Montpellier. A Little History

Hôtel Baschy-du-Cayla doorway. Montpellier (1636)
From Wikipedia: By Auregann — Personal work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18958727

Montpellier, our adopted city; is old. It has been around for almost 1000 years. The original buildings have mostly been replaced (I've heard that Montpellier is a city of 16th-century buildings over 13th-century cellars). The streets were laid out in the Middle Ages and haven't changed: narrow, curving, with the building walls high and often featureless. The walls, though, are interrupted by large doorways often decorated with intricate stone carvings.

What's behind those doors? We don't normally think of that, as we hurry by on our way to someplace else. But we recently took a tour of the city that got us behind some of those doors. It's a whole different world in there!

What's behind the doors? View from the courtyard of the Hôtel Beschy-du-Cayla, looking up at the interior façade.

This tour focused on the  hôtels particuliers of Montpellier. (For a long time we thought that hôtel meant  a group of private bedrooms rented out by the night for travelers and guests. In this sense, though, it means a private home. More specifically, a hôtel particulier is a large house built by a rich family to show off their wealth.)

Vaulted ceilings--so medieval!
Our group tours the Hôtel Baschy-du-Cayla

During the Middle Ages—specifically, the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries—Montpellier was a bustling international center. The major economic drivers were the wool guild, providing cloth for clothes; the spice guild (which in this case included paper and dyes); and money changers. During this time every region had its own currency, so keeping track of coinage, currencies, and exchange rates was an important part of trade. All this economic activity made Montpellier one of the more important cities in the south, and one of the larger cities in France, with a population of around 40,000.

This success lead, of course, to the accumulation of immense wealth by some. These families, eager to show off what they had, built large houses in town. Our guide pointed out that these houses, many of which still exist, are quite plain on the outside. The stone walls are smooth and unadorned. 

The magnificence was reserved for the inside; only guests (other rich people) needed to be impressed! 

View from an interior courtyard. Sometime in the last few centuries the large arched opening was narrowed, to suit more "modern" styles and tastes.

An ancient room with modern furnishings (this building is now used by the city for meetings, and adult education classrooms).

However, the economy ground to a halt in the 14th century. There was, of course, the plague; when half the population dies, economic activity tends to slow down. And by 1380 only some 15,000 people were left in Montpellier.

Then there were wars; principally the 100 Years War between France and England, which lasted until the middle of the 15th century. War, of course, totally disrupts trade.

Our next stop was the Hôtel d'Autheville.
Photo from Google Street View

Interior courtyard of the Hôtel d'Autheville. Look at those wonderful stained glass windows!

Inside  views of the stained glass. Imagine coming and going past these windows every day!

Our guide, a local woman, was very very knowledgeable. And there is a lot to know, given the age of the city!

The rise of Protestantism lead to the wars of religion, where the Catholic kings of France attempted to suppress new religious ideas. These conflicts lasted until the end of the 16th century, after which Montpellier re-emerged with the growth of a new upper class. This growing merchant class—the bourgeoisie—also wanted to show off their wealth through magnificent homes. But, unlike the nobility of previous centuries, the bourgeoisie was reluctant to spend much money. 

This resulted in a new round of hôtels particuliers, which are highly decorated on the outside, but with interiors—the part most people never saw—relatively bland. (Different century, different styles!)

And our last stop: an unassuming door, hidden behind a cafe umbrella...

..hides this exquisite spiral staircase.

Looking up at the ceiling inside that staircase.

I like this sconce that lights the coquille Saint-Jacques shell, illuminating the inside of staircase.

We were thrilled with this tour because we got to see some of these special interiors. Now when we walk through the city I mentally pause at each of these magnificent carved doorways and think, what's behind there? What splendor is hidden within?

(Intrigued by our tour, I did a bit of research and found this Wikipedia page listing 114 hôtels particulaires in Montpellier—a list that is noted as being non-exhaustive!)

Hôtels particuliers de Montpellier

And then, as luck—er, serendipity—would have it, I was wandering through the city noting the many hôtels when I saw the residents of one putting a flyer on their door announcing one of their twice-yearly concerts...

A house concert! Some good old rock and roll in the courtyard of the 17th century Hôtel de la Vieille Intendance.