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Coordinates: 43°20′51″N 3°13′08″E / 43.347615, 3.218991

Commune of Béziers

St. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Nazaire Cathedral and Pont Vieux in Béziers

Location
Béziers (France)
Béziers
Administration
CountryFrance
RegionLanguedoc-Roussillon
DepartmentHérault (sous-préfecture)
ArrondissementBéziers
CantonChief town of 4 cantons
IntercommunalityCommunauté
d'agglomération
Béziers Méditerranée
MayorRaymond Couderc
Statistics
Elevation4 m–120 m
(avg. Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. France is divided into 26 regions or régions (in French of which 21 are in continental Metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, Languedoc-Roussillon ( Occitan: Lengadòc-Rosselhon; Catalan: Llenguadoc-Rosselló) is one of the 26 regions of France. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division Hérault ( Occitan: Erau) is a department in the southwest of France named after the Hérault river. Subprefectures (sous-préfectures are the administrative towns of arrondissements in France that do not contain the prefecture for its department. The 100 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The arrondissement of Béziers is an arrondissement of France located in the Hérault département, in the Languedoc-Roussillon The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 341 arrondissements and 100 departments. The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. 17 m)
Land area¹95. 48 km²
Population²
(1999)		69,153
 - Density724. As of January 1, 2008, 64473140 people live in the French Republic. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 2/km² (1999)
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code340032/ 34500
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0. The INSEE code is a numerical indexing code used by the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE to identify various entities including communes Postal codes were introduced in France in 1972, when La Poste introduced automated sorting. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open
2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. C D E
France

Béziers (Besièrs in Occitan, and Besiers in Catalan) is a town in Languedoc, in the southwest of France. Occitan ( IPA BrE: /ˈɒksɪtn/ AmE: /ˈɑksəˌtɑn/ known also as Lenga d'òc or Langue d'oc (native name occitan Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Languedoc ( in French Lengadòc in Occitan) is a former Province of France, now continued in the modern-day ''régions'' of Languedoc-Roussillon This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. It is a commune and a sous-préfecture in the Hérault département, with a population around 78,000,[1] called Biterrois. The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. Subprefectures (sous-préfectures are the administrative towns of arrondissements in France that do not contain the prefecture for its department. Hérault ( Occitan: Erau) is a department in the southwest of France named after the Hérault river. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event. [2]

Contents

Geography

The town is located on a small bluff above the river Orb, about 10 km from the Mediterranean Sea. The Orb is a 145 km long river in the Herault département of Southern France that flows into the Mediterranean Sea, in Valras-Plage At Béziers the Canal du Midi spans the river Orb as an aqueduct called the pont-canal ('canal bridge'). The Canal du Midi or Canal des Deux Mers ( Occitan: Canal de las Doas Mars / Canal del Miègjorn) is a 240 km long canal in the south of France An aqueduct is an artificial channel that is constructed to convey water from one location to another claimed to be the first of its kind. [3]

History

The site has been occupied since Neolithic times, before the influx of Celts. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts Roman Betarra was on the road that linked Provence with Iberia. The Roman Roads were essential for the growth of the Roman Empire, by enabling the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate news Provence ( Provençal Occitan: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm is a region of southeastern France The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra The Romans refounded the city as a new colonia for veterans in 36/35 BCE and called it Colonia Julia Baeterrae Septimanorum. Year 36 BC was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Year 35 BC was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. Stones from the Roman amphitheatre were used to construct the city wall during the 3rd century. An amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is an open-air venue for spectator sports concerts rallies or theatrical performances See also List of cities with defensive walls A defensive wall is a Fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors

White wine was exported to Rome; two dolia discovered in an excavation near Rome are marked, one "I am a wine from Baeterrae and I am five years old," the other simply "white wine of Baeterrae". Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 She was occupied by Moors between 720 and 752. The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim (and earlier non-Muslim people of Berber and Arab descent

During the 10th through 12th centuries Béziers was the center of a Viscountship of Béziers. This is a list of Viscounts of Béziers, who ruled the vicountcy of Béziers The viscounts ruled most of the coastal plain around the city, including also the city of Agde. Agde is the commune in the Hérault department in southern France that is the Mediterranean port of the Canal du Midi They also controlled the major east-west route through Languedoc, roughly following the old Roman Via Domitia, with the two key bridges over the Orb at Béziers and over the Hérault at Saint-Thibéry. The Via Domitia was the first Roman road built in Gaul, to link Italy and Hispania through Gallia Narbonensis, across what is The Hérault ( Occitan: Erau) is a River of southern France. Its length is. Saint-Thibéry is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.

After the death of viscount William around 990, the viscounty passed to his daughter Garsendis and her husband, count Raimond-Roger of Carcassonne (d. Events By Place Africa Construction of the Al-Hakim Mosque begins in Cairo. Carcassonne (Carcassona is a fortified French town in the Aude département, of which it is the Prefecture, ~1012). It was then ruled by their son Peter-Raimond (d. ~1060) and his son Roger (d. 1067), both of whom were also count of Carcassonne. The County of Carcassonne was medieval fiefdom controlling the city of Carcassonne and its environs

Roger died without children and Béziers passed to his sister Ermengard and her husband Raimond-Bertrand Trencavel. The Trencavel were an important noble family in Languedoc during the 10th through 13th centuries The Trencavels were to rule for the next 142 years, until the Albigensian Crusade - a formal 'Crusade' (holy war) authorised by Pope Innocent III. The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade (1209&ndash1229 was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Roman Catholic Church to eliminate the Cathar Pope Innocent III ( February 22, 1161 &ndash June 16, 1216) born Lotario de' Conti di Segni, was Pope from January

Béziers was a Languedoc stronghold of Catharism, which the Catholic Church condemned as heretical and which Catholic forces extirpated in the Albigensian Crusade. The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade (1209&ndash1229 was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Roman Catholic Church to eliminate the Cathar Béziers was the first city to be sacked, on July 22, 1209. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of Béziers' Catholics were given the opportunity to leave before the Crusaders besieged the city. However, they refused and fought with the Cathars. In a sortie outside the walls, their combined force was defeated, and pursued back into town. In the bloody massacre which followed, no one was spared, not even those who took refuge in the churches. The commander of the crusade was the Papal Legate Arnaud-Amaury (or Arnald Amalaricus, Abbot of Citeaux). Arnaud Amalric, or Arnau Amalric, (died 1225 was a Cistercian Monk. Arnaud Amalric, or Arnau Amalric, (died 1225 was a Cistercian Monk. Cîteaux Abbey (French Abbaye de Cîteaux) is a Roman Catholic Abbey located in Saint-Nicolas-lès-Cîteaux, south of Dijon, When asked by a Crusader how to tell Catholics from Cathars once they had taken the city, the abbot supposedly replied, "Kill them all, God will know His own" - "Neca eos omnes. Deus suos agnoscet". (This phrase can only be found in one unreliable source, Caesarius of Heisterbach along with a story of some Cathars who desecrated a copy of the Old Testament and threw it from the town's walls. Caesar of Heisterbach, also known as Caesarius of Heisterbach ca )

The invaders fired the cathedral of Saint Nazaire, which collapsed on those who had taken refuge inside. The town was pillaged and burnt. None were left alive. (A plaque opposite the cathedral records the 'Day of Butchery' perpetrated by the 'northern barons'. ) A few parts of the Romanesque cathedral St-Nazaire survived, and repairs started in 1215. Regional characteristics of Romanesque architecture|Romanesque art Romanesque architecture is the term that is used to describe the architecture of Middle Ages Europe which The restoration, along with that of the rest of the city, continued until the 15th century.

In the repression following Louis Napoléon's coup d'état in 1851, troops fired on and killed Republican protestors in Béziers. Napoléon III, also known as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (full name Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte) (20 April 1808 9 January 1873 was the first President Others were condemned to death or transported to Guyana, including a former mayor who died at sea attempting to escape from there. In the Place de la Révolution a plaque and a monument by Jean Antoine Injalbert commemorates these events. Jean Antoine Injalbert (1845-1933 was a much-decorated French sculptor born at Béziers. (Injalbert also designed the Fontaine du Titan in Béziers' Plâteau des Poètes park and the Molière monument in nearby Pézenas. Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known by his Stage name, Molière, ( January 15, 1622 – February 17 1673) was a French Pézenas is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. )

Ecclesiastical history

Main article: Ancient Diocese of Béziers

Local traditions had St. Aphrodisius arrive at Béziers mounted on a camel. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Béziers was situated in France. Hence the custom of leading a mechanical camel in the procession at Béziers on the feast of the saint. The camel was burned during the Wars of Religion and again during the French Revolution. The French Wars of Religion (1562 to 1598 between French Catholics and Protestants ( Huguenots involved both civil infighting The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The custom was revived in 1803 only to be discontinued during the Revolution of 1830, when it was considered a symbol of feudalism and religious fanaticism. The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution, saw the overthrow of King Charles X, the French Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval Europe Political system composed Fanaticism is an Emotion of being filled with excessive uncritical Zeal, particularly for an extreme religious or political cause or in Today, it continues to run through the city's streets during local holidays. The current head dates from the eighteenth century. In the 1970s, it was proposed that the camel be remade to give it a real camel's appearance. However, the townspeople protested and the camel retained its traditional appearance. [4]

The first historically known bishop is Paulinus mentioned in 418; St. Guiraud was Bishop of Béziers from 1121 to 1123. For the 19th century French composer see Ernest Guiraud Saint Guiraud (1070—1123 was a Bishop of Béziers of the twelfth century He is said

Economy

Today Béziers is a principal center of the Languedoc viticulture and winemaking industries. Viticulture (from the Latin word for Vine) is the Science, production and study of Grapes which deals with the series of

Transport

The A9 autoroute passes through Béziers. The A9 autoroute (La Languedocienne / La Catalane) is a Highway in southern France. The final link in the A75 autoroute from Pezenas will be complete by spring 2010 and provide direct links with Clermont-Ferrand and Paris. Pézenas is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. Clermont-Ferrand ( Auvergnat dialect of Occitan: Clarmont-Ferrand / Clarmont d'Auvèrnhe) is a city and commune of France Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city

Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport (previously Béziers-Agde-Vias Airport), owned by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, currently provides daily direct flights to Paris Orly and seasonal services to Bastia. Béziers Cap d'Agde Airport in Languedoc or Aéroport Béziers Cap d'Agde en Languedoc, previously known as Béziers-Agde-Vias Airport, is the main airport Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city Orly is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 12 Bastia ( French & Corsican: Bastia) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island Following an extension to the runway which was completed in March 2007, Ryanair operates flights to and from Bristol Airport, which commenced March 2008. Ryanair (,) is an Irish Airline with headquarters in Dublin and its biggest operational base at London Stansted Airport in the UK Bristol Airport may refer to Bristol International Airport, serving Bristol England United Kingdom (IATA BRS ICAO EGGD On 24 March 2008, it was announced that during the summer months Ryanair flights would also operate to and from London Stansted with a possibility of being extended should they prove successful[5]. London Stansted Airport is a passenger Airport located in the Uttlesford District of the English County of Essex about 38 miles (61 Further flights from Béziers to London Luton Airport were annouced in June 2008 and these wil be commencing twice a week from October 2008. London Luton Airport (previously called Luton International Airport) is an International airport located on the edge of the Town of Luton

Miscellaneous

Births

Béziers was the birthplace of:

Cultural references

Twin towns

See also

References

  1. ^ The Green Guide Languedoc Roussillon Tarn Gorges - Michelin Travel Publications 2007
  2. ^ Beziers Tourist Site
  3. ^ Beyond.fr Tourist Site
  4. ^ Lou Camel
  5. ^ Midi Libre, 24 March 2008

External links

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