Béziers and the Cathars, or The Enduring Myth...

Lecture by Henri Barthés.

Friday, December 12, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. at the IUT in Béziers (Linus Torvald Amphitheater)

On August 17, 1905, the Théâtre des Arènes staged Les hérétiques, a comic opera by Charles Levadé and Ferdinand Hérold. The pompous arias recounted the sacking of Béziers in 1209, according to romantic historians. A dark legend was born, a vengeful mythology, later reinforced by tourist advertising and ideological appropriation.

One hundred and twenty years later, in July and August 2025, a public audiovisual show rehashed the same themes, the same imprecations, and the same hackneyed refrains for the umpteenth time.

Historical knowledge has nevertheless progressed, with researchers' work rendering such primitive repetitions by
unbearable and ridiculous. Henri Barthés, former president of the Archaeological Society (2011-2019), researcher and historian from Béziers, and renowned specialist in medieval texts, will present the facts of July 22, 1209, placed in their context (
), comparing narrative sources (chronicles and accounts) and diplomatic sources (documents, judicial inquiries), as part of a comprehensive work currently being written, Histoire de la Ville et des vicomtes de Béziers du VIIIe au XIIIe siècle (History of the City and Viscounts of Béziers from the 8th to the 13th Century).