The best road cycling routes around Saint-Martin-De-L'Arçon

if the lilly passeur ferry is not there on the Orb, you have to go back to Sérignan and take this bridge

The former Saint-Pons Cathedral It is difficult to understand Saint-Pons-de-Thomières without stopping here. The building is the former abbey church of a Benedictine monastery founded in 936, around which the town developed. In 1318, the abbey became the seat of a new bishopric: the church then took on the status of a cathedral, which it retained until the Revolution. The Romanesque building, most of which dates back to the second half of the 12th century, still bears the traces of this turbulent history. Fortified in the Middle Ages, the cathedral was heavily damaged in 1567 during the Wars of Religion. Then, in the 18th century, its appearance was profoundly transformed: in 1716, the orientation of the choir was reversed and a new classical facade was built to the east. The medieval remains are particularly remarkable: the two crenellated towers on the north facade recall the defensive character of the building, while the former west facade preserves precious Romanesque reliefs depicting, in particular, the Last Supper, the Washing of the Feet, the Ascension and the Crucifixion. Inside, there are also marble decorations, choir stalls and an organ dating from 1772.

In the heart of the village stands the church of the Invention of Saint Stephen (l’église de l’Invention-de-Saint-Étienne), named in reference to the discovery of the relics of Saint Stephen, the first martyr of Christianity. The current building mainly dates from the 18th century, but its bell tower base is older. Its bell, cast in 1719, bears witness to this long history. Around the church, ancient tombs covered with flagstones also remain, a characteristic element of the funerary heritage of the Hautes Terres de l’Hérault. The village itself was formerly called "Mas de l’Église" and depended on the neighboring parish of Prémian. It was only after the Revolution that Saint-Étienne-d’Albagnan became an independent commune.

The landscape opens onto the hamlet of Ceps, nestled on the banks of the Orb river. This village boasts a Romanesque church from the 12th century, a testament to ancient human presence in this enclosed area. Behind it, the wooded reliefs of the Haut-Languedoc form a natural backdrop that seems to protect the village.

In the heart of Colombières-sur-Orb, the Saint-Pierre church has watched over the village for several centuries. Its origins date back to the Middle Ages, and some elements of the building, such as the western wall and part of the southern wall, still bear witness to this ancient history. Its Romanesque bell tower, topped with an elegant stone pyramidal roof, is one of the markers of the local landscape. Enlarged in the 19th century with the addition of chapels and a sacristy, it tells the story of the evolution of a mountain village nestled in the heart of the Orb valley. The very name Colombières is said to be linked to the tradition of Saint Colombe, a young Christian martyr whose cult is thought to have shaped the village's identity over the centuries.

In the heart of the old village, the Saint-Jean-l'Évangéliste church bears witness to the history of Le Poujol-sur-Orb. For several centuries, the inhabitants depended on the old priory of Saint-Pierre-de-Rhèdes, located on the other side of the valley, in present-day Lamalou-les-Bains. In 1646, by decision of the bishop, a new church was built in Le Poujol to bring the place of worship closer to the inhabitants. Remodeled over the centuries, it notably retains beautiful 19th-century frescoes depicting saints and prophets.

The Saint-Martial church is unlike any other in Haut-Languedoc. Built in 1858-1859 to replace the village's old church, which had become too cramped, it occupies the north wing of the former castle of the viscounts of Narbonne, built in the 15th century. Even more surprisingly, this castle housed a black glass workshop until 1848, before being transformed into a place of worship. The bell tower, added in 1877, completes this original ensemble where religious heritage, seigneurial architecture, and industrial history blend. Observing the buildings surrounding the church, several elements of the original castle can still be distinguished. A few steps away is the old Saint-Martial church, now private property. Built on probably Romanesque foundations, it preserves parts dating back to the 15th century. Having become too dilapidated and too small to accommodate a growing population, it was replaced in 1859 by the new Saint-Martial church. Deconsecrated and then sold by the municipality in 1867, it remains a discreet but precious witness to the religious history of Hérépian.

Mentioned as early as the 12th century, the church of Saint-Alexandre has had a turbulent history. It was first destroyed in 1364 by English troops during the Hundred Years' War, then in 1563 during the Wars of Religion, when Bédarieux fell into the hands of the Protestants. A third destruction occurred in 1622, during the campaigns led by Louis XIII to retake the Protestant strongholds of Languedoc. Rebuilt in the 17th century, it features a surprising architectural detail: its choir is slightly off-center, a layout that would symbolize the head of Christ inclined on the Cross.