Montpellier
In the Middle Ages, Montpellier was an important city of the Crown of Aragon (and was the birthplace of James I), and then of Majorca, before its sale to France in 1349.Above the medieval city, the ancient citadel of Montpellier is a stronghold built in the seventeenth century by Louis XIII of France.[8] Its living environment, with one of Europe's largest pedestrian areas,[9] along with its rich cultural life and Mediterranean climate, explains the enthusiasm for the city, which is nicknamed the "Gifted".[11] Montpellier, first mentioned in a document of 985, was founded under a local feudal dynasty, the Guilhem, who combined two hamlets and built a castle and walls around the united settlement.In the 14th century, Pope Urban VIII gave Montpellier a new monastery dedicated to Saint Peter, noteworthy for the very unusual porch of its chapel, supported by two high, somewhat rocket-like towers.With its importance steadily increasing, the city finally gained a bishop, who moved from Maguelone in 1536, and the huge monastery chapel became a cathedral.[citation needed] Louis XIV made Montpellier capital of Bas Languedoc, and the town started to embellish itself, by building the Promenade du Peyrou, the Esplanade and a large number of houses in the historic centre.The coastal city also benefited in the past 40 years from major construction programs such as Antigone, Port Marianne and Odysseum districts.[4] In a study made by INSEE from 2007 to 2012 Montpellier saw the strongest population growth of France's main communes (+1.1%), ahead of Paris and Lyon.The University of Montpellier is one of the oldest in the world, founded in 1160, and having been granted a charter in 1220 by Cardinal Conrad von Urach and confirmed by Pope Nicholas IV in a papal bull of 1289.The school of law was founded by Placentinus, a doctor from Bologna University, who came to Montpellier in 1160, taught there during two different periods, and died there in 1192.The statutes given in 1220 by Cardinal Conrad, legate of Honorius III, which were completed in 1240 by Pierre de Conques, placed this school under the direction of the Bishop of Maguelonne.Pope Nicholas IV issued a Bull in 1289, combining all the schools into a university, which was placed under the direction of the bishop, but which in fact enjoyed a large measure of autonomy.Theology was at first taught in the convents, in which St. Anthony of Padua, Raymond Lullus, and the Dominican Bernard de la Treille lectured.In the 16th century the faculty of theology disappeared for a time, when Calvinism, in the reign of Henry II of France, held complete possession of the city.It resumed its functions after Louis XIII had reestablished the royal power at Montpellier in 1622; but the rivalries of Dominicans and Jesuits interfered seriously with the prosperity of the faculty, which disappeared at the Revolution.Since 2018, there is also a station on the high-speed railway linking Nîmes and Montpellier with the LGV Méditerranée, called Montpellier-Sud de France.The city is home to the Open Sud de France tennis tournament since 2010, and will host the XXXI World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship.James Madison, the United States fourth president, named his plantation Montpelier (Orange, Virginia), after the resort-like properties associated with the city at the time.
MontpelierOccitanPrefecturecommunePlace de la ComédieHôtel de VilleCathedral of Saint PeterFranceRegionOccitaniaDepartmentHéraultArrondissementMontpellierCantonMontpellier-1Montpellier – Castelnau-le-LezMontpellier Méditerranée MétropoleMichaël Delafosse7th in FranceDemonym(s)Time zoneMediterranean Seametropolitan areaCrown of AragonJames IMajorcaUniversity of Montpellieroldest universities in the worldPetrarchNostradamusFrançois Rabelaiscitadel of MontpellierLouis XIII of Francedemographic growthsMediterranean climateGlobalization and World Cities Research NetworkMediterraneanMarseillethe seventh-largest city of FranceEarly Middle AgespiratesCharles MartelfeudalLords of MontpellierWilliam I of MontpellierMuslimsCatharsWilliam VIII of MontpellierConrad of UrachPope Honorius IIIKings of AragonPeter II of AragonMarie of MontpellierBlack DeathJames III of MajorcaPhilip VIPeter IV of Aragonprovince of LanguedocPope Urban VIIISaint PeterMagueloneJacques CœurReformationHuguenotsEdict of NantesLouis XIIIbesieging the cityEdict of AlèsLouis XIVFrench RevolutionphylloxeraAlgeria's independence from FranceAntigoneToulouseKöppenprecipitationrelative humiditysunshine hoursMétéo FranceCévennesblazonedBasilica of Notre-Dame des TablesinescutcheonPorte du PeyrouSaint Pierre CathedralMusée Fabrehôtels particuliersescutcheonmikvesJardin des plantes de Montpellierbotanical gardenLa Serre Amazoniennetriumphal archAntigone DistrictRicardo BofillCatalonianumber of châteauxChâteau de FlaugerguesChâteau de la MogèreChâteau d'OfolliesConrad von UrachPope Nicholas IVpapal bullGallo-RomanPlacentinusBologna UniversityHonorius IIIBishop of MaguelonneSt. Anthony of PaduaRaymond LullusBernard de la TreilleMartin VCalvinismHenry II of FranceDominicansJesuitsGuillaume de NogaretPhilip the FairGuillaume de GrimoardPedro de LunaantipopeHenry IV of FranceIsaac CasaubonRabelais