Moussac, centre of the Gard

First named Mozac in 1169, the village became Mociacum in 1228, and finally Moussac in 1557.

Between the defensing wall, relics of the ones destroyed under Richelieu, and the castle, the village has a nice historical center.

But that's not all there is to visit in Moussac. There is too the walk down the river's south bank, which provides a beautiful perspective of Moussac.

Visit

The temple of Moussac is located between the former townhall and the local bar. An informative (and eventually interactive) board is posted outside its doors for visitors to follow in order to better understand the touristic visit.

Before being a temple, it was known as the church of Saint-Nazaire (12th century), a National Historic Monument since 1977, which had a long and exciting life. Transformed into a temple in the 16th century, most likely where an earlier edifice formerly stood, it turned again as church after the decree of Nantes, then it was purchased by the Reformed in 1792.

Then there is the castle (13th/14th centuries). This palatial complex and its two remaining towers (one of which is a Historical Monument since 2007) stood before at a height of 25 meters. Facing it on the other side is the Boucoiran tower.

Good to know: - Moussac's « espace numérique d'histoire et du patrimoine » (created by historian and museographer Dr Michael Palatan) displays the Napoleonic cadaster, which differs from the one from the 1930s. The Napoleonian (1807) advocated for " the management of direct contributions as a method for redistribution of tax between taxplayers in a fiscal system based mostly on land property and home ownership."

- We pass by La Réglisserie on our way to Moussac, which reminds us of the liquorice factory built in 1836, the very first licorice factory in France in fact. After being owned by the Zan Riqlès brand, the factory was purchased by Haribo in 1987 and closed in 1989.

- A round table (made by Philippe Marteau) near the Gardon's parking lot denotes Moussac as the Gard's center.

Source : Monuments Historiques, Moussac, Histoire d’un village sur le Gardon (speech of Frédéric Salle-Lagarde, Maire de Moussac, Président de la Fédération d’Archéologie et d’Histoire du Gard (2017), France Archives, POP la plateforme du patrimoine, and the Moussac townhall website.