Montfrin
Montfrin is a commune with 3144 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the department of Gard of the Languedoc -Roussillon region.
Geography
Montfrin lies at the mouth of the Gardon in the Rhône. It is located near the ten kilometers away Pont du Gard and the cities of Nîmes and Avignon (each 20 miles away). The town is dominated by the castle, which is classified as a monument historique.
History
From 120 AD, the Romans started to settle in the area. The town's name comes from Mons (Latin for Mount, in which case the hills were meant in the area) and ferinus (wild). Antoninus Pius was to build a tower that would be the keep of the present castle later. In the Middle Ages, Saint -Martin d' Entrevitz connected the town with its Rhône- port. 1180 built the Templars the church of Notre Dame de Malpas. The tower of the church was built in 1372 by the Order of Malta. Opposite the town hall stands the house Calvière ( 1519 built ), where the Cardinal Richelieu in 1629 lived during the grace of the Edict of Alès. In March 1642 Jean -Baptiste Poquelin and Madeleine Béjart encountered in the course of the third visit of Louis XII. in Montfrin.
Economy
Nearly fifty farmers are still in Montfrin active, especially the wine plays an important role. The municipality is part of the wine-growing region Côtes du Rhône Villages. There are four private wine cellar and one that is shared with the neighboring towns Meynes, Théziers and Comps. Furthermore, there are twenty-five construction companies. In the village there are three bakeries, two grocery stores and three bars.