Largentière

Largentière (French: [laʁʒɑ̃tjɛʁ]; Occitan: L'Argentièira) is a subprefecture and commune of the Ardèche department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southern France.

For the French-Italian Alpine pass the Col de Largentière, see Maddalena Pass.
Largentière
L'Argentièira (Occitan)
Subprefecture and commune
The castle in Largentière
The castle in Largentière
Coat of arms of Largentière
Coat of arms
Location of Largentière
Largentière is located in France
Largentière
Largentière
Largentière is located in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Largentière
Largentière
Coordinates: 44°32′37″N 4°17′39″E
CountryFrance
RegionAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes
DepartmentArdèche
ArrondissementLargentière
CantonVallon-Pont-d'Arc
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Jean-Roger Durand[1]
Area
1
7.22 km2 (2.79 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
1,573
 • Density220/km2 (560/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
07132 /07710
Elevation147–420 m (482–1,378 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

It is located in the narrow valley of the Ligne, approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) southwest of Aubenas. With a population of 1,587 as of 2019, Largentière is the second-least populated subprefecture in France after Castellane in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

Its name, adopted in the 13th century in place of its more ancient name Segualeriae (Ségualières), refers to the silver mines in the area between the 10th and 15th centuries, when the silver-bearing lead ores in intrusive veins in the Largentières sandstone[3] were exploited under the authority of the Counts of Toulouse and the Bishops of Viviers, whose title Barons de Largentière was linked to the bishopric.

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±%
17931,793—    
18001,706−4.9%
18061,952+14.4%
18212,250+15.3%
18312,919+29.7%
18362,879−1.4%
18413,088+7.3%
18463,214+4.1%
18513,160−1.7%
18563,281+3.8%
18612,992−8.8%
18663,144+5.1%
18723,135−0.3%
18762,962−5.5%
18812,783−6.0%
18862,697−3.1%
18912,820+4.6%
YearPop.±%
18962,472−12.3%
19012,354−4.8%
19062,283−3.0%
19112,165−5.2%
19211,887−12.8%
19262,043+8.3%
19311,855−9.2%
19362,021+8.9%
19461,777−12.1%
19541,673−5.9%
19621,819+8.7%
19682,888+58.8%
19752,782−3.7%
19822,520−9.4%
19901,990−21.0%
19991,942−2.4%
20081,805−7.1%

Economy and transportation

A busy industrial town in the nineteenth century, when it housed silk mills[4] its principal industry is now tourism. Its only railroad station was rased in 1982, leaving the town accessible only by road.

Sights

Besides its twelfth- to fifteenth-century château, the town conserves its thirteenth-century church, Nôtre-Dame-des-Pommiers,[5] its Renaissance hôtel de ville, its palais de justice, and the Tour Argentière that collected the mines' produce for guarded transport.

Personalities

See also

References
  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
  2. "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
  3. Guoxiang Chi, Pierre Rheaume, and Kees Schrijver, "The Largentière sandstone Pb-Zn-Ag deposit, Ardeche, France; fluid inclusion and geologic evidence for an epigenetic origin", Economic Geologyn92.1 (February 1997:108-113).
  4. Encyclopædia Britannica 1911.
  5. "Our Lady of the apple orchards"; an inscription of 1490 records the gift of the stone pulpit in Occitan: hieu Pierre Guarnier de Colens ay donat aquesta chadiera al convent.
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