Lush land and longing in the Languedoc
Medieval delights and martyrs aplenty
BÉZIERS has a long, tortuous history. The first Bishop of Béziers is considered to be the Egyptian saint, Aphrodisius, said to have sheltered the Holy Family at Hermopolis before dying a martyr here in this southerly French town. Huge, if true.
Local tradition has it that St Aphrodisius arrive at Béziers mounted on a camel; one is still led through the town on his feast day. But things didn’t go that smoothly in the religion department for this elegant old town.
In 1209, the city was ransacked by Crusaders. The Crusades were a sort of Christian outreach programme, with this particular episode mounted to bring the supposedly heretical Cathars of the Languedoc back to the One True Catholic Church. A plaque opposite the cathedral records the ‘Day of Butchery’ by the ‘northern barons’ — an estimated 7,000 people were martyred.
Despite its clamorous history, its reputation as ‘le capital du vin’, its enticing cafes, the faded elegant buildings, intriguing museums, its independent shops and its wellchosen situation on a bank overlooking the River Orb, Béziers remains pretty much under the radar for Irish folk.
The city dates back to preRoman times, although most of the remaining old centre only goes back as far as medieval times. New-fangled stuff, as far as some people are concerned.
The main sights lie in this compact and very walkable area. Béziers is bound to the west by the River Orb, and to the east by the stately and shady boulevard Allées Paul Riquet, constructed on the site of the old city walls.
Béziers’ Cathédrale Saint Nazaire et Saint Celse is testament to the town’s historic power and importance in former times. This was where the powerful bishops of the Languedoc would attempt to get the people of Béziers to give up their oul’ sins.
Even if you’re not the mood for confession, go there — towering over the river on the western edge, it offers stunning views across the surrounding countryside; in the foreground are hundreds of acres of vineyards of the Languedoc. The day I visited, the Pyrenees mountain range was just visible away in the distance.
Wandering along the medieval lanes of the old town, eventually you’ll come to the Place de la Révolution. An old stone staircase to the right of the square leads down to the formal Jardin des Evêques, once the property of Béziers’ bishop. From its terrace there’s a great view southwest across the terracotta rooftops of the town and over four bridges across the River Orb.
The Musée des Beaux Arts in the heart of the old town features a collection of paintings from the 17th to the 19th centuries and an exhibition on Béziers-born Resistance hero Jean Moulin.
Nearby, the Caserne SaintJacques natural history museum gives a good overview of French flora and fauna, while the Musée Bitterrois offers an insight into the history and archeology of the town.
Some 3km north of Béziers, in the heart of the province of Languedoc, is the Château de Raissac. This historic home, winery and museum — first built on the ruins of a Roman villa — is today a beautiful example of the glorious 19th century prosperous wine producing period in Languedoc, when the famous architect Louis Garros (1833-1911) from Bordeaux built and refashioned numerous castles in this area.
The whole building is now open to the public and has been transformed into reception rooms with lodging.
Le Clos de Maussanne, Route de Pezenas (leclos demaussanne.com) is a supremely relaxing boutique hotel on the eastern edge of Béziers.
Surrounded by vineyards, and complete with clock tower, this 17th-century convent has been beautifully converted and now offers many things the nuns could never have dreamt of — a swimming pool in the pretty garden, a dining room serving fabulous food and a well-stocked bar.
Oddly enough, Nessun Dorma was playing on the sound system as I made my way to my room. This, you will not need to be reminded, translates as ‘None shall sleep’, but I doubt if it was an intended pun.
As it happens, the bedroom was comfortable beyond any reasonable expectation.
To paraphrase Steve Coogan in The Trip, I slept the sleep of a thousand martyrs. And goodness knows, there are plenty round these parts to pick from.