Église Sainte-Madeleine de Béziers

Béziers

Mentioned from 1092, this Romanesque church was the scene of the very first great massacre of the Albigensian Crusade: on 22 July 1209, the feast day of Saint Mary Magdalene, the troops of Simon de Montfort sacked Béziers and exterminated part of the population — men, women and children — who had taken refuge in this church believing they would find sanctuary there. It was on this occasion that the papal legate is said to have uttered the words that remain grimly famous: "Kill them all, God will know his own." Restored to its original Romanesque sobriety in 1999, the building still bears some scars of the fire the crusaders started that day.

Getting there : Free admission

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound