Béziers and the Cathars, or The Endless Myth…

Lecture by Henri Barthés.

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

On August 17, 1905, the Théâtre des Arènes staged *Les hérétiques*, a comic opera by Charles Levadé and Ferdinand Hérold. The bombastic arias recounted the sacking of Béziers in 1209, as told by Romantic historians. A dark legend was born—a vengeful mythology—which was later exploited for tourism and ideological purposes.

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

Historical knowledge has, however, advanced, and the work of researchers has made such elementary repetitions un
, unbearable, and ridiculous. Henri Barthés, former president of the Archaeological Society (2011–2019), a researcher and historian from Béziers, and a recognized specialist in medieval texts, will present the facts of July 22, 1209, placed in
their context, linking narrative sources (chronicles and accounts) with diplomatic sources (documents, judicial inquiries), as part of a comprehensive work currently being written, *History of the City and the Viscounts of Béziers from the 8th to the 13th Century*.