Historical monument classification 1987 (≈ 1987)
Official protection of the building.
1999
Romanesque restoration
Romanesque restoration 1999 (≈ 1999)
Original style preservation work.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Church of the Madeleine, including the grids of the apse (Box PZ 301): Order of 27 January 1987
Key figures
Raimond Ier Trencavel - Viscount de Béziers
Murdered in church in 1167.
Norbert Turini - Bishop of Montpellier
Named the church for Jubilee 2025.
Origin and history
The Madeleine de Béziers Church, listed as a historic monument in 1987, is an emblematic building of the city. Mentioned in 1092, it was partially rebuilt in the 12th century, with a nave reborn and a bell tower raised in the 14th and 15th centuries. Its Romanesque architecture, marked by a pentagonal apse and a transept, preserves traces of later Gothic transformations.
On 22 July 1209, the church was the scene of a massacre during the siege of Béziers during the crusade against the Cathars, marking a bloody episode of local history. In 1167, Raimond I. Trencavel, Viscount de Béziers, was murdered there by the inhabitants. Work in 1999 restored its Romanesque aspect, while preserving the Gothic additions visible in the stone.
Dedicated to Catholic worship, the church adopts a three-nave basilical plan, with a side chapel, a south porch and a sacristy. Its four-level bell tower, topped by an octagonal arrow, dominates the urban landscape. In 2025, it was designated as one of the ten jubilary churches of the diocese of Montpellier for the Jubilee of Hope.
Announcements
Please log in to post a review