La Font de l'Oli à Gabian

Less than a kilometre south of the village of Gabian, a few steps above the Thongue stream, a ruined hut, a network of galleries and two sunken pools recall the distant memory of an extraordinary spring: the Font de l'Oli - the Source of Oil -, described in its day as a marvellous fountain that went down in the scientific and natural history of Languedoc, France and the Universe.
the scientific and natural history of Languedoc, France and the Universe. Oil has been used since ancient times, particularly for building walls and caulking boats, although the Gabian oil well is not recorded until 1605. Esprit André, a doctor of medicine at the University of Montpellier, mentioned in his writings the existence of a source of bitumen flowing from a rock near the village.

As a good doctor, Dr André dwells at length on the virtues of crude oil, which is able to "heat, desiccate, rarefy, subtilise, incise, desopilate, liquefy, dissolve and dissipate all cold substances, and produce other beautiful and remarkable effects". All of these properties make it ideal for soothing gout and pain in the joints, relieving coughs and shortness of breath, curing paralysis, decay, spasm or retraction of the nerves to their source, cold diseases of the spleen, kidneys and ears, treating colic, snake bites and children's worms... 

Over the centuries, the site was exploited by various figures in the history of the village.

In the 19th century, despite the efforts of Monseigneur de Bausset, the Font de l'Oli continued to decline. The economist H. Creuzé de Lesser reported in 1824 that "no water has been collected for about ten years now. However, it is hoped that further work will bring a more advantageous result". Various attempts to increase the flow of the spring led to it drying up for good, and when the Parisian pharmacist François Gardy registered the trademark Capsules Gardy à l'huile de Gabian in 1878, and when his successor Terrial registered the trademark Gabianol in 1901, it was probably crude oil from Pennsylvania and Virginia that was involved. The Gabian name continued to make a name for itself in the world of medicines. It soon became a household name when, in 1924, the Comité Scientifique du Pétrole discovered a small deposit 1,500 metres south-west of the Font de l'Oli. It would deliver 24,000 tonnes of oil over the 25 years it was in operation. But that's another story...

Source : CRPE de Vailhan - Guilhem Beugnon - July 2012