A visitor’s route through Beziers can usefully begin from the ‘Allées-Paul Riquet’, a pleasant shady street containing a bronze statue of Paul Riquet (1624), Baron of Bonrepos. It was Paul Riquet who undertook the digging of the Canal du Midi, that links Toulouse to Sète, a distance of about 240 kilometres, a task which took 15 years and more than 10,000 workers. The bronze statue was inaugurated in 1830 by David d’Angers.
The visit can continue towards the gothic style Chapel of the Blue Penitents and the 19th century Theatre.
Turning into Rue Étienne Dolet, you stand in front of the Church of St. Aphrodise. This Church, dedicated to St. Peter and St. Aphrodise, is particularly dear to the people because of being dedicated to the Saint Protector of the city. The church is very old – it was restored around the tenth century by the Viscount of Béziers. It has a triangular pediment, and is in the Romanesque style, divided into three naves with decorative designs, which are very elegant with twisted foliage.
The Church of the Madeleine, built around the 11th – 12th centuries, is another very interesting artifact: it has the structure of a strict paleo-Christian temple, 52 meters long and 24 meters wide; the church is divided into three naves, with large windows, and on the the walls are several paintings by local artists, such as ‘The Death of Saint Joseph’ by Julius Caesar Coustou (1658-1733), a painter from Montpellier and Magdalena by M. Regis, a painter of Béziers (active in the XVIII century).
In Place de la Revolution, in the heart of Beziers, you can enter into the cathedral of Saint Nazaire. This Church of St. Nazaire and St. Celsus was originally known by the name of San Nazaire (XI-XII century). According to the medieval documents it is by a ‘Master Gervais’: it is impressive and massive, with three naves of Romanesque style, a baroque altar and round arches and double windows, which give it a strong light. The church was very damaged during the Albigensian Crusade, being restored and expanded over the following centuries. The medieval paintings were severely damaged, but there are several oil paintings by a local artist from Montpellier, Jean Roux. Outside, there is a huge rose-window, flanked by two massive pillars.
Another important stop on your route is the “Musée de Beaux Arts”, which dates back to 1859. This is a museum of great value for the paintings which it contains: paintings by Domenico Zampieri (called the “Domenichino”) (1581-1641); a Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543); a “Virgin and Child” by Martin Schnaffer (1789-1854), then also works by French painters, Delacroix (1798-1863), Corot (1796-1875) , Daubigny (1817-1878).
A little further North, there is the “ Fayet Museum”, which contains interesting paintings of the nineteenth century and also a room devoted to sculpture.
Among the sacred buildings be sure not to overlook the Church of Saint Jacques, the foundation of which they ascribe, according to legend, to Charlemagne, who was particularly devoted to this Saint. The church itself dates back to the eighth-ninth centuries. From the architectural point of view, the church has a polygonal apse and a series of massive columns, surmounted by capitals decorated with floral symbols. Very slim even vaults, overall this is a very elegant interior, renovated between 1772 and 1774 by architect Bitterois Villacrose, who eliminated the primitive Romanesque elements, replacing them, for example, with Ionic capitals, using white and pink marbles.
Interesting from the standpoint of local folklore is also the Musée de Biterrois, which contains many medieval artefacts, various ceramics and the famous “Treasure of Béziers” (some dishes in silver, found in the early 80s).
Places to visit around Beziers, France
The areas around Béziers are also rich in important monuments from a historical and artistic aspect. From Fontcaude Abbey to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Serignan.
But above all enjoy the local countryside of France, with its picturesque villages scattered here and there, tempting visitors to stop and sample traditional products, particularly the typical wines of the Languedoc and those of Béziers. In the nineteenth century, the region was an important wine ‘capital’ and the city has its economic fortune on wine.
