1905)
5. Font de Tavie
The perennial spring gave its name to the locality. Archaeological excavations have unearthed a concentration of ceramics and coins:
They attest to the occupation of this site during Antiquity (mainly between the 1st century AD).er century before and the 3rdrd century after our era).
Nestled beneath the canopy of centuries-old plane trees, this site of the Tavie fountain invites you to a refreshing break.
Image: AI-generated illustration of an old-fashioned picnic
Continue your walk on the "Along the Water" interpretive trail and discover the whole history of Jonquières-Saint-Vincent.
6. La Palud – Les roubines – La grande martelière
Maintained by the inhabitants, a network of irrigation ditches existed in 1711. The lower sections were communal property, the use of which was shared among the inhabitants when they were not flooded. By natural gravity, all the runoff flowed into the Palud, forming a nearly permanent marsh. A natural fault in the Triple-Levée massif, the Trou de l'Orgne, allowed some of the pond's water to drain away.
Image: The large sluice gate of the valley
After several unsuccessful projects in the early 19th century, a commission of local notables decided in 1843 to finance and carry out drainage works. The Marsh Syndicate Association was formed in 1845. The water drainage tunnel was dug in 1850 and the works were completed in 1861.
Image: Map of the route of the Grand Valat and the Comps tunnel
Since 1965, the waters of the ponds of Campuget (Manduel) and Redessan have been conveyed to the tunnel known as "de la grande martelière" and evacuated to the pumping station of Comps where they join the Gardon.
7. The Saint-Laurent chapel, a bucolic stop on the "Along the Water" interpretive trail
Built at the end of the 11th century, the Saint-Laurent chapel is the last vestige of a fishing hamlet of the same name, located on the edge of the Palud pond, which was drained in 1845.
This building was remodeled in the 12th century, destroyed in the 17th century, and restored in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Inside, two milestones dating from the reign of Emperor Claudius (41 AD) serve as pillars for the chancel arch. Their presence and the Latin inscriptions still visible on them remind us that the village was located near the ancient road. Via Domitialinking Italy to Spain.
Image: Milestones – Choir of the Saint-Laurent Chapel
Jonquières Saint Vincent: a name that flows naturally
Like the marshy area of La Palud, formerly located in Saint-Laurent, the entire territory was crisscrossed by marshes fed by numerous natural springs. The town's coat of arms reflects this aquatic and vegetal heritage: the name Jonquières comes from Latin. joncariae, meaning "rush beds," these damp areas where rushes thrive. As for Saint-Vincent de Cannois, it could refer to the abundant reeds once used for roofing.
This constant presence of water is still reflected today in local toponymy, through some evocative place names: Font de Tavie, Font Couverte, Fontanille or Font Rédoune…
Coat of arms of Jonquières-Saint-Vincent
Argent (grey) with a bundle of rushes vert (green), tied or (yellow), with these inscriptions on the flanks L'EN TIENS on the dexter (right) and DEUX MILLE on the sinister (left) in capital letters sable (black), accompanied by three shades.
Visit the Saint-Laurent Chapel
8. Landscaped gardens
The presence of water in this lower part of the village encouraged the establishment of numerous allotment gardens. Wells supplied the vegetable crops. Potatoes, the staple food of the time, were grown there, along with all the vegetables essential for a successful garden. ratatouille which the people of Jonquière called "bohemian". The vegetables in the winter soup also had a good place there.
In the coming years, the creation of a community garden project in this location will allow experienced and novice gardeners to exchange their seedlings and know-how and to enjoy the pleasure of consuming their produce.
Image: Pump and vegetable garden
This old hand pump was found during brush clearing work on this plot of land. Being portable, it allowed water to be drawn and facilitated the watering of private gardens.
On the other side of the road is the wastewater treatment plant, an essential component in the treatment of domestic wastewater, built in 1990 in response to the needs of a growing population. It replaced the first plant created in the 70s when the sewer system was installed in the municipality.
Image: Hand pump
9. Ceres' watering trough, your next stop on the "Along the Water's Edge" interpretive trail
In 1860, the town council commissioned a statue of Ceres, goddess of agriculture and harvests, from the Beaucaire sculptor Cartailler to adorn the fountain in the village's public square. She carries a shield bearing the coat of arms of Jonquières-Saint-Vincent and a bunch of grapes, recalling the village's attachment to viticulture.
Moved here during the construction of the town hall and the redevelopment of its adjoining square in 1903, this watering trough is one of the many water points and fountains that served the needs of animals and the population.
Image: Statue of Ceres
Mayor Théophile Michel commissioned the construction of a monumental fountain topped with a bronze statue opposite the new town hall. Demolished due to its dilapidated state, it was replaced in 1987 by a contemporary fountain, and then by the current fountain of 2015, which you will see when crossing the town hall square.
10. The washhouse room
The first wash house in Jonquières was located in the village square. In 1855, a project was proposed to move it a few meters to the edge of the square. A new wash house was built near the current bullring in 1894. It was demolished starting in 1974 to make way for a municipal sports hall.
Image: Former public wash house in Les Aires
To meet the needs of the growing population, a second wash house was built (on the edge of the current Rue des Moulins) in 1905. It was transformed into a municipal hall in 1995-96 but its size and general structure are still identifiable.
You will now return to your starting point by following part of the Grand Valat.
Image: Washerwomen going to the washhouse
11. The wash house of Saint-Vincent
The final stage of the "Along the Water" interpretive trail, the story continues in Jonquières-Saint-Vincent.
In 1861, the existing wash house was rebuilt according to the plans of the architect REVOIL under the mandate of Auguste Faucher. Without shelter and exposed to all weather conditions, it was located on the bed of the Grand Valat, regularly obstructed by mud and gravel during storms.
In 1894 it was moved parallel to the stream, enlarged, covered, and sheltered from the north wind by a wall. The wash house was fully restored in 2009 as part of a work integration program.
Before running water arrived in homes, the wash house was an essential part of daily life. The women of the village would gather there to do the "bugade," the traditional big wash.
The laundry was first boiled in a large washing tub – a kind of metal pot – with wood ash or Marseille soap. Then, using wheelbarrows or large baskets, the laundry was transported to the wash house, where it was scrubbed, beaten, rinsed, and then wrung out with patience and skill.
Image: A washerwoman with her washboard
Beyond its practical function, the wash house was also a place for exchange and conviviality. Village news, confidences, and sometimes a bit of gossip were shared there. It is from this collective life that the expression "to wash one's dirty linen in private" originated, meaning to settle one's affairs in private rather than airing them publicly.
The "Along the Water's Edge" interpretive trail ends here; we hope you enjoyed this showcase of heritage on the theme of water!
This "Along the Water's Edge" interpretive trail was created by the Jonquières-Saint-Vincent Town Hall in collaboration with the Beaucaire Terre d'Argence Community of Municipalities and the French Hiking Federation of Gard.
Things to see and do in Jonquières-Saint-Vincent
