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Origin and history

The collegiate Saint-Jean de Pézenas, located in the Hérault department, has its origins in the early 14th century. At that time, the fortified city did not yet have an intramural parish church. Around 1314, the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem gave to the inhabitants the fortified Romanesque church built by the Templars, provided that it was dedicated to the Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. The building, with a bell tower crenellated in 1317, became the spiritual heart of the city. When enlarged in the 16th century, it collapsed partially in 1733, requiring total reconstruction.

The reconstruction was entrusted to the Avignon architect Jean-Baptiste Franque, who inspired the plans of Jean Giral, a Montpellieran master. The works, begun in 1739 under the direction of Jean-Antoine Giral and completed in 1746, gave rise to a classic three-nave building, marked by a central dome and rectangular apsidioles. The interior decoration, made of polychrome marble (1746–154), and the exceptional organ of Jean-François L的Épine (1758), restored by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll in 1853, make it a jewel of Occitan heritage.

The church, which became a collegiate church in 1600, was listed as a historical monument in 1935. Its architecture, combining classical rigour and Baroque influences, reflects the artistic exchanges between Avignon, Montpellier and Pézenas. The bell tower, surmounted by a wrought iron campanile (1746), and the two-level facade, illustrate the mastery of the local artisans. Today, it remains a major testimony of the religious and architectural history of Languedoc.

The college also houses elements inherited from its medieval past, such as the northern chapel dedicated to the Virgin, decorated with fine marbles. His organ, comparable to that of the Saint-Roch church in Paris, attests to his cultural influence. The archives also mention the role of the Templar Commanders and Hospitals in its evolution, from its foundation to its consecration as a place of parish worship.

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