Places to Visit
This page shows you some of the fascinating and spectacular cities, villages, and points of interest to visit in the vicinity of St-Bresson.
Anduze
- 49 km / 31 mi from St-Bresson
Anduze has been the site of many civilizations. At Anduze, you can find megalithic tombs and prehistoric menhirs. At the top of the rocky cliff beside which Anduze is built, you can find both Medieval and Roman ruins. In the 12th century, Anduze was the most powerful city in the Languedoc, and one of the strongholds of the Knights Templars.
Anduze is popular today because of its pleasant climate, abundant sunshine, and beautiful River Gardon. Anduze offers a good selection of pottery, antiques, shops of various kinds, and a unique Japanese bamboo garden,La Bambouseraie.
Pont du Gard
- 76 km / 48 mi from St-Bresson
Pont du Gard is a famous Roman aqueduct over the river Gard, made of three tiers of arches of golden stone without mortar.
The bridge is quite impressive. Since the 1920s the natural setting and river have been maintained intact.A must-see, but go early or late if visiting during high season, as the area tends to be full of tour buses in the middle of the day.
Pézenas
- 92 km / 57 mi from St-Bresson
Because of its ornate baroque architecture and superb state of preservation, Pézenas is often called the « Versailles of the South. »
Pézenas is also famous as the city where Molière performed, but its theatrical roots go back even farther. The local totem animal is the Poulain, an enormous wooden structure covered in a canvas robe with two figures, Estienne and Estienou, seated on top, a bit like a large pantomime horse.
The old town of Pézenas was one of the first to be protected as a state historic monument, so it is amazingly undisturbed.
Villeveyrac-Abbaye de Valmagne
- 81 km / 50 mi from St-Bresson
Founded in 1138, Valmagne Abbey is one of the best preserved Cistercian abbeys in France. The impressive Gothic church, reminiscent of the cathedrals of northern France, was built in 1257.
The Abbey, now completely restored, suffered the effects of the Hundred Years War and the religious wars that followed. The church was used as a wine cellar for many years after the French Revolution, and you can still see massive wine barrels on either side of the nave. The cloister, chapter house, and fountain are all original, and the medicinal herb garden has been reconstructed according to the original plans.
Vines of excellent quality were cultivated around Valmagne, and the wine still enjoys an excellent reputation.
St-Guilhem-le-Désert
- 45 km / 28 mi from St-Bresson
The Abbey Church at St-Guilhem-le-Désert is beautiful, and very well preserved, although when it fell into ruin in the last century, part of the Romanesque cloister was sold to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The Abbey houses a reliquary cross, which is reputed to contain pieces of the True Cross. Little replicas made of biscuit are available in the Abbey Church, where they are said to give good protection against lightning.
The jewelled reliquary cross is carried in procession through the village once a year on St Guilhem’s feast day, 3 May. Above the village, on the side of the cliff, you can see the ruins of a castle, once the abode of a Saracen giant. This evil chappy, called Don Juan, was defeated by Guilhem in single combat.
St-Guilhem-le-Désert is a perfect little village with beautiful houses in yellow stone and a shady square with a gushing fountain and a magnificent plain tree spreading its branches out in an offering of respite from the hot summer sun.
There are galleries, an excellent pottery, and plenty of shops and places to eat. A must-see.
Montagnac
- 94 km / 59 mi from St-Bresson
Montagnac is a fortified town from before the 12th century. Recent preservation efforts have saved many beautiful buildings from the 17th century and earlier.
You can find many fine courtyards, Renaissance stairs, balustrades, mullioned windows, and gargoyles. The medieval (10th-century) spire of the fortified church of St-Andre rises to a height of more than 54 m.
The people of Montagnac breed goats and produce wine. In fact, the town contains the largest cooperative wine cellar in Europe.
St-Thibéry
- 101 km / 63 mi from St-Bresson
St. Thibéry boasts 4,000 years of known history. In Roman times, this settlement at the junction of the rivers Hérault and Thongue was called Cessero, and no less than 39 Roman villas are said to have been built within the immediate area. The ancient town of Cessero today gives its name to the local wine.
The present abbey and church date from the 14th Century and many of the houses in the village date back to the 14th, 15th and 17th centuries. Just outside the village, look for the medieval bridge crossing the Hérault river beside an XIth century mill. Time seems to have stood still for centuries in this peaceful spot.
A Roman day takes place in August with Gladiators, Son et Lumière and a banquet in the market square for over 300 people.
Marseillan
- 108 km / 67 mi from St-Bresson
Marseillan is an attractive market town with a harbor, founded in the 6th century BC by fishermen from Massalia. South of the town is the popular modern sea resort of Marseillan Plage, with miles of sandy beaches stretching along the Mediterranean coastline towards Sète on one side and Cap d’Agde on the other.
Nearby the Noilly Prat cellars, which has produced its famous vermouth since 1813, are open to the public for guided tours from March to December.
You can take boat tours of the lagoon and oyster beds during the summer, or visit the stunning wildlife preserve Etang de Thau.
