Mirabel-aux-Baronnies

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Administration
Commune of Mirabel-aux-Baronnies
Location
Longitude	05° 05' 99" E
Latitude	44° 18' 41" N
Country	France
Région	Rhône-Alpes
Département	Drôme
Arrondissement	Nyons
Canton	Nyons
Intercommunality	Val d'Eygues
Mayor	Christian Cornillac (2001-2008)
Statistics
Altitude	206 m–791 m (avg. 263 m)
Land area¹	22.56 km²
Population² (1999)	1,335
- Density (1999)	59/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	26182/ 26110
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Mirabel-aux-Baronnies is a commune and an old village in the Drôme département of France.
It was first mentioned in 1059 as Mirabello Castello.

Mirabel-aux-Baronnies is situated next to the river Gaude on a hill halfways Nyons and Vaison-la-Romaine and had formerly a castle with a tower so high that one could see Orange in Vaucluse. The castle incorporated the chapel of St-Julien that was of architectural importance.

1 History
2 Demographics
3 Images
4 See also
5 References

[edit] History

Until 1348 Mirabel-aux-Baronnies did have a Jewish quarter called Les Josiols, positioned outside the walls on the north next to the creek Françonne. Due to the suspicion they caused the pest, the Jews were either expelled or assassinated in 1348. The houses in the quarter were destroyed.

After the arrival of protestantism in the region, Mirabel-aux-Baronnies changed a lot. First, the chapel of St-Julien was destroyed and in 1633 the castle and a part of the walls. Those walls were restored in 1652 because again the pest was feared, and equipped with 4 new gates. The present church is reconstructed on the remains of the old chapel during 1645-1651.

Mirabel-aux-Baronnies was one of the first villages having a public water system. In 1876, Italian specialists were hired. They lived for several years in Mirabel and even had an own school for their children. The water coming from the source Tune, more than 4 km outside the village, was captured and fed into a system of in-situ made concrete tubes of 20 cm diameter (see figure), alimenting 2 fountains and 4 reservoirs (F: lavoir) with fresh drinking water. The fountains, one of which originates already from the of the 13th century that was later adapted for use with the water system, are still in good condition. Those eldest fountain is situated on the old market-square.