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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Patrimoine
  3. Occitanie
  4. Hérault
  5. 34000 Montpellier

  6. Promenade du Peyrou in Montpellier

 Promenade du Peyrou in Montpellier dans l'Hérault

Patrimoine classé
Patrimoine des loisirs
Jardin
Hérault

Promenade du Peyrou in Montpellier

    Promenade du Peyrou
    34000 Montpellier
Promenade du Peyrou à Montpellier
Promenade du Peyrou à Montpellier
Promenade du Peyrou à Montpellier
Crédit photo : ByacC - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1700
1800
1900
2000
1685
Order of the statue of Louis XIV
1689
Start of work on the promenade
1691
Construction of triumphal arch
1718
Inauguration of the statue of Louis XIV
1753–1766
Construction of Saint-Clément waterworks
1768
Completion of the water castle
1838
Inauguration of the new statue of Louis XIV
1954
Historical monument classification
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Aqueduct des Arceaux or Pitot, located between the bridge of the water castle of Peyrou and the reservoir of the Arcades, including this reservoir: inscription by order of 9 March 1954; Arc of triumph; bridge giving access to the entrance of the promenade; walk proper with the two external guard bodies, entrance gates, ramps and support walls; the water castle, its basin and the stairs surrounding it; the bridge linking the water castle to the aqueduct of the Arceaux or Pitot : classification by decree of 18 August 1954; Aqueduct, in total, and all the elements forming part of the system of water supply and the arrangements of the Lez source, located on the communes of Montferrier-sur-Lez, Montpellier and Saint-Clément-de-Rivière, following the plans annexed to the order, for the parts visible on the following cadastral parcels: on the commune of Montferrier-sur-Lez, AD59, AE32, AE59, KL595, APL911, KP6, KR344, KR543, KR574, KR580, KS511, KT9, KT9, AD76, BX255, KL59, KL595, KR54, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5, MYC5

Key figures

Louis XIV - King of France (1643–1715) Sponsor of the horse statue.
Charles Augustin Daviler - Architect Initial designer of the walk (1689).
Henri Pitot - Engineer Creator of the Saint-Clément waterworks (1753–166).
Jean-Antoine Giral - Architect Final of the promenade (1766–74).
Pierre Mazeline et Simon Hurtrelle - Sculptors Authors of the first statue of Louis XIV.
Jean-Baptiste Joseph Debay - Sculptor Author of the statue of 1838.

Origin and history

The Peyrou Promenade, also known as the Peyrou Royal Square, is a 4.59-hectare esplanade built from 1689 in Montpellier, on the site of an old garrigue named "Puy Arquinel". This project, initiated by the states of Languedoc in 1685 to honor Louis XIV, was supervised by architect Daviler and inaugurated in 1690. The walk became a symbol of urban prestige, with a terrace supported by stone walls, benches and green spaces.

In 1691, the Peyrou gate was replaced by a triumphal arch adorned with bas-reliefs, marking the solemn entrance to the equestrian statue of Louis XIV, erected in 1718. This statue, commissioned in 1685 by the sculptors Mazeline and Hurtrelle, was destroyed during the Revolution and replaced in 1838 by a new version, by Debay and Carbonneaux. The triumphal arch, inspired by the Saint Martin Gate in Paris, symbolized monarchical power and served as propaganda for the king.

The Saint-Clément aqueduct, built between 1753 and 1766 by engineer Henri Pitot, was a major work for supplying the city with water. It is 14 km long and ends with the "Arceaux", a double row of 21.5 m high arcades, connected to the hexagonal castle of Peyrou (1768). The latter, decorated with Corinthian columns, distributed drinking water from the Lez spring. The final developments, including the grids and statues of Injalbert (1883), completed the beautification of the site.

The promenade, classified as a historical monument in 1954, was also the scene of symbolic events, as the photo of the resistant Jean Moulin in 1939. Renovations since the 1980s have preserved its legacy. Today, it remains an emblematic place of Montpellier, mixing history, architecture and landscape, with an unobstructed view of the surrounding mountains.

The name "Peyrou" comes from the peirou occitan ("stone"), but the site was once called "Puy Arquinel" ("Arquinel hill"). Prior to its development, it was used as a garrigue and fair place after being flattened by the Royal Army during the siege of 1622. The promenade, conceived as a gazebo, was enlarged between 1766 and 1774 by Jean-Antoine Giral and Jacques Donnat, integrating the reservoir of the aqueduct and low terraces.

Among the remarkable elements, the analematical sundial (1927), initiated by Professor Pierre Humbert, and the statues Enfant et Lion d'Injalbert (1883) add a scientific and artistic dimension. Modern accesses (tramway, lifts for PMR) make it easier to visit, while underground car parks (1983 project) illustrate its adaptation to contemporary needs.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum