Pont-Saint-Esprit
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Pont-Saint-Esprit |
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| Saint Saturnin church and the medieval bridge over the Rhône River | |
 Pont-Saint-Esprit
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Location within Languedoc-Roussillon region
Pont-Saint-Esprit
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| Administration | |
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| Country | France |
| Region | Languedoc-Roussillon |
| Department | Gard |
| Arrondissement | Nîmes |
| Canton | Pont-Saint-Esprit |
| Mayor | Gilbert Baumet (2001–2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 36–187 m (118–614 ft) (avg. 59 m or 194 ft) |
| Land area1 | 18.49 km2 (7.14 sq mi) |
| Population2 | 10,046 (2008) |
| - Density | 543 /km2 (1,410 /sq mi) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 30202/ 30130 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
| 2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
Coordinates: 44°15′27″N 4°38′57″E / 44.2575°N 4.6492°E
Pont-Saint-Esprit (Occitan Lo Pònt Sant Esperit) is a commune in the Gard département in southern France. It is situated on the Rhône River and is the site of a historical crossing, hence its name. The Ardèche River flows into the Rhône, just to the north of the bridge. The residents are called Spiripontains.[citation needed]
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Bouvier family origins [edit]
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 [edit]
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.[1] Several explanations have been proposed - ergotism, mercury poisoning, contamination with the mycotoxin Aspergillus fumigatus, nitrogen trichloride poisoning, and allegations that the incident was the result of a CIA MKULTRA biological weapons test.
International relations [edit]
Pont-Saint-Esprit is twinned with:
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Ergot Poisoning at Pont St. Esprit". British Medical Journal 2 (4732): 650–651. 1951-09-15. doi:10.1136/bmj.2.930.650-a. PMC 2069953. PMID 14869677.
- John G. Fuller, The Day Of St. Anthony's Fire (New York: The MacMillan Company, 1968).
External links [edit]
- Tourism office website
- Document BBC Radio 4 programme on the Le Pain Maudit
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pont-Saint-Esprit |
