Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The fishstone is the only intact medieval monument still visible in Montbéliard. Dating at least 1470, this large 2.65-metre-long limestone slab served as a stall to sell freshwater fish, an essential resource during the many lean days imposed by the Catholic Church. At the time, the town of La Halle, a dynamic commercial enclave, was the lively heart of the city, separated from the rest of the city by a wall and accessible by the Clock Gate. The stone, initially sheltered under a wooden house, also symbolized the religious and social effervescence of Montbéliard.

Although local tradition says that Guillaume Farel preached the Protestant Reformation there around 1524, no historical document confirms this episode. Farel, sent by Count Ulrich VI of Württemberg, preached fervently at Montbéliard between July 1524 and March 1525, causing tensions with Franciscans and canons. His passage marked a turning point towards the adoption of Lutheranism, officially established in 1538 by Pierre Toussain. The stone, classified as a historical monument in 1922, thus embodies both the medieval commercial heritage and the religious upheavals of the sixteenth century.

The fishstone, composed of a limestone table supported by two feet of stone, is 2.65 m long for 1.25 m wide. Its current location, at Farel Square near Denfert-Rochereau Square, recalls its central role in the daily life and spiritual transformations of Montbéliard. Its classification in 1922 underlines its heritage importance, both for its practical use and for its symbolism linked to the Reformation. Today, it remains a tangible testimony of the medieval and Protestant history of the city.

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