Centre-Ville Beziers

Statue of Paul Riquet, centre-ville Beziers

The main promenade of Beziers "Les Allees Paul Riquet", named after the engineer who constructed the Canal du Midi, terminates at the municipal gardens known as the plateau de poetes. An impressive bronze statue of Paul Riquet by David D'Angers is located near the entrance to the gardens.

The gardens designed by Eugene Bulher, who also laid out the parc de la Tete d'Or at Lyons, were opened in 1887.

The gardens, constructed on a steep incline, were intended to be a place of peaceful poetic contemplation. They contain numerous rare and exotique plants and trees, an artificial lake, and several fountains. There are also numerous busts of local poets.

The most impressive structure is the Fontaine du Titian by Jean Antoine Injalbert. The fountain is crowned by the statue of Titian, also known as Atlas, who is depicted as carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders while balancing on a sea shell carried on the back of several horses driven by angels.

Other fine statues include Injalbert's "L'enfant au poission", located at the centre of a large pond and the exquisite limestone statute of the resistance leader Jean Moulin (1951) by Raymond Corbier.

There is also a monument, known as the "stele", to the citizens of Beziers killed during the liberation in August 1944.

The gardens also contain an open-air theatre which hosts performances during the summer and has a capacity of over 2000.

The musee des Beaux-Arts, located in the hotels Fabregat and Fayet, contains further sculptures by Jean Antoine Injalbert (1845-1933) and an art collection donated by the widow of Jean Moulin who was captured and tortured to death by the Gestapo in 1943. The collection includes works by Gericault, Vincent Van Gogh and Soutine.

The 12th century pont vieux and cathedrale de Saint Nazaire

The cathedrale de Saint Nazaire, stands on the buff overlooking the River Orb and is the most prominent building in the city. The original cathedral was destroyed during the Albigensian Crusade of 1209 against the Catharics who preached that a state of grace could only be attained by successive reincarnation.

The present cathedral was completed in 1368. It is a fine example of southern Gothic architecture. The vaulted ceiling is over 30 metres high and the 14th century glass windows are protected by intricate iron grills.

The church also possesses an imposing altar topped by a spectacular painting of Christ in his Glory and contains two splendid 17th and 18th century organs.

A cloister, notable for its 14th century vault sculptures, is attached to the church and displays a further collection of sculptures dating from the mediaeval to the modern.

The Bishop's Gardens, adjacent to the Cloister, offer panoramic views of the Orb plain including the locks at Fonserannes and the aqueduct which carries the Canal du Midi across the Orb. The Pyrenees, particularly the Pic du Canigou, are also visible on a clear day.

The Roman arena. Picture by Clement Perez published under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 license

Beziers also possesses two arenas. The oldest, a Roman amphitheatre located in the Rue du Moulin in the Saint-Jacques quarter, dates from the 1st century and was excavated in 1992. Some of its terraces and parts of its interior structure are visible.

The second, which was completed in 1897 and has excellent acoustics, is used for bullfights and opera recitals. The arena, constructed from brick and stone, is steeply terraced so that the spectator is close to the action.

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