From the main road between Roujan and Bédarieux, Gabian looks like just another picturesque, medieval village tucked away in a corner of Languedoc. In fact, over the years, Gabian has been the centre of much activity. For example in not so distant a past, oil rigs were set up and the tiny railway station (which is no longer operational) was quite busy.
It is said that Gabian was one of the first sites in Europe to use the "cracking" refining technique. Not that Gabian is about to unbalance world energy policy, but from 1924 until the 1950's, oil was extracted from the "Foun de l'Oli", that had been discovered and used for various purposes, mainly medical, since Roman times.
Pechelbronn, an Alsatian company managed to extract 4000 litres of oil per day between 1924 and 1927. At the time Gabian and the village of Pechelbronn in Alsace were the only known oil-fields en France. The site was occupied by the Germans during the second world war who used the refined oil for their tanks and lorries.
Long before that, for years the Foun de l'Oli belonged to the Catholic church and in 1608, a bishop, Jean de Bonzi, set up a system to tap, decant and store the oil. At the end of the 18th century the oil was used as " miraculous " remedy to heal wounds, burns, worms, colic, and stomach pains. All this was managed by the bishops and sold bottled or in pills as " Gabianol ". The Revolution put an end to this lucrative private business, which all became state property and consequently remained dormant until the end of the 19th century.
But going back much further, traces of Neolithic man, as old as -4500 BC, have been found nearby at the Resclauze spring overlooking the village. Pottery, ornaments, axes and flint-stones have been found around Gabian and other villages in the immediate area : Roquessels, Magalas, and Roujan.
In Roman times the Resclauze spring was the starting point of an enormous aqueduct to supply water to Béziers. Several other springs were also tapped on the way down at Fouzilhon, Magalas, Puismisson and Corneilhan. Remains of this aqueduct and some traces of Roman habitat may be seen at Gabian.
Records of "Villa Gabianii" were made as early as the 10th century and the Castrum or castle is noted in 1153. The fortified village remains to this day, and part of the church dates back to the early Middle Ages. Market day has been Wednesday in Gabian by order since 1180.
During the 14th and 15th centuries the village suffered from war and the Plague. A band of thieves lived in the town in 1360 and Gabian was nicknamed at that time a "village de brigands" and as it is hard to shake off a bad reputation, some people in other villages still claim this is so (which is quite unfair !)
All the more so as from the 12th century on, Gabian is tied and tithed to the church, as an ecclesiastical domain. The bishops of Béziers had a residence built in the village in 1230 and used the premises until the Revolution.
It is strange to find such a mixture of bishops and brigands in this village. Driving from Gabian to Roujan you cannot miss the grand Priory of Cassan, the history of which was closely linked with that of Gabian for a thousand years.
For example, Black death caused havoc over the years in Gabian and in 1543 a pious procession between the village church and the priory of Cassan seemed to rid the village of the disease. Tradition wears hard in this area and a procession was made every year to protect the villagers from the plague until the French Revolution in 1789, when such practice was considered anti-Republican.
The community of canons - a learned order - at Cassan was originally founded by Charlemagne. But the priory as it is today was built in1754 and is a beautiful example of neo-classical architecture, financed by the gifts of the families of the well-to-do canons.
In recent history the building had a very chequered history and considerable
damage and neglect occurred as it was used as a circus school and a centre for
juvenile delinquents. However both the building and a lovely Chinese garden
discovered under decades' growth of weeds and rubble have undergone extensive
renovation the priory is now well worth visiting. It is open to the public every
day from Easter to September 30 from 3pm to 7pm and non-stop from 10am to 7pm
in July and August.