Pézenas

The town of Pézenas

Located 36km from the gîtes on the way to Béziers, the small town of Pézenas has preserved a remarkable historical and cultural heritage.

In Roman times, the town was already a fortified place, but it was with the cloth trade, in the 13th century, that Pézenas experienced a new expansion. In the Middle Ages, the town grew and played a leading political role, welcoming the governors of the Languedoc states.

Around these men of power, artists, writers and gentlemen formed a veritable court. Molière and his "illustrious theater" stayed in the town and performed in public in the 1650s. The premises of the tourist office on Place Gambetta are a former barber's shop belonging to Gély, where Molière used to sit and listen to the men of the village talk. Some of the replicas of his plays probably originated in this store!

Today, small arts businesses flourish throughout the town: galleries, painters, souvenir stores, there's something for everyone.

Private mansions, remnants of ramparts, turrets... Pézenas' architectural wealth is well worth a visit. The tourist office offers signposted, dramatized or guided tours for lovers of old stones and history.