Exploring Montpellier's history - 13 May 2008
With a lull between visitors, I found some early information about Montpellier on the web. Having come to love this particular area of France, I thought I’d plagiarize some of this early history. If you haven’t read Labyrinth by Kate Moss, you might find it a good read. Her book is entirely responsible for the family’s first visit to Montpellier in 2007. Kate read it first and soon passed it round to all of us!
Montpellier was founded relatively late for this region. It came to prominence in the 10th century as a trading centre as a result of the spice trade with the Middle East. It sits on the plain of Bas-Languedoc (Lower Languedoc).
Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Visigoths and Moors all passed through Languedoc before it came under Frankish control in the 8th century. Affairs were left in the hands of local rulers until around the 12th Century when Occitania (today’s Languedoc) reached its zenith. At that time, Occitan was the language of the troubadours and the cultured speech of southern France. However, the Albigensian Crusade, launched in 1208 to suppress the ‘heresy’ of Catharism, led to Lauguedoc’s annexation by the French kingdom. The treaty of Villers-Cotterêts (1539), which made the langue d’oil the realm’s official language, downgraded Occitan. It continued, however, to be spoken in the south of the region and is nowadays more often called Provençal. Much of this period of its history is covered in Kate Moss’s book.
Montpellier is one of the few cities in southern France without a Roman heritage. It was founded by the Counts of Toulouse and is first mentioned in a written document in 985 (makes New Zealand feel young, doesn’t it?)! By medieval times it had become a prosperous city with trading links all over the Mediterranean. Its scholastic tradition is a long one. The city’s university, founded in 1160 and chartered in 1220, is one of the oldest in the world. Europe’s first medical school is one of the most respected in France and was founded here in the 12th century. It occupies the former monastery of Saint Benoit. Rabelais was a student here in 1530. There are two museums inside. Here’s its imposing entrance.
Between the 17th and 18th centuries, Montpellier’s wealthier merchants built grand private mansions with large inner courtyards, like these. I took this photo if only to prove that we did have at least one lovely fine day.
Fine examples are Hôtel de Varennes, a harmonious blend of Romanesque and Gothic, and Hôtel St-Côme, the city’s first anatomy theatre for medical students and nowadays its Chamber of Commerce which I found to be a rather unimposing building so haven’t included it here.
At the eastern end of rue Foch is the Arc de Triomphe (1692). This triumphal arch was built in honour of Louis XIV in 1691 on the site of the western medieval gate. Medallions depict important events during the king’s reign and I tried hard (but failed) to read what is said to be inscribed on them. On the city side you can apparently see the Canal du Midi connecting the Ocean and the Mediterranean and the revocation of the Edict of Nantes which outlawed Protestantism.
The carved medallion on the Peyrou side shows Hercules stomping on the Austrian eagle and the English lion, tactlessly reminding the locals of his victory over their Protestant ‘heresy’. The Latin inscription, carved in 1715 translates as ‘Louis the Great, who ruled as King for 72 years and, in 40 years of war, separated, repressed and reunited people, brought peace on land and sea’.
This arch marks the start of place Royale du Peyrou, a wide, tree-lined esplanade of formal gardens called Promenade du Peyrou. On this hill at the end of rue Foch, the royal artillery bombarded the Protestants in 1622. From this Promenade, shown below, it is said that on a cloudless sunny day (of which there are normally many in this part of the world) you can look out across the city and away to the Pic St-Loup which dominates the hinterland behind Montpellier with the distant smudge of the Cévennes beyond. I have to admit that I saw neither!
Place Royale du Peyrou itself, and the botanical gardens, were created during the reign of Henry IV in the 14th Century. At its western limit is the Chateau d’Eau, a water tower with arches, pillars and carved pediments, marking the end of an eighteenth century aqueduct modelled on the Pont du Gard. In front of it is a sun dial engraved on the ground.
In the 1760’s, work was carried out to bring water to the city by means of the Aqueduc de St-Clément, which takes its name from the Spring at St Clément, 14 km away. This Spring provided much of the water to the city during the 18th Century and allowed for its numerous fountains. As a matter of interest, the fountains are worth a mention. They’re constantly changing (like the fountains at Bellagio in Las Vegas only without the music) and it’s easy to stop and watch their changing patterns, especially when enjoying a coffee in a nearby café!
The two levels of arches which support the water channel over the last 800 metres have led to the city district beneath receiving the name of ‘les Arceaux’ (236 arches are still intact). Under its arches an organic market is staged each Tuesday and Saturday morning and there are regular games of table tennis and pétanque which benefit from the space and shade created by its imposing structure.
The Pont du Gard, on which it is modeled, is considered by many to be the eighth wonder of the world. The Pont du Gard has been registered as a World Heritage site since 1995 and attracts more than a million tourists every year. It is situated a short drive from Nîmes and will definitely be on my list for next year.
It’s a triple-tiered bridge with 64 arches. It’s 275m long, 48m high and has 21,000 m³ of stonework, laid without the use of mortar. Some of the stones weigh 6 tons and the total weight is over 50,000 tons The Pont du Gard is reputed to be the most spectacular remains of a thirty-one mile long aqueduct, which supplied Nîmes with 400 litres of drinking water per second on an average slope from the source of 0.34m/km. Building started in 1 BC and it took only five years to complete. It was converted into a bridge during the Middle Ages and was used by vehicles until the 19th century.
Back in Montpellier and laid out in 1689, the Promenade’s two tiers of terraces were built at Montpellier’s highest point to provide an impressive setting for festivals and a commemorative equestrian statue of Louis XIV.
Although commissioned before his death, the statue was not erected until after he died of gangrene in 1715. He reigned for 72 years, making his the longest reign in the recorded history of Europe. Finally erected in 1718, the statue didn’t actually survive the revolution, and it was replaced by a guillotine! However, in 1839 the present statue was erected, a smaller version of the original.
Opposite the place Royale du Peyrou is Cathédrale de Saint-Pierre, with its disproportionately tall 15th century porch sporting a patchwork of styles from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Inside is a memorial to the Bishop of Montpellier who sided with the half million destitute vine growers who came to demonstrate against their plight in 1907 and were fired on by government troops for their pains.
The approach north from the city centre to the Cathédrale is through narrow streets, lined by many 17th and 18th century mansions, not at all similar to the more modern mansions near the Arc de Triomphe, and certainly not a route to be walked by the faint hearted!
