Béziers
Having decided to hang around for a few days, we set off to explore. The port is situated on one side of the train line, separating us from the town, but there is a rather neat passage up and over the tracks, with a lift that can accommodate bikes as well as pedestrians, so we got used to using our bikes around the town. On the other side of the tracks, there is a short tunnel under the road that leads to the gates of the park. As with many of these walkways, we find they are often decorated with interesting artworks, rather than just graffiti. The one below represents the Cathedral of Saint Nazaire and Saint Celse, with the wonderful Pont Vieux below. A visit we made a day or so later.
However, on this first exploratory occasion, we moved off on foot. Just beyond the train line is the entrance to a lovely park, the Plateau des Poètes. Five hectares of parkland, today boasting many mature trees, plenty of grassed areas, benches, an artificial lake full of waterbirds, and the magnificent fountain of Titan. It was a delight to wander (if huffing and puffing from the steep climb can be considered a ‘walk in the park’). Unfortunately, Béziers is rather steep, and the route through the park was no exception. The gates close at night, so we sometimes found ourselves cycling/walking up the steep streets beside the park, rather than passing through it.
Inaugurated in 1867, and classified as a historic monument in 1995, the park gets its name from the many busts of poets that are dotted around the gardens, set on tall plinths. A number of these statues were placed in the garden in 1902, representing poets born in Béziers, many of them were the work of one artist, Jean-Antoine Injalbert, himself born in Béziers.
The Fountain of Titan, installed in 1892, sits as a stunning centrepiece in the park. A monumental work 17 metres high, it features bronze, marble and stone, and flowing water elements.
And the rear…
Injalbert was also responsible for this rather splendid war memorial, which sits just inside the gates at the lower end of the park.
At the top of the park, we found ourselves at one end of the Place Jean Jaurès, a long tree-lined passage through the centre of the town. Lined on both sides with some businesses but a great number of cafés and restaurants, it provided a welcome sight, and we certainly tried to sample many of its delights over the following days. Ian was very excited to find his favourite ice cream shop, so it became a stop-off every time we came up here. Which was pretty much every day.
Mid-way along is a statue to Pierre-Paul Riquet, whom we have talked about before. He is certainly honoured here, in his birthplace, his name being given to buildings, streets and more.
All this walking, much of it on a steep incline, made us hungry, so we found a spot for a snack.
Followed by an amarena ice cream. No matter how large lunch is, Ian can fit in an ice cream.
We cycled up more steep hills to get to the supermarket, and on the way passed the local bullfighting arena. The walls were impressive
but you need an aerial view to appreciate it properly.
Bull fighting in this region does not involve hurting the bull, as the aim is to snatch a red handkerchief from the bull’s horns. So, really, it is only the toreador that is at risk of injury. The arena was first used in 1897, refurbished in 1921 and now seats 13,400 people for a variety of spectacles – the bull fighting being held only in August.
Following another jolly evening of social drinks on board, later in the day we set off on bikes again, this time to explore the areas along the River Orb. First stop was to check out the famous Fonseranes staircase, which we would be passing through ourselves in a few days’ time.
I’ll leave the background to this special feature to the next blog, but on this reconnaissance, we arrived in the afternoon when all the boats were only going down, so we didn’t get to fully appreciate the work needed for going up, but it did give us a better idea of the layout. Boats are allowed to use the staircase only twice a day; a down then up passage in the early morning, and then an up then down passage in the late afternoon.
We then cycled over the River Orb, and up to the 13th-century cathedral at the top of another quite significant hill. The view across the river was really pretty.
After a challenging cycle up the hill, we began our visit to this important monument. First, just a little bit about the Cathars – they are important to this town and the region as a whole. The Cathars were a reform movement that diverged from the Catholic Church, active from the 12th to the 14th century in southern France and northern Italy. For details of their beliefs, there is an excellent article in Wikipedia. The important point is that the regular Catholic Church was violently and remorselessly opposed to the Cathars. It encouraged a Crusade against the French Cathars that, in modern times, would be regarded as genocide and eventually expunged the entire movement during the Inquisition. It has been estimated that around one million people died, either in battle, massacred, hanged, or burned at the stake.
Béziers was located at the edge of the Cathar region and was the first military target of the Albigensian Crusade (initiated by Pope Innocent III to crush the Cathars, in 1208).
It was attacked by Crusaders on 22 July 1209. What followed is known as the Massacre at Béziers. The Crusaders rapidly overwhelmed the defences of the town and rampaged through the town, killing the citizens and ransacking indiscriminately. People sought shelter in churches such as the Cathedral and Saint Mary Magdalene, but the Crusaders smashed their way into the sanctuaries and killed everyone; man, woman and child – without mercy.
The indiscriminate nature of the slaughter is captured in a famous Latin quotation attributed to the papal legate and commander of the Crusaders, Arnaud Amalric, when asked how to deal with the problem that Cathar heretics were mixed in with ordinary Catholic citizens: “Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius“, now paraphrased as “Kill them all. Let God sort them out.” Exaggerated reports at the time put the death toll at 20,000 people, but as the town was estimated only to have 10-14,000 inhabitants, clearly not possible. But the slaughter was of such scale that most other towns that the Crusaders approached afterwards surrendered without resistance.
So, relevantly, the first item we saw near the cathedral was a statue of Raymond-Roger Trencevel, Viscount of Béziers, captured by the crusaders and died in prison, at Carcassone, in 1209, aged 24. He is the principal symbol of the resistance of the Cathars.
Nearby, but unrelated, was a statue of Jeanne d’Arc tied to the stake,
The text below, “Puis vint cette voix environ l’heure de midi, au temps de l’été, dans le jardin de mon père.” (Then came this voice around noon, in the summer, in my father’s garden) is attributed to Jeanne at her trial in Rouen, and refers to her original vision calling her to serve God and France.
The inside of the cathedral was spectacular and in very good condition. It was built in the mid-thirteenth century on the site of an earlier church that was destroyed during the Massacre of Béziers.
And a bonus of another statue of Jeanne.
Back in port, it was always busy, especially with hire boats coming back and forth – but there were also other types of vessels:
The next day, a Tuesday (it matters!), we cycled around town just taking in the atmosphere. There were daring chaps working on a poster high on a building:
or perhaps we were just fooled by an exceptionally detailed trompe l’oeil (deceives the eye)
Note the poster promotes Jean-Marie Cordier, a hydraulic engineer. More later.
A nearby building also featured extensive trompe l’oeil on two sides of the building. In the side view, you can see how the front features are mostly artificial.
A little later we visited the town cemetery – always a required stop for Lisette. They had a novel arrangement for preventing the loss of the watering cans that are provided for visitors who want to water the flowers on a grave.
Amongst the varied gravestones and tombs was:
So who was Cordier? Like Riquet, Jean-Marie Cordier was born in Béziers – a Bitterois, which is the term for citizens of Béziers. He trained as a mechanical and hydraulic engineer. He first engineered a water supply for Béziers using the Orb river and went on to work on many projects in the region. He then worked further afield in Geneva and the highlight of his career was designing hydraulic systems in the Egyptian towns of Alexandria and Cairo. These were carried out by his son Jean-Antoine Cordier-Bey.
Back in town, we paused briefly to look at the art installation in the town square. Gazebos, archways and tunnels with each of the gazebos representing one of the signs of the zodiac.
Each had a different design, but inside all had an interactive feature – a swing, a see-saw, a seat and so forth. Lisette found a comfortable swinging bench in the arbour for her sign, Gemini.
These would be at their most spectacular at night, and Tuesday was the best day for this, as the entire centre strip of the main concourse is given over to a night market/wine tasting/entertainment event all through the summer. A stall at each end of the market allows you to buy a glass and a pass that allows for three tastings of the very large variety of wines that are promoted by the local vignerons. Food stalls provide a variety of meals, and a stage with a group of musicians were providing entertainment.
We took our time to eat, drink and listen to the entertainment until it was dark enough (about 10 pm) to enjoy the light shows. There were three major ones. First, there was a light fountain show with the jets of water and illumination colours synchronised to 70’s music. Easy listening and fascinating to watch. One of Lisette’s favourite artists was featured in one instance:
The second was the zodiac gazebo.
Gorgeous colours and the space thronged with adults and children – many presumably hunting down their birth sign.
Third, and most impressive, was the light show story of the Massacre of Beziers projected on the side of the Église Sainte Madeleine – one of the sites of the slaughter by the Crusaders.
The audio commentary was all in French, but, impressively, there were English subtitles!
We finished, just before midnight, watching a group dancing to a solo saxophonist.
