Pézenas
Encyclopedia
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
département in Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...
, southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. At the 1999 census, its population was 7443.
Name
"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.Origins
The origins of Pézenas are unclear, but were influenced by three factors: water from the River Peyne, an ancient pre-Roman route from RodezRodez
Rodez is a town and commune in southern France, in the Aveyron department, of which it is the capital. Its inhabitants are called Ruthénois.-History:Existing from at least the 5th century BC, Rodez was founded by the Celts...
to Saint-Thibéry
Saint-Thibéry
Saint-Thibéry is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.-See also:* Roman Bridge* Via Domitia* Communes of the Hérault department-References:*...
and a defensive hill site.
Monuments
The French Ministry of Culture lists 115 historical edifices in Pézenas. The main sights include:- The old town centre with narrow streets and Hôtel Privet (rather grand Town Houses from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, when Pézenas was the seat of the Governors of Languedoc).
- The Collégiale Saint-Jean church (18th century), designed by Jean-Baptiste Franque, contains an organ by LépineLépineLépine is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Lépine is situated 6 miles south of Montreuil-sur-Mer, just off the N1 on the D140 road.-Population:-Places of interest:...
. - Church of Saint-Jean-de-Bébian, romanesque, classed as a Monument historiqueMonument historiqueA monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
(Historic monument). - The church of Sainte-Ursule, built in 1686 by the master mason Antoine Carrier, became the parish church after the ConcordatConcordatA concordat is an agreement between the Holy See of the Catholic Church and a sovereign state on religious matters. Legally, they are international treaties. They often includes both recognition and privileges for the Catholic Church in a particular country...
. - Molière Monument (1897) by Jean-Antoine Injalbert.
- L'illustre Théâtre, theatre in converted warehouse, open 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 WarWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. - Door museum
Transportation
- Road: Route nationale 9Route nationale 9The Route nationale 9, or RN 9, is a trunk road in France between Moulins and the frontier with Spain.-Reclassification:Much of the route of the RN 9 has now been/or in the process of being upgraded or replaced by the A75 autoroute in particular the section south of Clermont Ferrand to Béziers...
, which used to pass through the town centre, has been replaced by a bypass which now forms the final few miles of the A75 autorouteA75 autorouteThe A75 is an autoroute in France.Known also as la Méridienne, it is a developmental project with the aim of speeding up and reducing the cost of car travel from Paris southwards, and apart from the Millau Viaduct, it is entirely free for the between Clermont-Ferrand and Béziers...
from Clermont-FerrandClermont-FerrandClermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
, soon to be extended the last few miles to join the A9 at BéziersBéziersBéziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
.
- Rail: The nearest main line station is AgdeAgdeAgde is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. It is the Mediterranean port of the Canal du Midi.-Location:Agde is located on the river Hérault, 4 km from the Mediterranean Sea, and 750 km from Paris...
. Two single track lines used to serve Pézenas. The track from BéziersBéziersBéziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
has been removed, though the station (Gare du Nord) still exists as a cultural centre. Although notionally still in occasional use for by freight trains from a quarry further north, in reality the line from ViasVias, HéraultVias is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon southern France.It is a popular holiday destination with many camp and caravan sites...
, near Agde, is closed. A visit to the line during August 2011 revealed that a section at St Thibéry, some five miles to the south of Pézenas, is now in use as a 'Pedalorail' leisure facility. However, the track remains in place throughout and the Gare du Midi is extant and in use as a medical centre.
- Air: The nearest international airport is Béziers Cap d'Agde AirportBéziers Cap d'Agde AirportBéziers Cap d'Agde Airport is an airport serving the town of Béziers and the nearby Languedoc coastal resorts such as Cap d'Agde. The airport is located 11.5 km east-southeast of Béziers, near Vias in the Hérault department. It was previously known as Béziers-Vias Airport.The airport...
. Daily flights to ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
ceased in early 2009 but, since 2008, international services to the UK and Denmark have been established. MontpellierMontpellier-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
, NîmesNîmesNîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
, PerpignanPerpignan-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
and CarcassonneCarcassonneCarcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
are all within easy reach. A small grass airstrip is nearby at NizasNizas, HéraultNizas is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. It lies near the Pézenas. The inhabitants of the village of Nizas are called Nizaçois.-History:...
.
Famous people
Pézenas was the birthplace of:- Hippolyte AnnexHippolyte AnnexHippolyte Annex is a former French professional boxer. He was four time French champion, holding the French welterweight title from 1960 to 1961 and the middleweight title from 1961 to 1963...
(b. 14 February 1933), French middlewight boxing champion - Jean BèneJean BèneJean Bène was a lifelong politician in France and a leader in the French Resistance.Bène was born in Pézenas, Hérault. Initially a lawyer, he turned to politics. He was member of the Parti Socialiste in the SFIO. Bène was conseiller municipal of Pézenas in 1929, then mayor in 1931...
(1901–1922), politician and Resistance leader - Paul Vidal de la BlachePaul Vidal de la BlachePaul Vidal de la Blache was a French geographer. He is considered to be the founder of the modern French geography and also the founder of the French School of Geopolitics...
(1845–1918), geographer, regarded as the father of modern French geography - Eric DubusEric DubusEric Dubus is a former French middle distance runner, who became European Indoor Champion over 3.000m in 1990, and was the silver medalist over 3.000m at the 1993 IAAF World Indoor Championships. Dubus finished fourth over 1.500m at the 1994 European Championships in Athletics in...
(1966- ), former middle distance runner - Boby LapointeBoby LapointeRobert Lapointe was a French singer, noted for his humorous texts, alliterations and plays on words.He was born in Pézenas, in the Hérault département of France...
(1922–1972): writer, singer, comedian - Emile Mazuc (b. 24 July 1832), author of Languedoc dialect grammar - Grammaire Languedocienne:Dialecte de Pézénas (1899, reprinted 1970 by Slatkine Reprints, Geneva)
- Louis PaulhanLouis PaulhanIsidore Auguste Marie Louis Paulhan, known as Louis Paulhan, was a pioneering French aviator who in 1910 flew "Le Canard", the world's first seaplane, designed by Henri Fabre....
(1883–1963): pioneering French pilot - Bernie RipollBernie RipollBernard Fernand Ripoll is an Australianpolitician. He has been a Labor member of theAustralian House of Representatives since October 1998, representing the Division of Oxley, Queensland...
MHR (b. 6 January 1966), Australian politician, Member for Oxley, Queensland
People linked with Pézenas
- MolièreMolièreJean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
(Jean-Baptiste Poquelin) (1622–1673), playwright, stayed in Pézenas with his theatre group l'Illustre Théâtre. - Gabriel François Venel (1723–1775) chemist, author of l'Encyclopédie méthodique de chimie (1796), inventor of seltzerSeltzerSeltzer may refer to:* Seltzer water , carbonated water** Seltzer bottle* Seltzer, Pennsylvania, census-designated place in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United StatesPeople...
water, lived and worked in the town and has a street named after him. (See French wikipedia article) - Edmond Charlot (1915–2004), editor in Free French AlgiersAlgiers' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
during the 1940s, and discoverer of Albert CamusAlbert CamusAlbert Camus was a French author, journalist, and key philosopher of the 20th century. In 1949, Camus founded the Group for International Liaisons within the Revolutionary Union Movement, which was opposed to some tendencies of the Surrealist movement of André Breton.Camus was awarded the 1957...
, lived in Pézenas from 1980. - Lord Clive (1725–1774) stayed in the town in 1768, supposedly giving it the recipe for the petit pâté de Pézenas
- Alexandra RosenfeldAlexandra RosenfeldAlexandra Rosenfeld was elected Miss France in 2006. Representing the region of Languedoc, she succeeded Cindy Fabre as the 52nd Miss France on 3 December 2005....
Miss FranceMiss FranceMiss France is the trademark of an annual beauty pageant. Rights to the trademark were obtained in 2002 by the Dutch television production company Endemol through its subsidiary Miss France SAS, whose director general is Sylvie Tellier, Miss France 2002. Endemol also holds the rights in France to...
2006 and Miss EuropeMiss EuropeMiss Europe is a popular regional beauty pageant among female contestants from the nations of the European continent established in 1928 and re-established at the end of World War II by Roger Zeiler of the French Committee of Elegance and Claude Berr...
2006, (born in BéziersBéziersBéziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
and living in Saint-Thibéry, is studying tourism in Pézenas) - Jean-Baptiste PillementJean-Baptiste PillementJean-Baptiste Pillement was a painter and designer, known for his exquisite and delicate landscapes, but whose importance lies primarily in the engravings done after his drawings, and their influence in spreading the Rococo style and particularly the taste for chinoiserie throughout...
, a RococoRococoRococo , also referred to as "Late Baroque", is an 18th-century style which developed as Baroque artists gave up their symmetry and became increasingly ornate, florid, and playful...
painter, famous for his chinoiserieChinoiserieChinoiserie, a French term, signifying "Chinese-esque", and pronounced ) refers to a recurring theme in European artistic styles since the seventeenth century, which reflect Chinese artistic influences...
and landscapes.
Local specialities
- Le petit pâté de Pézenas: a small sweet/savoury pie supposedly made to a recipe from Clive of India. (see below)
- Le berlingot de Pézenas: boiled sugar sweets
Le petit pâté de Pézenas
The size and shape of a large cotton reel, these little pies are a golden brown, crispy pastry with a moist, sweet inside. They can be eaten as an hors d'oeuvre, with a salad or as a dessert. They are cooked in patisseries all over the town, but their origin is far from local. Tradition has it that Lord Clive brought the recipe from India and taught it to the pastry makers of Pézenas when he was staying at the Chateau de Larzac in 1768. It is more likely is that his servants were responsible.Le Poulain de Pézenas
Like several of the surrounding towns and villages, Pézenas has a "totem animal"; in this case a huge hobby horseHobby horse
The term hobby horse is used, principally by folklorists, to refer to the costumed characters that feature in some traditional seasonal customs, processions and similar observances around the world. They are particularly associated with May Day celebrations, Mummers Plays and the Morris dance in...
called Le Poulain (lo poulain or lo polin in Occitan), which means "the colt". It is said to commemorate a visit to the town in 1226 by Louis VIII
Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
, during which the king's favourite mare fell ill. She had to be left behind in Pézenas while Louis continued with the Albigensian Crusade
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
. On his return he was astonished to find that not only was his mare now fully recovered, but she had also given birth to a fine colt, which was duly presented to him, adorned with ribbons. In return he decreed that the town should construct a wooden colt to be used to celebrate all its public festivities. The first mention of the custom is in 1615. The earliest publication of the legend accounting for the horse's existence dates from 1701.
The Poulain appears for Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
and other festive occasions. It is carried by nine men and led by another, accompanied by a band of musicians. The Poulain has a realistically carved wooden head, with snapping jaws and an extending neck that can reach up to first-floor windows; l'obole (small amounts of money) or other offerings put into its mouth tumble down inside its neck. Its semi-cylindrical body is covered with a dark blue cloth decorated with stars and the coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of Pézenas. Below the frame it has a tricolor
Tricolor
Tricolor or tricolor may refer to something with three colors :* Tricolour flag, any flag or banner having three colours, particularly in bands of approximately equal width** Tricolour, the flag of France, commonly called the Tricolour in English...
skirt.
The Poulain carries two effigies on its back, one male, one female, called Estieinou and Estieinette or Estieineta (sometimes spelled Estiénon and Estiéneta in the French manner), recalling another royal occasion when Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
visited the town in 1622. A follower of the King, the Maréchal de Bassompierre
François de Bassompierre
François de Bassompierre was a French courtier.The son of Christophe de Bassompierre , he was born at the castle of Haroué in Lorraine...
, was crossing the river Peyne on horseback. He saw a peasant-woman attempting the crossing on foot and gallantly offered her a seat on his horse. The unlikely couple's arrival in the town caused great amusement and the two effigies were made to remember the event.