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Origin and history

The Episcopal Palace of Saint-Pons-de-Thomières is part of a series of buildings formerly integrated into the bishopric's compound, south of the old cathedral. Its present configuration is the result of the Huguenot destructions of 1567, the later reconstructions, and revolutionary transformations, including the fragmentation of properties and the layout of the Béziers-Castres road (1780-1784), which isolated the episcopal dependencies of the church. The monastic ramparts, erected in 1171, and the circular tower called Saint-Benoît (15th century) bear witness to the successive phases of construction, although the latter, in its visible parts, dates mainly from the 15th century.

The Saint-Benoît tower and a vaulted passage called La Portenelle are the only protected remains of the enclosure, inscribed in the Historical Monuments since 1973. In the 19th century, buildings outside the ramparts masked some of the medieval structures, including the base of the tower. The present impasse, a former western entrance to the church, once separated episcopal buildings from outbuildings attached to the western ramparts, illustrating the complex spatial organization of this religious and administrative site.

Historical upheavals, from the wars of Religion to the Revolution, have profoundly altered the original aspect of the palace. The modern road and subsequent developments have fragmented the whole, while the present communal property preserves these traces of an episcopal past marked by successive reconstructions and adaptations. Available sources, such as Monumentum, highlight the archaeological importance of the site despite the transformations.

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