Pézenas is a commune in the Hérault department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. “Pézenas” is derived from the older name Piscenae, probably from the Latin word piscenis, meaning fishpond. According to legend, there was a lake full of fish behind the château. Inhabitants of Pézenas are Piscenois.
The origins of Pézenas are unclear, but were influenced by three factors: water from the River Peyne, an ancient pre-Roman route from Rodez to Saint-Thibéry and a defensive hill site.
Pézenas has had a Protected Area (Secteur sauvegardé) since June 1965, the 14th created by the French Ministry of Culture. The ministry lists 116 historical edifices in Pézenas of wich, more than 30 are protected after being classified “Historical Monuments”. The main sights include:
The old town centre with narrow streets and Hôtel Privet or Mansions (rather grand Town Houses from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, when Pézenas was the seat of the Governors of Languedoc): hôtel de Lacoste, hôtel de Carrion-Nizas, hôtel de Landes de Saint Palais, hôtel Flottes de Sebazan, hôtel d’Alfonce, hôtel Malibran, hôtel l’Epine, hôtel Grasset.
Molière Monument (1897) by Jean-Antoine Injalbert.
Theatre: What became a theatre was originally built in 1590 as a church – the Chapelle des Pénitents Noirs (chapel of the Black Penitents). After the French Revolution, it was sold as a national asset and converted to a theatre in 1803. Its present internal appearance dates from a general renovation between 1899 and 1901. Subsequently unchanged, it was used as a theatre until it closed in 1947. The building contains souvenirs of Molière. The property of the commune, the theatre has been classified since 1995 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture. Following more than 10 years of renovation, the richly decorated theatre reopened in May 2012 and may be visited by the public.
L’illustre Théâtre, theatre in converted warehouse, performances all year.
Musée de Vulliod Saint-Germain : museum with collections illustrating the town’s history and a room dedicated to Molière. The hôtel particulier that hosts the museum was donated to the city by François, Baron de Vulliod, during the Second World War.
[caption id="attachment_1214" align="alignleft" width="361" caption="Alexander von Humboldt, 1806, painted by Friedrich Georg Weitsch"][/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander Freiherr von Humboldt (September 14...
