BASILIQUE SAINT APHRODISE

Basilique Saint Aphrodise (Basilica of Saint Aphrodisius) (12th-14th century). Built over the tomb of the city's patron saint, who came from Egypt on the back of a camel to evangelise the people. It was erected over the cave where the evangelical saint and first bishop of Béziers died. Legend states that Saint Aphrodisius came from the east on his camel with Paul Serge, an evangelist from Narbonne, and was decapitated in Béziers. The martyr then carried his head through the city to a cave to bury himself. It is said that this cave is now the crypt in the Saint Aphrodisius church. What is clear is that the church was built on the site of a paleochristian necropolis that has now been reborn: after being closed to the public for 20 years due to the highly unstable state of the walls, the building has finally been stabilised. Months of work have now come to an end and the basilica where so many Béziers residents have been baptised, received holy communion and been married reopened its do

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