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Origin and history

Saint-Aphrodise de Béziers Basilica, located in the Herault department, is a religious building dating back to the Lower Empire (IVth century), when the site housed a christianized Gallo-Roman necropolis. In the sixth century, this necropolis was organized around a sanctuary dedicated to St Peter, and then to St Aphrodise, the first bishop of Béziers, whose first written mention of a sanctuary housing its relics dates back to 858. The abbey was first certified in 967, and the canons replaced Benedictine monks from 1171 onwards. The crypt, the oldest part, could date between the 9th and 16th centuries, while the Romanesque abbey, partially preserved, had an elongated plan of three naves and a cloister demolished in the 19th century.

The siege of Béziers in 1209, during the crusade against the Cathars, probably damaged the pre-Roman basilica, leading to major Gothic changes in the 14th and 15th centuries. These transformations include the construction of a gothic bedside replacing the Romanesque abside, the addition of side chapels, the construction of a massive bell tower in the north, and the development of a rose on the west façade. In the 18th century, the lower sides were raised and vaulted with edges, while the arches of the cloister, closed, were replaced by wooden and plaster vaults. The former Roman refectory then becomes a pantry.

Ranked a historical monument in 1983, the basilica suffered from serious structural problems in the 21st century, requiring its closure for more than 15 years due to walls that literally cracked. Stabilization work between 2013 and 2014 enabled it to be safeguarded. Today, it is open to the public thanks to the association Les Amis de Saint-Aphrodise, offering guided tours since 2015 and exceptional openings during the Journées du Patrimoine. Its wrought iron campanile, similar to that of Saint-Nazaire Cathedral, and its history linked to the first martyr bishop of the city make it a major heritage symbol of Occitanie.

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