page_title: Béziers
section_title: Sights
hierarchical_section_title: Béziers / Sights
caption_attribution_description: English: Place Gabriel Péri in Béziers, France. Français&#160;: Place Gabriel Péri à Béziers (Hérault), France.
context_page_description: Béziers is a town and commune in the Occitanie region of Southern France; it is a subprefecture of the Hérault department. In 2014, it had a population of 75,701.
  Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred on bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event. Béziers is also a member of the Most Ancient European Towns Network.
context_section_description: Saint-Nazaire Cathedral : Situated in the high part of town, it occupies a picturesque site, visible from afar when approaching Béziers on the road from Narbonne. A remarkable example of middle Gothic architecture from the 14th century, the vaulted nave, 14 m (45.93 ft) wide, reaches a height of 32 m (104.99 ft). The total length is 50 m (164.04 ft). The western rose window has a diameter of 10 m (32.81 ft).
  The Plateau des Poètes (1867) : This vast English style (formal) park was laid out by landscape artists, the Bulher brothers. It contains numerous statues of poets and a monumental fountain of the Titan by Injalbert. The park connects the station with the allées Paul Riquet...
  The allées Paul Riquet where a large bronze statue by David d'Angers celebrates the creator of the Canal du Midi, Pierre-Paul Riquet. The same sculptor created the bas reliefs which decorate the neo-Classical façade of the Municipal Theatre (1844) at the top of the allées. At times of the Feria, festivities are centred in these alleys.
  Arenas : Béziers has two arenas, one dating from the Roman era whose structures and foundations have been preserved following major works in the Saint-Jacques district, and the other built in 1905 in the style of Spanish bullrings by Fernand Castelbon de Beauxhostes. The latter is one of the largest such structures in France (seating 13100). The arena hosts concerts and, every August, a bullfighting festival (the Féria).
  The Fine Arts Museum (musée des Beaux-Arts), founded in 1859, received in 1934 the legacy of Injalbert's widow and, in 1975, drawings and the art collection of Jean Moulin. Among the museum's works are canvasses by Hans Holbein, Sébastien Bourdon, Géricault, Vincent van Gogh, Chaïm Soutine and Henri Goetz.
  The musée Saint-Jacques, installed in a former barracks, has collections showing life in the Béziers region (Biterrois).
  Le Pont Vieux is a stone bridge crossing the Orb (Middles Ages).
  Le Cimetière Vieux (Old Cemetery), created in the 18th century, is a true open-air museum with numerous tombs and works of art by local sculptors, including Jean Magrou and Injalbert.
  Pierre-Paul Riquet's Canal du Midi (17th century) Béziers installations: the Pont-canal de l'Orb canal acqueduct; the Fonserannes staircaise locks; the hapless Fonserannes "water slope"; and the Fonserannes lock continuation (now also hors service) to the River Orb.
  Other sites and monuments include:
  Garden de la Plantade
  The Cordier or Bagnols mill
  Saint-Jacques Church
  The Saint-Aphrodise Church
  Church of the Madeleine
  Saint Jude Church
  Church of the Immaculate Conception and its glazed tile roof
  The Capnau quarter
  Island of Tabarka, on the Orb
  The Municipal Theatre (19th century)
  The Art Nouveau former Théâtre des Variétés
  The market hall (end of the 19th century)
  The Saint-Jean-d'Aureilhan estate
  The Domaine de Bayssan
  Chapelle du Jardin Notre-Dame (18th century)
  Chapelle des Pénitents Bleus (18th century)
  Other sights in the area include the Oppidum d'Ensérune archaeological site and the Étang de Montady, a marsh drained in 1247 to create a field and Irrigation system which is visible from the Oppidum d'Ensérune.
caption: Place Gabriel Péri
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