We have seen countless cathedrals and churches on our travels, but Montpellier Cathedral of Saint Peter managed to impress even seasoned travellers like us. Its architecture is unlike anything we had ever seen before. It is truly something out of this world. The entrance to the cathedral features a massive porch with two cylindrical columns and a vaulted canopy connecting the supports to the façade. During the Wars of Religion in the 16th century, the cathedral was used as a fortress. With its massive, sturdy walls, it was not difficult to turn it into one. There was also a time when the cathedral was part of the medical university, where Nostradamus taught.
Meanwhile, the white Church of Saint Anne, with its elegant spire rising above a beautiful old tower, is one of the city's most prominent landmarks. The tower towers majestically over the narrow streets of Montpellier's historic centre and can be seen not only from various parts of the city but even from many nearby towns and villages. The spire of Saint Anne's Church reaches almost 70 metres into the sky and looks particularly picturesque against the blue backdrop.
We then strolled through the Promenade du Peyrou, a square built during the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV. There is a monument to him here, as well as an old hexagonal water tower. It once supplied the city's residents with water from the Saint-Clément spring, and today it feeds Montpellier's fountains.
The Arc de Triomphe stands opposite the square.
“Look, this is called an arch,” Arian told Erika.
“She needs to expand her vocabulary. Maybe she'll become an architect one day. She's pretty good at building castles and pyramids with construction blocks,” her brother explained.
Erika immediately repeated the new word several times and went off to take pictures with the arch. Then she announced that it looked like a gate.
“And it is a gate,” Arian replied. “A gateway into the city.”
We continued wandering through the city's narrow streets and then visited the botanical garden, where it was a little cooler under the shade of the trees…
The text was originally written in Ukrainian translated with the help of Google Translate.
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