The Community of the Ark is a small spiritual commune in southern France that was founded in 1948 by Lanza del Vasto. Lanza del Vasto was a non-violence activist and disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. During the 1970s, many of the communards, under the leadership of del Vasto, took a leading role in the civil disobedience campaign resisting the proposed extension of the military base on the Larzac plateau. The campaign was ultimately triumphant.