Béziers: the massacre that preceded peace

Site in 1209 of one of the gravest massacres of the Crusade against the Cathars, Béziers preserves today a cathedral rebuilt on the ruins of the one destroyed on that occasion.

The centre, scene in 1209 of the massacre that preceded peace in the Cathar Crusade, is easily explored on foot.

The Cathedral of San Nazaire, rebuilt in Gothic style after its destruction in 1209, dominates the city from a promontory above the Orb River.

Just steps away, the Episcopal Gardens, designed atop the ancient city fortifications, offer a panoramic view of the surrounding valley.

Continuing one walks along the Nine Locks of Fonséranes, a system of hydraulic locks from the seventeenth century that allows boats to overcome a steep slope on the Canal du Midi.

Toward evening, the historic center animates with restaurants dedicated to the wines of the surrounding region, among the most productive in France for vineyard area.

The massacre of Béziers in 1209, during the crusade against the Albigensians, allegedly saw a commander respond to the question of how to distinguish Cathars from Catholics with the famous phrase 'kill them all, God will recognize his own'.

The Fonséranes locks, a masterpiece of seventeenth-century hydraulic engineering, still today allow pleasure boats to overcome a height difference of over twenty meters along the Canal du Midi.