Cathédrale de Maguelone — Attraction in Montpellier

I toured the Cathedral with a group of French friends. We had arranged a guide from the association that manages the site and the training facilities for the 'differently abled'.

Our guide was excellent, and we learned about the Visigothic origins of the original Cathedral from the 6th century, the return to the island of the bishop in the 11th c, and the construction of the existing Cathedral. The abandoned Bishop's palace was mostly dismantled, as were the dependencies, the cloister, and the surrounding village, when the canal from Sète to the Rhine was built, the stone serving for lining the canal, the bishopric having been moved to Montpellier in the 15th c.

After the Revolution, the second owner was interested in restoring the Cathedral, replacing the roof, the floor, and the windows. The last member of that family left it to the bishopric of Montpellier, on condition that it serve a social function. Hence its use for training adults with disabilities in vineyard, oyster and mussel cultivation, mechanics, and good prep and service.

An excellent and...

Ancient cathedral steeped in history on the tiny volcanic island of Maguelone, surrounded by beautiful flamingo-dotted lagoons, vineyards and the sea. There are two main entrances, one is by car from Palavas way, the other is via Villeneuve de Maguelone, where you can park in the Parking de Pilou and walk across the footbridge, there are also extensive cycle paths. In the summer season a free little train shuttles people back and forth between the bridge, the cathedral and the beach. Otherwise it's about a 10 minute walk up to the cathedral from the bridge. The cathedral is sat in beautiful gardens with a small picnic area, there are peacocks and you can wander around and admire the views across the lagoons. The restaurant is also a lovely place to have lunch and the gift shop is worth a look for local delicacies and the island's own wine. Well...

The outside is not nice. Inside you can perceive the atmosphere of the history of this cathedral built in the 12th century. To reach it you have two possibilities. From Palavas-les-Flotes the nearest parking has a fixed rate of € 6 per day, a good price for spending all the day at the beach but not just to visit the cathedral and then you have to catch the small tourist train. Same thing and price from Maguelone but it also has a small free car park 600 meters away which is probably full or a larger one 2 km away. in this case you also have to cross a footbridge which closes around 5.30pm. In front of the cathedral there is...