Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. One of the largest urban centres in the region of

Occitania Occitania is the historical region in Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasses much of the southern third of France (except ...

, Montpellier is the prefecture of the department of

Hérault Hérault (; , ) is a departments of France, department of the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault (river), Hérault River, its Prefectures in France, prefecture is M ...

. At the 2020 census, 299,096 people lived in the city proper, while its

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

had a population of 813,272. The inhabitants are called ''Montpelliérains''. In the Middle Ages, Montpellier was an important city of the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon (, ) ;, ; ; . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of Barcelona (later Principality of Catalonia) and ended as a consequence of the War of the Sp ...

(and was the birthplace of

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

), and then of

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

, before its sale to France in 1349. Established in 1220, the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier () is a public university, public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous opera ...

is one of the oldest universities in the world and has the oldest medical school still in operation, with notable alumni such as

Petrarch Francis Petrarch (; 20 July 1304 – 19 July 1374; ; modern ), born Francesco di Petracco, was a scholar from Arezzo and poet of the early Italian Renaissance, as well as one of the earliest Renaissance humanism, humanists. Petrarch's redis ...

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinisation of names, Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French Astrology, astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed Oracle, seer, who is best known for his book ''Les Prophéti ...

and

François Rabelais François Rabelais ( , ; ; born between 1483 and 1494; died 1553) was a French writer who has been called the first great French prose author. A Renaissance humanism, humanist of the French Renaissance and Greek scholars in the Renaissance, Gr ...

. Above the medieval city, the ancient

citadel of Montpellier The Citadel of Montpellier is an Early Modern fortification in the city of Montpellier, in the Hérault département of southern France. It was built between 1624 and 1627, after several rebellions under the orders of Louis XIII in order to ...

is a stronghold built in the seventeenth century by

Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

. Since the 1990s, Montpellier has experienced one of the strongest economic and demographic growths in the country. Its urban area has experienced the highest population growth in France since the year 2000. Numbering 70,000, students comprise nearly one-fourth of its population, one of the highest such proportions in Europe. Its living environment, with one of Europe's largest pedestrian areas, along with its rich cultural life and

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

, explains the enthusiasm for the city, which is nicknamed the "Gifted". Montpellier was nominated for "Best Emerging Culture City of the Year 2017" by the think tank LCD. It is ranked as a Sufficiency city by the

Globalization and World Cities Research Network The Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) is a British think tank that studies the relationships between world cities in the context of globalization. It is based in the geography department of Loughborough University in Leic ...

Status

Montpellier is the third-largest French city near the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

coast, behind

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

and

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionthe seventh-largest city of France, and has also been the fastest-growing city in the country for 25 years.

History

Medieval period

In the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...

, the nearby episcopal town of Maguelone was the major settlement in the area but raids by

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...

encouraged settlement a little farther inland. In 737

Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...

destroyed Maguelone. Montpellier, first mentioned in a document of 985, was founded under a local

feudal Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in Middle Ages, medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of struc ...

dynasty, the Guilhem, who combined two hamlets and built a castle and walls around the united settlement. The name is from medieval Latin ''mons pisleri'', "Woad Mountain" referring to the

woad ''Isatis tinctoria'', also called woad (), dyer's woad, dyer's-weed, or glastum, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae (the mustard family) with a documented history of use as a blue dye and medicinal plant. Its genus name, ''Isati ...

(Latin ''pastellus'', ''pestellus'') used for dyeing locally. There is no real "mountain" in the area, with the ''mons'' referring to a pile of stones. In 986 the

Lords of Montpellier The Lordship of Montpellier was a feudal jurisdiction in Languedoc with its centre in the city of Montpellier, that existed between 986 and 1344. Formation Ricuin II, the bishop of Mauguio gave these lands in fief to a knight named Guiu I. He w ...

begin with William I of Montpellier. In the 10th century the town consisted of two portions, Montpellier and Montpelliéret. In 1160 the law school was active. The two surviving towers of the city walls, the ''Tour des Pins'' and the ''Tour de la Babotte'', were built later, around the year 1200. Montpellier came to prominence in the 12th century—as a trading centre, with trading links across the Mediterranean world, and a rich Jewish cultural life that flourished within traditions of tolerance of

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

, Jews and

Cathar Catharism ( ; from the , "the pure ones") was a Christian quasi- dualist and pseudo-Gnostic movement which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Denounced as a he ...

s—and later of its Protestants.

William VIII of Montpellier William VIII (in Occitan: Guilhem; died 1202) was Lord of Montpellier, the son of William VII and Matilda of Burgundy. William VIII married Eudokia Komnene, grand-niece of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos. They had one daughter, Marie o ...

gave freedom for all to teach medicine in Montpellier in 1180. The city's faculties of law and medicine were established in 1220 by Cardinal

Conrad of Urach __NOTOC__ Conrad of Urach (also named Conrad von Urach, , also known as Konrad or Kuno von Zähringen) (born in the 1170s; died 29 September 1227, probably in Bari) was a Cistercian monk and abbot, and Cardinal Bishop of Porto and Santa Rufina; he ...

, legate of

Pope Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of importa ...

; the medical faculty has, over the centuries, been one of the major centres for the teaching of medicine in Europe. This era marked the high point of Montpellier's prominence. The city became a possession of the

Kings of Aragon This is a list of the kings and queens of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon was created sometime between 950 and 1035 when the County of Aragon, which had been acquired by the Kingdom of Navarre in the tenth century, was separated from Navarre in ...

in 1204 by the marriage of

Peter II of Aragon Peter II the Catholic (; ) (July 1178 – 12 September 1213) was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1196 to 1213. Background Peter was born in Huesca, the son of Alfonso II of Aragon and Sancha of Castile, Queen of Aragon, Sancha ...

with

Marie of Montpellier Marie of Montpellier (adapted from Occitan language, Occitan: Maria de Montpelhièr) (1182 – 21 April 1213) was Lady of Montpellier and by her three marriages Viscountess of Marseille, Countess of Comminges and Queen of Aragon. She was the ...

, who was given the city and its dependencies as part of her

dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...

. Montpellier gained a charter in 1204 when Peter and Marie confirmed the city's traditional freedoms and granted the city the right to choose twelve governing consuls annually. Under the Kings of Aragon, Montpellier became a very important city, a major economic centre and the primary centre for the spice trade in the Kingdom of France. It was the second or third most important city of France at that time, with some 40,000 inhabitants before the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

. Montpellier remained a possession of the crown of Aragon until it passed to

James III of Majorca James III ( – ), known as James the Rash (or the Unfortunate), was King of Majorca from 1324 to 1344. He was the son of Ferdinand of Majorca and Isabella of Sabran. Life James was born in Catania, Sicily. Margaret of Villehardouin, Jame ...

, who sold the city to the French king Philip VI in 1349, to raise funds for his ongoing struggle with

Peter IV of Aragon Peter IV (Catalan: ''Pere IV d'Aragó;'' Aragonese; ''Pero IV d'Aragón;'' 5 September 1319 – 6 January 1387), called the Ceremonious (Catalan: ''El Cerimoniós''; Aragonese: ''el Ceremonioso''), was from 1336 until his death the king of ...

. From the middle of the 14th century until the French Revolution (1789), Montpellier was part of the province of Languedoc.

Renaissance

In the 14th century,

Pope Urban VIII Pope Urban VIII (; ; baptised 5 April 1568 – 29 July 1644), born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 6 August 1623 to his death, in July 1644. As pope, he expanded the papal terri ...

gave Montpellier a new monastery dedicated to

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

, 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. In 1432,

Jacques Cœur Jacques Cœur (, ; in Bourges – 25 November 1456 in Chios) was a French government official and state-sponsored merchant whose personal fortune became legendary and led to his eventual disgrace. He initiated regular trade routes between Fran ...

established himself in the city and it became an important economic centre, until 1481 when Marseilles overshadowed it in this role.

After the Reformation

At the time of the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

in the 16th century, many of the inhabitants of Montpellier became Protestants (or

Huguenots The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

as they were known in France) and the city became a stronghold of Protestant resistance to the Catholic French crown. Montpellier was among the most important of the 66 ('cities of protection' or 'protected cities') that the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was an edict signed in April 1598 by Henry IV of France, King Henry IV and granted the minority Calvinism, Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was predominantl ...

granted to the Huguenots. The city's political institutions and the university were all handed over to the Huguenots. Increasing tension with Paris led to King

Louis XIII Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown. ...

besieging the city in 1622. The city surrendered after a two-month siege. Peace terms called for the dismantling of the city's fortifications and the building of the royal

Citadel of Montpellier The Citadel of Montpellier is an Early Modern fortification in the city of Montpellier, in the Hérault département of southern France. It was built between 1624 and 1627, after several rebellions under the orders of Louis XIII in order to ...

to secure the city for the government. The university and consulate were taken over by the Catholic party. Even before the Edict of Alès in 1629, Protestant rule was dead and the was no more.

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

made Montpellier capital of

Bas Languedoc Bas may refer to: People * Bas (name), a given name and a surname * Bas (rapper) (born 1987) Chemistry * Boron arsenide (BAs), a chemical compound * Barium sulfide (BaS), a chemical compound Other uses * ''bas'' (French for "low"), as in bas- ...

, 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.

French Revolution

After the French Revolution, the city became the capital of the much smaller Department of

Modern history

During the 19th century the city thrived on the wine culture that it was able to produce due to the abundance of sun throughout the year. The wine consumption in France allowed Montpellier's citizens to become very wealthy until in the 1890s the

phylloxera Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belongs to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs); orig ...

induced fungal disease had spread amongst the vineyards and the people were no longer able to grow the grapes needed for wine. During the

repression of January and February 1894 The repression of January and February 1894 was an episode of the Ère des attentats (1892–1894), during which France engaged in significant Political repression, state repression against Anarchism, anarchists. The passage of the lois scélérat ...

, the police conducted raids targeting the

anarchists Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or hierarchy, primarily targeting the state and capitalism. Anarchism advocates for the replacement of the state w ...

living there, without much success. After this the city grew because it welcomed French repatriates from Algeria and other parts of northern Africa after Algeria's independence from France. In the 21st century Montpellier is between France's number seventh and eighth largest city. The city had another influx in population more recently, largely due to the student population, who make up about one-fourth of Montpellier's population. The school of medicine kickstarted the city's thriving university culture, though many other universities have been well established there. The coastal city also benefited in the past 40 years from major construction programs such as

Antigone ANTIGONE (Algorithms for coNTinuous / Integer Global Optimization of Nonlinear Equations), is a deterministic global optimization solver for general Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programs (MINLP). History ANTIGONE is an evolution of GloMIQO, a global ...

, Port Marianne and Odysseum districts.

Geography

The city is situated on hilly ground inland from the Mediterranean coast, on the river Lez. Montpellier is located from

, from

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

, and from Paris. Montpellier's highest point is the Place du Peyrou, at an altitude of . The city is built on two hills, Montpellier and Montpelliéret, thus some of its streets have great differences of altitude. Some of its streets are also very narrow and old, which gives it a more intimate feel.

Climate

Montpellier has a

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Csa''), with cool, damp winters, and hot, rather dry summers. The monthly mean ranges from in January to in July. Precipitation is around , and is greatest in fall and winter, but not absent in summer, either. Extreme temperatures have ranged from recorded on 5 February 1963 and up to on 28 June 2019.

Neighborhoods

Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council. * Montpellier-centre : historical centre (Écusson), Comédie, Gares, Faubourg Boutonnet, Saint-Charles, Faubourg Saint-Jaume, Peyrou, Les Arceaux, Figuerolles, Faubourg du Courreau, Gambetta, Clémenceau, Méditerranée, boulevard de Strasbourg, Le Triangle, Polygone, Antigone, Nouveau-Monde, Parc à Ballons, Les Aubes, Les Beaux-Arts, Saint-Lazare. * Croix-d'Argent : avenue de Toulouse, Croix d'Argent, Mas Drevon, Tastavin, Lemasson, Garosud, Mas de Bagnères, Mas Nouguier, les Sabines, Lepic, Pas du Loup, Estanove, les Bouisses, Val-de-Crozes, Bagatelle. * Les

Cévennes The Cévennes ( , ; ) is a cultural region and range of mountains in south-central France, on the south-east edge of the Massif Central. It covers parts of the '' départements'' of Ardèche, Gard, Hérault and Lozère. Rich in geographical, ...

: Les Cévennes, Alco, Le Petit Bard, Pergola, Saint-Clément, Clémentville, Las Rebès, La Chamberte, La Martelle, Montpellier-Village, Les Grisettes, Les Grèzes. * Mosson : La Mosson, Celleneuve, La Paillade, les Hauts-de-Massane, Le Grand-Mail, Les Tritons. * Hôpitaux-Facultés : Malbosc, Saint-Priest, Euromédecine, Zolad, Plan des 4 Seigneurs, Hôpitaux, IUT, Père Soulas, Universités, Vert-Bois, Hauts de Boutonnet, Aiguelongue, Justice, Parc zoologique de Lunaret, Agropolis. * Port-Marianne : La Pompignane, Richter, Millénaire, Jacques Cœur, Consuls de Mer, Grammont, Odysseum, Montaubérou, La Méjanelle, Cambacérès. * Prés d'Arènes : Les Prés d'Arènes, Avenue de Palavas, La Rauze, Tournezy, Saint-Martin, Les Aiguerelles, Pont-Trinquat, Cité Mion.

Population

The whole

had a population of 813,272 at the 2020 census. 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. For most of its history, and even today, Montpellier has been known for its significant Spanish population, heritage and influence. Montpellier also houses significant Moroccan, Algerian, and Italian communities. Montpellier SPOT 1166

Heraldry

Sights

* The main focus point of the city is the

Place de la Comédie The Place de la Comédie (; ) is square in Montpellier, Hérault in Southern France. It is at the southeast point of the city centre, at , where the fortifications of the city were formerly located. History The ''Place'' became the focal point o ...

, with the Opéra Comédie built in 1888. * The

Musée Fabre The Musée Fabre is a museum in the southern French city of Montpellier, capital of the Hérault ''département''. The museum was founded by François-Xavier Fabre, a Montpellier painter, in 1825. Beginning in 2003, the museum underwent a 61.2 m ...

. * In the historic centre, a significant number of '' hôtels particuliers'' (i.e. mansions) can be found. The majority of the buildings of the historic centre of Montpellier (called the Écusson because its shape is roughly that of an escutcheon) have medieval roots and were modified between the 16th and the 18th centuries. Some buildings, along Rue Foch and the Place de la Comédie, were built in the 19th century. * The Rue du Bras de Fer (Iron Arm Street) is very typical of the medieval Montpellier. * The mikve, ritual Jewish bath, dates back to the 12th century and is one of very few old mikves preserved in Europe. * The

Jardin des plantes de Montpellier The jardin des plantes de Montpellier (4.5 hectares) is a historic botanical garden and arboretum located on Boulevard Henri IV, Montpellier, Hérault, Occitania, France. It is maintained by the Université Montpellier 1 and open afternoons dai ...

—oldest

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

in France, founded in 1593. * The La Serre Amazonienne, a tropical rain forest greenhouse * The 14th-century Saint Pierre Cathedral * The Porte du Peyrou, a

triumphal arch A triumphal arch is a free-standing monumental structure in the shape of an archway with one or more arched passageways, often designed to span a road, and usually standing alone, unconnected to other buildings. In its simplest form, a triumphal ...

built at the end of the 17th century, and the Place Royal du Peyrou built in the 17th century, are the highest point of the Ecusson. * The Tour des Pins, the only remaining of 25 towers of the city medieval walls, built around 1200. * The Tour de la Babotte, a medieval tower which was modified in the 18th century to house an observatory. * The Saint Clément Aqueduct, built in the 18th century. * The

Antigone District Antigone is a neighbourhood of Montpellier, France, east of the city centre. It is best known for its architectural design by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura. History and design The district is built on the grounds of the former Joffre Ba ...

was designed by the postmodern architect

Ricardo Bofill Ricardo Bofill Leví (; 5 December 1939 – 14 January 2022) was a Spanish architect from Barcelona. He founded Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura in 1963 and developed it into a leading international architectural and urban design practice. ...

from

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, Spain * A number of ''châteaux'' (such as Château de Flaugergues, Château de la Mogère or

Château d'O Château d'O (English: Castle of O), also known as Domaine d'O, is one of the ''chateaux'', old country mansions or folly, follies, built by wealthy merchants, from the 18th century onwards, surrounding the France, French city of Montpellier. The ...

), so-called

follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot centers on a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Follies ...

, built during the 18th century by wealthy merchants surround the city * Montpellier City Council is based at the Hôtel de Ville, completed in 2011. * Nearly 80 private mansions were built in the city center from the 17th to 19th century, and some of their interior courtyards are open

Education

History

The

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 Pope Nicholas IV (; born Girolamo Masci; 30 September 1227 – 4 April 1292) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 22 February 1288 to his death, on 4 April 1292. He was the first Franciscan to be elected pope.McBrie ...

in a

papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

of 1289. It was suppressed during the French Revolution but was re-established in 1896. It is not known exactly at what date the schools of literature were founded which developed into the Montpellier faculty of arts; it may be that they were a direct continuation of the

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

schools. The school of law was founded by

Placentinus Placentinus (died 1192) was an Italian jurist and glossator. Originally from Piacenza, he taught at the University of Bologna. From there he founded the law school of the University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier () is a public ...

, a doctor from

Bologna University The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the oldest university ...

, who came to Montpellier in 1160, taught there during two different periods, and died there in 1192. With regard to the school of medicine, there were excellent physicians at Montpellier. The statutes given in 1220 by Cardinal Conrad, legate of

Honorius III Pope Honorius III (c. 1150 – 18 March 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 18 July 1216 to his death. A canon at the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, he came to hold a number of importa ...

, which were completed in 1240 by Pierre de Conques, placed this school under the direction of the

Bishop of Maguelonne The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Montpellier (–Lodève–Béziers–Agde–Saint-Pons-de-Thomières) (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Metropolitae Montis Pessulani (–Lotevensis–Biterrensis–Agathensis–Sancti Pontii Thomeriarum)''; French: ''Ar ...

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. Two letters of King John prove that a faculty of theology existed at Montpellier independently of the convents, in January 1350. By a Bull of 17 December 1421,

Martin V Pope Martin V (; ; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Oddone Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. His election effectively ended the West ...

granted canonical institution to this faculty and united it closely with the faculty of law. In the 16th century the faculty of theology disappeared for a time, when

Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...

, in the reign of

Henry II of France Henry II (; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was List of French monarchs#House of Valois-Angoulême (1515–1589), King of France from 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I of France, Francis I and Claude of France, Claude, Du ...

, held complete possession of the city. It resumed its functions after

had reestablished the royal power at Montpellier in 1622; but the rivalries of

Dominicans Dominicans () also known as Quisqueyans () are an ethnic group, ethno-nationality, national people, a people of shared ancestry and culture, who have ancestral roots in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican ethnic group was born out of a fusio ...

and

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

interfered seriously with the prosperity of the faculty, which disappeared at the Revolution. The faculty numbered among its illustrious pupils of law

, who spent four years at Montpellier, and among its lecturers

Guillaume de Nogaret Guillaume de Nogaret (c. 1260 April 1313) was a French statesman, councilor and keeper of the seal to Philip IV of France. Early life Nogaret was born in Saint-Félix-Lauragais, Haute-Garonne. The family held a small ancestral property o ...

, chancellor to

Philip the Fair Philip IV (April–June 1268 – 29 November 1314), called Philip the Fair (), was King of France from 1285 to 1314. By virtue of his marriage with Joan I of Navarre, he was also King of Navarre and Count of Champagne as Philip I from ...

, Guillaume de Grimoard, afterwards pope under the name of Urban V, and Pedro de Luna,

antipope An antipope () is a person who claims to be Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic Church in opposition to the officially elected pope. Between the 3rd and mid-15th centuries, antipopes were supported by factions within the Church its ...

as Benedict XIII. But after the 15th century this faculty fell into decay, as did also the faculty of arts, although for a time, under

Henry IV of France Henry IV (; 13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), also known by the epithets Good King Henry (''le Bon Roi Henri'') or Henry the Great (''Henri le Grand''), was King of Navarre (as Henry III) from 1572 and King of France from 1589 to 16 ...

, the latter faculty had among its lecturers

Isaac Casaubon Isaac Casaubon (; ; 18 February 1559 – 1 July 1614) was a classical scholar and philologist, first in France and then later in England. His son Méric Casaubon was also a classical scholar. Life Early life He was born in Geneva to two F ...

. The Montpellier school of medicine owed its success to the ruling of the Guilhems, lords of the town, by which any licensed physician might lecture there; there was no fixed limit to the number of teachers, lectures were multiplied, and there was a great wealth of teaching. Rabelais took his medical degrees at Montpellier. It was in this school that the biological theory of

vitalism Vitalism is a belief that starts from the premise that "living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living entities because they contain some non-physical element or are governed by different principles than are inanimate things." Wher ...

, elaborated by Barthez (1734–1806), had its origin. The French Revolution did not interrupt the existence of the faculty of medicine. The faculties of science and of letters were re-established in 1810; that of law in 1880. It was on the occasion of the sixth centenary of the university, celebrated in 1889, that the Government of France announced its intention—which has since been realized—of reorganizing the provincial universities in France.

Universities

: sciences, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law, business, sports * Paul Valéry University: arts, languages and social sciences University of Montpellier 1 and University of Montpellier 2 reunified in January 2015 to form the University of Montpellier. Paul Valéry University Montpellier, remains a separate entity. Moreover, Montpellier was ranked 119th best student city in the world for 2013, according to QS Best Student Cities 2023 ranking.

Grandes Ecoles

Public service schools * (ENCCRF): National School for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control ; Science * E-Artsup * École Polytechnique Universitaire de Montpellier (Polytech) * National Superior Architecture School of Montpellier (ENSAM) *

École nationale de l'aviation civile École nationale de l'aviation civile (; "National School of Civil Aviation"; abbr. ENAC) is one of 205 colleges (as of September 2018) accredited to award engineering degrees in Education in France, France. ENAC is designated as a grande école ...

* ENSCM: chemistry * École pour l'informatique et les nouvelles technologies *

Institut supérieur européen de formation par l'action The Institut supérieur européen de formation par l'action (ISEFAC) is a French private business school created in 2000. History The school was created in 2000. The certification delivered by the school was recognized by the French State on ...

* Montpellier SupAgro: agronomy * SUPINFO International University: private institution of higher education in general computer science ; Business *

Montpellier Business School Montpellier Business School is a French business school (grande école) located in Montpellier. Founded in 1897 by the Montpellier Chamber of Commerce and Industry, this Grande école is one of the oldest of the French Écoles Supérieures de Co ...

* SupExup Higher Education Institute

Transport

Montpellier is served by railway, including

TGV The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...

highspeed trains. Montpellier's main railway station is Saint-Roch. Since 2018, there is also a station on the

high-speed railway High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...

linking

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...

and Montpellier with the

LGV Méditerranée The LGV Méditerranée (French: ''Ligne à Grande Vitesse''; English: Mediterranean high-speed line) is a French high-speed rail line running from north to south between Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence, Drôme and Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, also fe ...

, called Montpellier-Sud de France. Montpellier_Tramway_Map

The

Montpellier – Méditerranée Airport Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the department of Hérault. At the 2020 census, 299,096 people lived in the ...

is located in the area of Fréjorgues, in the town of

Mauguio Mauguio (; , primarily ''Melguelh'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Hérault Departments of France, department in southern France. History The city of Mauguio, seventh city of the Herault department and chief town of the district, i ...

, southeast of Montpellier. The ''

Transports de l'agglomération de Montpellier Transports may refer to: * Military transport aircraft A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military aircraft, military-owned transport aircraft used to support military operations by airlifting troops an ...

'' (TaM) manages the city's public transportation, including its tramway network consisting of four lines and several parking facilities. Line 1 runs from Mosson in the west to Odysseum in the east. Line 2 runs from

Jacou Jacou (; ) is a commune in the Hérault département in the Occitanie region in southern France. Located on the outskirts of Montpellier, it is situated around 7 km (4.3 mi) north of the Montpellier city centre. Geography The com ...

in the northeast to St. Jean-de-Vedas in the southwest. Line 3 and Line 4 opened in April 2012. Line 3, which is long, links Juvignac and

Pérols Pérols (; ) is a commune in the Hérault department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Close to the city of Montpellier, it is mostly a quiet village with beautiful old buildings. Population See also *Communes of the Hérault dep ...

with a branch to Lattes and serves 32 stations. Line 4 circles the centre and serves as a connector line between the various arms of tram system. They intersect at Gare St. Roch station, Rives du Lez and Corum. Since 2019, €440 million were invested into the construction of a 5th tramway line, linking the south from

Lavérune Lavérune (; ) is a commune in the Hérault département in the Occitanie region in southern France. Population Sport Palla Tamburello: the main team is the ''Tambourin Club Laverune''. See also *Communes of the Hérault department A co ...

Clapiers Clapiers (; ) is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. Population Twin towns Clapiers is twinned with: * Celestynów, Poland * Collelongo, Italy * Toma, Burkina Faso See also *Communes of the Hérault department A co ...

, up north. Since 21 December 2023, the public transport is free for all residents. Previously, all residents under 18 and over 65 years of age have been transported free of charge since 1 September 2021. The TaM also manages the large

bike sharing A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. B ...

scheme Vélomagg', started in June 2007, comprising 1200 bicycles and 50 stations.

Sports

Montpellier was the finish of Stage 11 and the departure of Stage 12 in the

2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France the 94th running of Tour de France, the race, took place from 7 to 29 July. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and ...

. It was also the finish of Stage 11 and the departure of Stage 12 in the 2016 edition. The city is home to a variety of professional sports teams: *

Montpellier Hérault Rugby Montpellier Hérault Rugby (MHR) (; ) is a French professional rugby union club, based in Montpellier, Occitanie and named after the Hérault department. The club competes in the top level of the French league system, the Top 14. They original ...

, of the

Top 14 The Top 14 () is a professional rugby union club competition that is played in France. Created in 1892, the Top 14 is at the top of the national league system operated by the National Rugby League (France), France National Rugby League, also ...

who play

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

formerly at the Stade Sabathé and now at the Altrad Stadium. In the 2010/2011 season, the team made it to the Top 14 Final against the Stade Toulousain. *

Montpellier HSC Montpellier Hérault Sport Club (; ), commonly referred to as Montpellier HSC, is a French professional association football, football club based in the city of Montpellier in Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie. The original club was ...

Ligue 1 Ligue 1 (; ), officially known as Ligue 1 McDonald's France, McDonald's for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in France and the highest level of the French football league system. Administered by the Ligue de ...

who play association football at the

Stade de la Mosson The Stade de la Mosson () is a association football, football stadium in Montpellier, France. It is the home of Ligue 1 club Montpellier HSC, and has a capacity of 32,900. Formerly a 16,000-seater stadium, it was entirely rebuilt in 1998 to hos ...

. MHSC became French Champions on 20 May 2012. *

Montpellier Agglomération Handball Montpellier Handball, formerly named Montpellier Agglomération Handball, is a professional handball club from Montpellier, France. Montpellier is the only French club to ever have won the EHF Champions League. History The team was founded as ...

are a major

team handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a Handball goalkeeper, goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands ...

club playing in the French National League, 14 times winner of the French championship and twice winner of the

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...

(last in 2017–2018 season). *

Montpellier Red Devils Montpellier XIII Red Devils ( French language, fr:Montpellier Diables Rouges Rugby a XIII ) are a semi-professional rugby league club based in Montpellier, in the region of Herault, France. They currently play in the National Division 2. Their ho ...

who play

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

in Elite 1 division at the Stade Sabathé * Montpellier Hérault Sport Club Volley-Ball who play in the LNV Ligue A and have 8 National titles, last in 2021–22 season. *

Montpellier Vipers Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the department of Hérault. At the 2020 census, 299,096 people lived in the ...

of France's Division 1

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

Federation, play at the ''Patinoire de l'Agglomération de Montpellier'' at Odysseum *

Montpellier Water Polo Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the department of Hérault. At the 2020 census, 299,096 people lived in the ...

play in the National League and European Cup competitions. *

Barracudas de Montpellier The Barracudas de Montpellier are a French professional baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (ba ...

is a baseball club, and competes in

Division Élite The Division Élite is the highest level of Baseball in France. Its clubs compete for the Championnat de France de baseball. Organization The French D1 begins play on March 23, 2025. An eight-team league plays a 28-game schedule on weekends, wit ...

, a French top level baseball league. Montpellier was one of the hosts of the FIBA

EuroBasket 2015 EuroBasket 2015 was the 39th edition of the EuroBasket championship that was organized by FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by Croatia, France, Germany, and Latvia, making it the first EuroBasket held in more than one country. It started on 5 Sept ...

. The city is home to the

Open Sud de France The Open Occitanie (formerly known as the Open Sud de France and Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon) is a professional tennis tournament played on Tennis court#Indoor courts, indoor hardcourts. It is currently part of the ATP Tour 250 series of the ATP ...

tennis tournament since 2010, and will host the

XXXI World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship 31 (thirty-one) is the natural number following 30 and preceding 32. It is a prime number. Mathematics 31 is the 11th prime number. It is a superprime and a self prime (after 3, 5, and 7), as no integer added up to its base 10 digits res ...

. The main athletics stadium is the Philippidès Stadium, which is owned by the

Culture

The city is a centre for cultural events as there are many students. Montpellier has two large concert venues: Le Zénith Sud (7.000 seats) and L'Arena (14.000 seats). Le Corum cultural and conference centre contains three auditoriums. * The

Festival de Radio France et Montpellier The Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, formerly the Festival de Radio France et de Montpellier, is a summer festival of opera and music held in Montpellier, France created in 1985. The music festival concentrates on classical music and jaz ...

is a summer festival of opera and other music held in Montpellier. The festival concentrates on classical music and jazz with about 150 events, including opera, concerts, films, and talks. Most of these events are free and are held in the historic

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary a ...

s of the city or in the modern

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage (theatre), stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention ...

s of Le Corum near historical city center. * The annual Cinemed, the International Mediterranean Film Festival Montpellier, held in the fall, is the second largest French film festival after the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

. Held since 1979, it offers screenings of over 200 long and short films, documentaries, animated films, trailers, and a special program of student films. Other events include panel discussions, exhibitions, and gatherings. Venues include Le Corum and cinema halls.

International relations

Montpellier is twinned with: *

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Spain since 1963 *

Bethlehem Bethlehem is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, located about south of Jerusalem, and the capital of the Bethlehem Governorate. It had a population of people, as of . The city's economy is strongly linked to Tourism in the State of Palesti ...

, Palestine, since 2012 *

Chengdu Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...

, China, since 1981 *

Fes Fez () or Fes (; ) is a city in northern inland Morocco and the capital of the Fez-Meknes administrative region. It is one of the largest cities in Morocco, with a population of 1.256 million, according to the 2024 census. Located to the nort ...

, Morocco since 2003 *

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

, Germany, since 1961 *

Kos Kos or Cos (; ) is a Greek island, which is part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 37,089 (2021 census), making ...

, Greece, since 1962 *

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, United States, since 1955 *

Obninsk Obninsk () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the bank of the Protva River southwest of Moscow and northeast of Kaluga. Its population is 125,376 at the 2021 census. History The history of ...

, Russia, since 2017 *

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

, Italy, since 2016 *

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, Brazil since 2011 *

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...

, Canada, since 2006 *

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; , ; ) is a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's Four Holy Cities, along with Jerusalem, Heb ...

, Israel, since 1983 *

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of ...

, Algeria, since 2009

Notable people

Montpellier was the birthplace of: *

Abraham ben Isaac of Narbonne Abraham ben Isaac of Narbonne ()(-85 – 1158) was a Provençal rabbi, also known as Raavad II, and author of the halachic work ''Ha-Eshkol'' (''The Cluster''). Biography His teacher was Moses ben Joseph ben Merwan ha-Levi, during whose l ...

(–1179),

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

and author of the ''

halakhic ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments (''mitzv ...

'' work ''Ha-Eshkol.'' * Solomon ben Abraham of Montpellier (circa the 13th century), Jewish philosopher and

Talmudist The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conqueridor''; ; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1 ...

(1208–1276)

King of Aragon This is a list of the kings and queens of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon was created sometime between 950 and 1035 when the County of Aragon, which had been acquired by the Kingdom of Navarre in the tenth century, was separated from Navarre in ...

and

Lord of Montpellier The Lordship of Montpellier was a feudal jurisdiction in Languedoc with its centre in the city of Montpellier, that existed between 986 and 1344. Formation Ricuin II, the bishop of Mauguio gave these lands in fief to a knight named Guiu I. He w ...

from 1213 to 1276. *

Nicholas of Poland Nicholas of Poland, also known as Nicholas of Montpellier () (c. 1235, in Silesia – c. 1316, in Kraków), was a medieval Polish-German friar and healer of Silesian origin. A member of the Dominican Order, around 1250 he moved to Montpellier, whe ...

(), Dominican healer. *

Saint Roch Roch (lived c. 1348 – 15/16 August 1376/79; traditionally c. 1295 – 16 August 1327), also called Rock in English, was a Majorcan Catholic confessor whose death is commemorated on 16 August and 9 September in Italy; he was especially invo ...

(1295–1327), pilgrim to Rome, venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. *

Guillaume Rondelet Guillaume Rondelet (27 September 150730 July 1566), also known as Rondeletus/Rondeletius, was Regius professor of medicine at the University of Montpellier in southern France and Chancellor of the University between 1556 and his death in 1566. He ...

(1507–1566), French physician and naturalist. *

Pierre Magnol Pierre Magnol (8 June 1638 – 21 May 1715) was a French botanist. He was born in the city of Montpellier, where he lived and worked for most of his life. He became Professor of Botany and Director of the Royal Botanic Garden of Montpellier and h ...

(1638–1715), botanist, founder of the concept of plant families. * Charles Bertheau (1660–1732), French pastor. * Francois Chicoyneau (1672–1752), court physician and member of the French Academy of Sciences *

Jean Raoux Jean Raoux (1677 – 10 February 1734), French painter, was born at Montpellier. After the usual course of training he became a member of the Academy in 1717 as an historical painter. His reputation had been previously established by the ac ...

(1677–1734), painter. *

Louis Bertrand Castel Louis Bertrand Castel (5 November 1688 – 11 January 1757) was a French mathematician born in Montpellier, who entered the order of the Jesuits in 1703. Having studied literature, he afterwards devoted himself entirely to mathematics and natura ...

(1688–1757), mathematician, entered the order of the Jesuits in 1703. * Pons Augustin Alletz (1703–1785), agronomist *

Joseph-Marie Vien Joseph-Marie Vien (sometimes anglicised as Joseph-Mary Wien; 18 June 1716 – 27 March 1809) was a French painter. He was the last holder of the post of Premier peintre du Roi, serving from 1789 to 1791. Biography He was born in Montpellier. P ...

(1716–1809), painter. * Étienne-Hyacinthe de Ratte (1722–1805), mathematician and astronomer. *

Suzanne Verdier Suzanne Verdier (1745 – 1813) was a French writer. She was a contributor to the ''Encyclopédie''. Biography Suzanne Allut was born in 1745, in Montpellier. At the age of 20, along with her brother Antoine, she collaborated on the ''Encyclopédi ...

(1745–1813), writer. * Cyrille Rigaud (1750–1824), poet. *

Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

(1753–1824), lawyer and statesman, author of the

Code Napoléon The Napoleonic Code (), officially the Civil Code of the French (; simply referred to as ), is the French civil code established during the French Consulate in 1804 and still in force in France, although heavily and frequently amended since it ...

. *

Guillaume-Mathieu Dumas Mathieu, comte Dumas (; 23 November 1753 – 16 October 1837) was a French people, French general. Biography Born in Montpellier, France, Montpellier, France, of a nobility, noble family, he joined the French army in 1773 and entered upon activ ...

(1753–1837), military leader. *

Louis-Sébastien Lenormand Louis-Sébastien Lenormand (May 25, 1757 – April 4, 1837) was a French chemist, physicist, inventor, monk, and a pioneer in parachuting. Early life Lenormand was born in Montpellier on May 25, 1757 as the son of a clockmaker. Between 1775 and ...

(1757–1837), chemist, physicist, inventor, the world's first modern parachuting pioneer *

Pierre Marie Auguste Broussonet Pierre Marie Auguste Broussonet (28 February 1761 – 17 January 1807) was a French naturalist who contributed primarily to botany. He was born in Montpellier, where he was educated, and travelled to Morocco, Spain, the Canary Islands, and Souther ...

(1761–1807), naturalist, contributed primarily to botany. * Pierre Antoine Noël Bruno, Comte de Daru (1767–1829), soldier, statesman, historian and poet. * Laure Junot, Duchess of Abrantès (1784–1838), writer and spouse of French general

Jean-Andoche Junot Jean-Andoche Junot, Duke of Abrantes (; 25 September 1771 – 29 July 1813) was a French military officer who served in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He is best known for leading the French invasion of Portugal in 1807. ...

. * Joseph Frédéric Bérard (1789–1828), physician and philosopher. *

Auguste Comte Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte (; ; 19 January 1798 – 5 September 1857) was a French philosopher, mathematician and writer who formulated the doctrine of positivism. He is often regarded as the first philosopher of science in the ...

(1798–1857), a founder of the discipline of sociology. *

Antoine Jérôme Balard Antoine Jérôme Balard (; 30 September 1802 – 30 April 1876) was a French chemist and one of the discoverers of bromine. Career Born at Montpellier, France, on 30 September 1802, he started as an apothecary ''Apothecary'' () is an Ea ...

(1802–1876),

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

. *

Émile Saisset Émile Edmond Saisset (16 September 181427 December 1863) was a French philosopher. Life Émile Edmond Saisset was born at Montpellier. He studied philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure, and carried on the eclectic tradition of his master a ...

(1814–1863), philosopher. * Charles Bernard Renouvier (1815–1903), philosopher. * Édouard Albert Roche (1820–1883), astronomer. *

Alfred Bruyas Alfred Bruyas (15 August 1821 – 1 January 1877) was an art collector and a personal friend of many important artists of his time, among them Gustave Courbet and Alexandre Cabanel. He donated his collection to the Musée Fabre, in Montpellier. ...

(1821–1876), art collector. *

Alexandre Cabanel Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French Painting, painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the Academic art, academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. He was Napoleon ...

(1823–1889), painter. * Renaud de Vilbac (1829–1884), composer, organist. *

Paul Joseph Barthez Paul Joseph Barthez (11 December 173415 October 1806) was a French physician, physiologist, and encyclopedist who developed a take on the biological theory known as vitalism. Life He was born at Montpellier, educated at Narbonne and Toulouse, an ...

(1734–1806), physician. *

Frédéric Bazille Jean Frédéric Bazille (; December 6, 1841 – November 28, 1870) was a French Impressionist painter. Many of Bazille's major works are examples of figure painting in which he placed the subject figure within a landscape painted '' en plein ai ...

(1841–1870), Impressionist painter. * Eugène Baudouin (1842–1893), painter. *

Paul Ferrier Paul Ferrier (29 March 1843 - September 1920) was a French dramatist, who also provided libretti for several composers, especially Varney and Serpette. Ferrier was born in Montpellier. He had already produced several comedies when in 1873 he ...

(1843–1920) dramatist, he also provided libretti for several composers. * Henri Chantavoine (1850–1918), writer and Professor of Rhetoric. *

Henri-Charles Puech Henri-Charles Puech (; 20 July 1902, Montpellier – 11 January 1986, aged 83) was a French historian who long held the chair of History of religions at the Collège de France from 1952 to 1972. Biography A philosopher by training, he was interes ...

(1902–1986), historian of religion. * Léo Malet (1909–1996), crime novelist. *

Henri Carol Canon (priest), Canon Henri Carol (18 January 1910 – 23 September 1984) was a French organist, Musical improvisation, improviser, chef de chœur, composer, and pipe organ teacher. Career Born in Montpellier, Carol was a student at the Enclos ...

(1910–1984), French composer and

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

. *

Adèle Charvet Adèle Charvet, (born 1993) is a French mezzo-soprano. Life Born in Montpellier, Charvet lived in New-York for up to five years. She began studying music at the age of six and sang in the choir of then at the Maîtrise de Radio France where s ...

(born 1993), operatic mezzo-soprano. * Jeanne Demessieux (1921–1968), organist, pianist, composer, and

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political, and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

. *

Monique de Bissy Monique de Bissy (married Schimmelpenninck (family), Schimmelpenninck; 13 March 1923 – 17 November 2009) was a French-Belgian Resistance during World War II, resistance member during World War II. She was born in Schaerbeek, Belgium and died in ...

, member of the

Resistance during World War II During World War II, resistance movements operated in German-occupied Europe by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation to propaganda, hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns. In many countries, r ...

(1923–2009) *

Juliette Gréco Juliette Gréco (; 7 February 1927 – 23 September 2020) was a French singer and actress. Her best known songs are "Paris Canaille" (1962, originally sung by Léo Ferré), "La Javanaise" (1963, written by Serge Gainsbourg for Gréco) and "Désh ...

(1927–2020), singer and actress. *

Jean-Luc Dehaene Jean Luc Joseph Marie "Jean-Luc" Dehaene (; 7 August 1940 – 15 May 2014) was a Belgian politician who served as the prime minister of Belgium from 1992 until 1999. During his political career, he was nicknamed "The Plumber", as well as "The M ...

(1940–2014), Prime-Minister of Belgium. *

Henri Joyeux Henri Joyeux (; born 28 June 1945) is a French oncologic surgeon, nutrition specialist and writer. Biography Following graduation from the University of Montpellier, Joyeux became a surgeon in general oncology in 1972, and a professor in dige ...

(born 1945), oncologic surgeon, nutrition specialist and writer. *

Didier Auriol Didier Auriol (born 18 August 1958) is a French former rally driver. Born in Montpellier and initially an ambulance driver, he competed in the World Rally Championship throughout the 1990s. He became World Rally Champion in 1994, the first drive ...

(born 1958), rally driver, 1994

World Rally Champion The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is an international rallying series owned and governed by the FIA. Inaugurated in 1973, it is the oldest FIA world championship after Formula One. Each season lasts one calendar year, and typi ...

. * Rémi Gaillard (born 1975), famous French prankster. * Sophie Divry (born 1979), writer, winner of the 2014 Prix Wepler. * Victor Aviat (1982–2025), oboist and conductor. Other notable inhabitants include: *

(1493–1553), student at the

. *

(1503–1566), student at the

. *

Iacob Heraclid Iacob Heraclid (or Eraclid; ; 1527 – November 5, 1563), born Basilicò and also known as Iacobus Heraclides, Heraclid Despotul, or Despot Vodă ("The Voivode Despot"), was a Greeks in Malta, Greek Maltese soldier, adventurer and intellectual, ...

(1527–1563),

ruler A ruler, sometimes called a rule, scale, line gauge, or metre/meter stick, is an instrument used to make length measurements, whereby a length is read from a series of markings called "rules" along an edge of the device. Usually, the instr ...

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

from 1561 to 1563. * Pierre-Joseph Amoreux (1741–1824), zoologist. *

Elisabeth Coste Elisabeth Coste, (born in 1748, died by guillotine on 8 April 1794 in Montpellier), was a French cloth merchant, known for having participated in the so-called "Galettes Affair" during the French Revolution, under the Reign of Terror. During a ...

(1748–1794), French cloth merchant and resistor. *

Adamantios Korais Adamantios Korais or Koraïs ( ; ; ; 27 April 17486 April 1833) was a Greek scholar credited with laying the foundations of modern Greek literature and a major figure in the Greek Enlightenment. His activities paved the way for the Greek War ...

(1748–1833), Greek humanist scholar and a major figure in the

Greek Enlightenment The Modern Greek Enlightenment (also known as the Neo-Hellenic Enlightenment; , ''Diafotismós'' / , ''Neoellinikós Diafotismós'') was the Greek expression of the Age of Enlightenment, characterized by an intellectual and philosophical movemen ...

, studied at the

. * Jean-Louis Michel (1785–1865), fencing master, who lived in Montpellier from 1830 onwards. * Agénor Azéma de Montgravier (1805–1863), deputy director of ''l'Ecole d'Artillerie de Montpellier'', died in Montpellier. *

Gaston Darboux Jean-Gaston Darboux FAS MIF FRS FRSE (14 August 1842 – 23 February 1917) was a French mathematician. Life According to his birth certificate, he was born in Nîmes in France on 14 August 1842, at 1 am. However, probably due to the midn ...

(1842–1917), mathematician. *

Josias Braun-Blanquet Josias Braun-Blanquet (3 August 1884 – 20 September 1980) was an influential phytosociologist and botanist. Braun-Blanquet was born in Chur, Switzerland, and died in Montpellier, France. Biography In Josias Braun-Blanquet's dissertation, sup ...

(1884–1980), botanist. *

Jean Moulin Jean Pierre Moulin (; 20 June 1899 – 8 July 1943) was a French civil servant and hero of the French Resistance who succeeded in unifying the main networks of the Resistance in World War II, a unique act in Europe. He served as the first Presid ...

(1899–1943), famous French resistant during WWII, studied and worked in Montpellier. *

Alexander Grothendieck Alexander Grothendieck, later Alexandre Grothendieck in French (; ; ; 28 March 1928 – 13 November 2014), was a German-born French mathematician who became the leading figure in the creation of modern algebraic geometry. His research ext ...

(1928–2014), mathematician. *

Nikola Karabatić Nikola Karabatić (born 11 April 1984) is a French former professional handball player. He is regarded as one of the greatest players in handball history. With the French national handball team, he won three Olympic gold medals (Summer Olympics ...

(born 1984), handball player. *

Paul Valéry Ambroise Paul Toussaint Jules Valéry (; 30 October 1871 – 20 July 1945) was a French poet, essayist, and philosopher. In addition to his poetry and fiction (drama and dialogues), his interests included aphorisms on art, history, letters, m ...

(1871–1945), French poet, essayist, and philosopher who studied at the

. *

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist revolutionary and politician who was the leader of People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was the Secretary (titl ...

(1908–1985), student at the

. * Grégory Vignal (born 1981),

Birmingham City F.C. Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...

full-back. *

Taha Hussein Taha Hussein (, ; November 15, 1889 – October 28, 1973) was among the most influential 20th-century Egyptian writers and intellectuals, and a leading figure of the Arab Renaissance and the modernist movement in the Arab world. His sobriquet ...

(1889–1973), student at the

. * Michel Navratil (1908–2001), survivor of the sinking of the RMS ''Titanic''. *

Guy Delisle Guy Delisle (, born January 19, 1966) is a Canadian cartoonist and animator, best known for his graphic novels about his travels, such as '' Shenzhen: A Travelogue from China'' (2000), '' Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea'' (2003), '' Burma Chro ...

(born 1966), Canadian-born cartoonist, animator and author. *

Simon Billy Simon Billy (born 5 December 1991 in Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the pr ...

(born 1991), Speedskier.

Other locations named after Montpellier

The name Montpellier is used for towns and streets in as many as four continents. Many places in the United Kingdom and Ireland carry the name Montpellier. Often they are in resort locations claiming some of the healthy attributes for which the French city was renowned in earlier centuries. The variant spelling "Montpelier" is common, and is of quite early provenance.

Brewer Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer, ...

uses that spelling. The first example was the early 19th-century suburb of Montpelier in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. The capital of the American state of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

was named Montpelier because of the high regard in which the Americans held the French who had aided their Revolutionary War against the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

. Several other American cities are also named Montpelier. Places named Montpellier/Montpelier are also found in Australia, Canada, South Africa, and the Caribbean. James Madison, the United States fourth president, named his plantation

Montpelier (Orange, Virginia) James Madison's Montpelier, located in Orange County, Virginia, was the Plantation house in the Southern United States, plantation house of the Madison family, including Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and fourth presiden ...

, after the resort-like properties associated with the city at the time.

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Other locations named after Montpellier

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