Montpellier – The Youngest Old City in the Neighborhood

 

In the south of France, many of the iconic cities date back to and even predate the Roman empire. Oddly, Montpellier isn’t one of them.

Just looking at it on a map, so close to the Mediterranean Sea, I’ve always thought that it must have been used by the Romans. But the first mention of it was towards the end of the first millennium CE, when two hamlets were combined, a castle was built, and a wall was constructed around the new town.

A Bit of Relative History

In the 12th century Montpellier became a center of trade due to the proximity of the sea. A large Jewish culture and open relations between Muslim, Jewish, Cathars, and later Protestant communities expanded this trade influence.

At the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th century, Montpellier became a center for education when early medical and law schools were established.

These are events from long ago, especially from the point of view of an American. I like to try to put things in perspective to help myself realize the passing of large numbers of years.

In the US, our last state added was in 1959, 60 years ago. Our country was founded in 1776, 243 years ago. The Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony in 1620, about 400 years ago.

Moving across the Atlantic, William Shakespeare had died a few years earlier, and had written his works between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th.

Another 100 years back, Martin Luther was nailing his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Going back another 100-150 years, the black plague was decimating the populations in Europe and Asia. Another 150 years earlier is when Montpellier was having the great medical university built.

So what draws people to Montpellier? Mostly sunshine, with an average of ~5 precipitation days in the winter to ~2 in the middle of the summer. It’s a strong draw for many people from around the country and world, including me.

Arrival

Whenever I arrive in a city for the first time, I always have a sense of anticipation. Walking out of the train station, looking around, trying to get my bearings, it’s all part of the fun. I try to have at least basic information so once I walk out, I know whether to turn left or right, but I have made the wrong choice more than once.

The other challenge is finding the hotel so I can drop off my bags. In a large city where I might take a cab or UBER, it’s not really a problem, all I need is an address. If I’m taking a metro or bus, it definitely helps to do a little research prior to traveling, including contacting the hotel directly for the right metro or bus line. But in the case of a city like Montpellier, everything is within walking distance of the gare (train station). I had picked a hotel that was maybe two or three blocks from the train station, but they were doing some construction on the building next door, and had scaffolds erected in front of the hotel. So I walked right past it, and on into the main square of the city, Place de la Comédie. I had looked at enough maps of the city to know I’d gone too far, but still had to look around the square a little. I finally headed back towards my hotel, walked right past it, and soon arrived back at the train station. 🙁

Glad I pack light when traveling! Back I went, and finally found the hotel, hidden away behind the scaffolds.

Once unloaded, it was back in to the main square to start exploring.

At the Center of the City

The main square is Place de la Comédie, also known as l’Oeuf (egg) due to its egg-like shape. It’s the heart of the city, and people congregate there for events, cafés, tram access, people watching and endless numbers of buskers. There are some gorgeous things to see, including the Opéra de la Comédie from the 19th century and the architecture of the buildings surrounding it. In the heart of Place de la Comédie is a fountain with a statue of the Three Graces.

At the east end of the Place de la Comédie is the Office de Tourisme, a good starting point. I always try to make this one of my first stops in any city, to see if anything is going on in the city while I’m there. Sometimes I’ll set things up well in advance, but often I’ll just walk in and see what looks interesting.

Just to the left of the Office de Tourism is the Jardin du Champ de Mars/Esplanade de Charles de Gaulle, lined with cafés and restaurants, full of leafy trees and benches to enjoy the world walking by. There are play areas for kids, as well as monuments honoring those that died in wars. Included is a memorial to the 1,500,000 Armenians killed by the Turks during WWI, a dark period of history. Another memorial can be found honoring the citizens of Montpellier killed during the various wars in France’s history during the 20th century. I have found these types of memorials in various cities throughout France, a way of honoring those that gave their lives for the country, striking for those of us visiting, and keeping their memories alive.

 

In the Esplanade, there is a bust of its namesake, Charles de Gaulle, as well as a plaque with a letter written by de Gaulle from London in 1940, encouraging French citizens to remain courageous against those that had occupied France, and to never lose hope. Striking words of hope to those enduring those terrible years.

Further up the Esplanade is the Fabre Museum (Musée Fabre), a magnificent building that houses one of the most important art galleries in France. Absolutely worth exploring for museum enthusiasts.

I did wonder what would happen if I needed a dentist, based on this Rychaert painting from the 17th century. Techniques have likely been updated since then.

A street running off the Place de la Comédie called Rue de la Loge is a great place to start exploring the old town, a larger pedestrian only street with side streets off both sides leading to a huge section of small, narrow, winding streets (mostly pedestrian only) peppered with shops and restaurants to try.

One thing that becomes evident, given that the area of Montpellier is in such close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, is the wonderful seafood available. And of course being in the largest wine region in the world, Languedoc-Roussillon, great wines can be had everywhere. Local vin de table is always good, and very inexpensive. The old town is loaded with choices, certainly too many for a single traveler to try them all in a short period. And remember, late afternoon is meant for l’apéro, one of the great French contributions to the world.

Place de Peyrou

Rue de la Loge will morph into Rue Foch, which further on will lead to Montpellier’s own Arc de Triomphe, and just beyond to the Promenade du Peyrou. At the highest point in the city in the Promenade is the Château d’Eau, with the aqueduct which brought water into the city from the Cévennes. A stature of Louis XIV, the Sun King, on horseback can be found in the center of the Promenade.

At the intersection of rue Foch and the entrance to the Promenade du Peyrou is the Boulevard Professeur Louis Vialleton. Take a right,  and the Boulevard will become Boulevard Henri IV. On the left side is the Jardin des Plantes, full of rare plants and areas for sitting and enjoying the day. Paths lead through the gardens, and people are free to roam as they explore. This garden was established in 1593, and is the oldest botanical garden in France.

Just across Boulevard Henri IV from the Jardin de Plantes is the imposing Cathédrale Saint-Pierre.

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre

The Cathédrale Saint-Pierre is the largest church in Languedoc-Roussillon region, with gothic architecture and two large cylinder towers flanking the front door. These towers are massive, almost 5 yards (4.55m) in diameter. They give the cathedral the feeling of a fort, It was commissioned by Pope Urban V in 1364, but was upgraded to a cathedral in 1536 with the arrival of the Bishop. There are four towers over the nave, two taller ones in front and two slightly smaller ones behind. The cathedral suffered quite a bit of destruction during the religious wars, including the demolition of one of the front towers. In the last part of the 18th century, the original organ was replaced with a new one, which still exists today, although it has been upgraded in the years since.

Street Art

Montpellier is absolutely a city full of young people. Students are drawn to the city, and as a result, the feeling is one of activity and energy. In addition, the city is full of art, with brilliant examples of trompe l’oeils, wall art bordering on graffiti, and a number of examples of street art from the artist known as Mr. BMX, who has implanted bicycles half buried in the walls around the city.

University of Montpellier

One of the oldest elements of Montpellier is the University. The schools predate the formal founding by Pope Nicholas IV in 1289 by several hundred years, when all the existing schools were formed into a university. The exact dates of the liberal arts school aren’t known, but the school of law was founded in 1160 by Placentinus from Bologne, Italia. Professors from Montpellier were prominent in drafting the Napoleonic Code, the civil code which still guides France, and was a foundation for modern law codes everywhere the influence of Napoleon extended.

Possibly the most renown school in the university is the school of medicine, with top physicians instructing there as early as 1137. It’s the oldest medical school in the world still in operation, and it is located right next to the Cathédrale St-Pierre. Many renown students have studied there, including Nostradamus, although he had worked as an apothecary prior to joining the school and was expelled as a result. The well-known writer and physician Francois Rabelais also attended the medical school, and was later a university professor. Interestingly, the French Revolution that shut down so many provincial schools throughout France did not shut down the school of medicine in Montpellier.

L’Ecusson

The old medieval remains from the initial days of the city are mostly gone. Many of the churches that existed in Montpellier were destroyed during the religious wars, and popular squares now occupy their locations, such as the Place Jean Jaures and the Place Chabanneau. There are still some remnants, including the Tour des Pins and the Tour de la Babotte, towers that show the remains of the original wall from the end of the 12th century that surrounded the city. For an experiment, I decided to walk around l’écusson, or historic center, just to get an idea of its size. It took me about 45 minutes, not a bad way to get a sense of the old city, as well as a good way to walk off lunch.

Churches

One impressive church in Montpellier is l’Eglise Saint-Roch, a neo-gothic architecture structure built in the mid 19th century, replacing the Saint-Paul church which had been destroyed in 1622.

Just in front of the church are amazing trompe l’oeils, as if reflecting the church in the windows.

Not far from l’Eglise Saint-Roch on the other side of Rue Saint-Guilhem is the Carré Sainte-Anne, a church that was built in the mid 1800’s. It’s been converted into a cultural center and contemporary art space. Exhibitions are held there year round.

Wrap Up

Montpellier is a city like most in France, in that it really can’t be fully explored even with unlimited time, and certainly not by a visiting traveler with only several days to spend. I’ve touched on a few highlights that impressed me, but there is so much more to see and experience. Throughout its “short” history, the city has continued to evolve and grow. This is no surprise to those that know the city well. It’s a wonderful place with so much to enjoy, I can’t wait for my next visit here.