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 Languedoc -Montpellier: suite of visit

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The 17th century HOTEL DE SOLAS has gyps figures carved in the portal. The PREFECTURE, government of the department, is located in a 148th century building. Remains of the Jewish old Montpellier are thinly laid all over. Recently a “MIKVE”, Jewish ritual bath, was discovered. You can only visit it with a guided tour (see tourist office). At the place de la Canourque we have anointer series of small palaces: HOTTEL DE RICHER, HOTEL DE BELLEVAL, HOTEL CAMBACERES-MURLES and HOTEL DU SARRET.
The 14th century church SAINT-PIERRE became a cathedral when the bishop’s seat was transferred from Maguelone to Montpellier. The church is the only building not destroyed during the religion wars.
Next to the church is the FACULTE DES MEDECINES, situated in a 14th century cloister very much restored in the 18th. It was one of the three faculties named in the “bullet du Pape “ when he gave independence to Montpellier university in 1289. The atmosphere in Montpellier, in contrary of the one in Paris or Toulouse, was opener and more free. It was one of the most important universities in the middle ages and is still the most important in South France.
In the faculty building the MUSEE ATGER is also houses with one of the most important collections of paintings by Italian and Flemish masters.  The MUSEE ANATOMIQUE shows people in different phases of conservation (prepared or mummies) and a collection of sea shells.
At the other side of the boulevard Henri IV lays the JARDIN DES PLANTES, with the intention to grow healing plants for the medical faculty. Henri IV built it in 1593. It’s the oldest botanical garden of France.
Montpellier has only a few parks, but large enough to make an agreeable stroll. The best one would be the PROMENADE DU PEYROU, first built as framing for an equestrian statue of Louis XIV and its arc de triomphe. It is said that the sculptor wanted to commit suicide because he forgot to sculpt the stirrups. The statue you sea now dates 1838 and replaces the original which was destroyed during the Revolution. The ARC DE TRIOMPHE reminds the glorious facts of the SUN KINGS career. Like the laying of the Canal du Midi, the abrogation of the edit de Nantes and the subduing of the Netherlands (1672), at that time its greatest enemy. The CHATEAU D’EAU (1773) was the distribution key of water that was brought by an 880 meters long Aqueduct Saint-Clement.
The water flew also from here to the fontaine des Trois Graces at the place de la Comédie.