Église Sainte-Eulalie

English translation

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History

The seigniory fell into the royal domain in 1230. It was subsequently awarded to various engagistes. A fief of the house of Navarre in the 15th century, Montblanc passed directly to the royal house of France through Henri IV. This community of the county of Pézénas came under the rule in the 17th century of Henri de Bourbon, prince of Condé, then passed to the princes of Conti until 1774, the date on which Louis XVI acquired the county of Pézénas and granted it to the count of Provence (future Louis XVIII). The church is mentioned in 1153 and 1156. It was united in 1660 to the cathedral chapter of Saint-Nazaire de Béziers. The building was probably constructed in the early 12th century, included within the fortifications of the "castrum". Numerous modifications were made in the 13th and 14th centuries. The bell tower must also date from this latter period. This tall rectangular tower rises over four storeys. The bell chamber is pierced with two twin openings with pointed arches; only one to the west. The bell tower is flanked by a spiral staircase turret half projecting outwards. The top is crenellated and fitted with a projecting gargoyle. At the level of the nave roof, a door provides access to the church roofing and to the defensive systems established around its perimeter: a belt of machicolations on corbels with four quarter-round steps supporting an impost on which round arches rest. The room on the second storey of the bell tower is covered with graffiti from the mid-19th century. In the 16th century, two lateral chapels were added. The sacristy which masks the chevet dates from the 17th century.