Roquemaure, Gard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Commune of Roquemaure |
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| Location | |
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| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Languedoc-Roussillon |
| Department | Gard |
| Arrondissement | Nîmes |
| Canton | Roquemaure |
| Intercommunality | Communauté de communes de la Côte du Rhône Gardoise |
| Mayor | Guy Vernet (2001-2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 20 m–176 m (avg. 25 m) |
| Land area¹ | 26.22 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
4,934 |
| - Density | 184/km² (1999) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 30221/ 30150 |
| 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: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. | |
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Roquemaure is a commune located in southeastern France, in the département of Gard. It has a population of 4,847, over an area of 26.22 km².
The city Avignon is nearby. It is most well known for La Fête du Baiser, its famous kissing festival, which began in 1989. Roquemaure is known as "La Capitale des Amoureux", or "The Capital of Lovers". In 1868 the relics of St. Valentine arrived after being purchased from Rome by Maximilian Richard, a local dignitary as it was believed that the relics would protect the vines from phylloxera which ravaged the vineyards in 1866. The relics are kept in the 14th century collegiate church and each year the St Valentine Festival of the Kiss attracts over 20,000 people.
Roquemaure was one of Hannibal's stops on his historic journey to Rome. During the medieval era, Roquemaure, which is located on the Rhône River, was an important wine-shipping port. Roquemaure introduced commercial protection of its wine, the famous Côtes du Rhône AOC, by stamping 'CDR' on the barrels. The accompanying rules became the basis of the regulations for today's AOC - appellation d'origine contrôlée. The town operates a winery named after Saint Valentine (Cave Saint Valentine), as well as a specialty post office that seals envelopes with a kiss.
