Saint-Bauzély is a village of over 660 inhabitants, covering 500 hectares and located 15 km northwest of Nîmes, in the heart of the Gardonnenque region and on the edge of the Bois des Lens.
History
Saint-Bauzély owes its name to Saint Baudile, martyr of Nîmes in the 3rd century. Long known as "Saint-Bauzille", the commune was briefly named Bauzélly during the French Revolution, before finally taking its current name.
Saint-Bauzély's heritage
The current temple, formerly a 12th-century church, was built on the remains of a pagan Gallo-Roman temple. Reused stones in the walls of the school and former hostel show the Gallo-Roman presence. A vast 17-hectare area has been designated a voluntary nature reserve.
Archaeology
Archaeological digs have revealed that the renowned Garimond field is home to vertebrate fossils dating back 35 million years, including remains of dinosaurs and a small mammal, the precursor of the viviparous Placentarians.
A Gallic bracelet was also discovered in the 1930s at Saint-Bauzély, and acquired by the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale. It is now one of the jewels of Celtic art in the museum's Gallic collections.
