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Origin and history

The Saint-Denis church of Montpellier, located in the present Gambetta district, replaces a first medieval building destroyed during the Wars of Religion. This first place of worship, attested from the twelfth to the sixteenth century, rose outside the ramparts, in the district of Montpellieret, on the future location of the citadel. An archaeological study of 1969 revealed that it had been built on an ancient cemetery. Destroyed during the religious conflicts, its last remains disappeared when the citadel was built, and then the Lycée Joffre.

The construction of the present church began in 1699 in the suburb of Sauneria, on a plot housing a cemetery or a property of the order of St John of Jerusalem. Designed by architect Augustin-Charles d'Aviler, it was completed in 1702. In Jesuit style, it was initially served by the Oratorians, who installed a seminary there from 1709 to 1733. After that date, she passed under the responsibility of the secular clergy. The cardinal of Fleury offered a clock in 1730, and the marbrier Pierre Fossati made a marble master altar "to the Roman" in 1735.

The history of the building was marked by revolutionary upheavals: closed on 1 October 1793 by the authorities, it was saved from destruction by the faithful who bought the building and its furniture at auction. They restored the church to worship in 1801, to the restoration of religious freedom. In the 19th century, two expansion campaigns (1836 and 1895) profoundly altered its interior structure, leaving only the original façade intact. These transformations responded to Montpellier's population growth, but altered the purity of d'Aviler's original design.

The church houses a remarkable artistic heritage, including 18th and 19th century paintings, statues such as a Sacred Heart marble of Carrara, and a neo-Gothic chapel dedicated to the Blue Penitents. His organ, major work by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1837), was modified several times, notably by Ducroquet in 1855 and Maurice Puget in 1938. Ranked among the historical instruments, it has 29 games spread over three keyboards. The facade of the church, the only part protected by historical monuments since 1944, illustrates the classic regional style with its curved pediment and ionic order.

Originally integrated into the parish of Saint-Denis-Saint-Roch, the church has been part of the "Paroisse Cathédrale Montpellier" since 2014, bringing together the religious buildings of the city centre. His current pastor is Father Michel Plagniol. The organ is maintained by the Claude Berger factory, while two organists, including Monique Richard (owner for fifty years), provide the liturgical and cultural service.

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