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 north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

Occitania Occitania ( oc, Occitània , , or ) is the historical region in Western and Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes still used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasse ...

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019.metropolitan area had a population of 787,705.Comparateur de territoire
INSEE, retrieved 20 June 2022. The inhabitants are called Montpelliérains. In the Middle Ages, Montpellier was an important city of the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

(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 (1334–13 ...

), and then of Majorca, before its sale to France in 1349. Established in 1220, the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

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

Petrarch Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited ...

,

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...

and François Rabelais. Above the medieval city, the ancient

citadel of Montpellier The Citadel of Montpellier is an Early modern Europe, 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 Loui ...

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 growth 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 area, along with its rich cultural life and

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

, explain 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 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 Leicestershire ...

.

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 north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

coast, behind

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

and

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

. It is the seventh-largest city of France, and is also the fastest-growing city in the country over the past 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, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

, the nearby episcopal town of Maguelone was the major settlement in the area, but raids by pirates encouraged settlement a little farther inland. 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. The name is from medieval Latin ''mons pisleri'', "Woad Mountain" referring to the

woad ''Isatis tinctoria'', also called woad (), dyer's woad, 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, Isatis, derives from ...

(Latin ''pastellus, pestellus'') used for dyeing locally. There is no real "mountain" in the area, with the ''mons'' referring to a pile of stones. 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 ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

, Jews and

Cathar Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. Follo ...

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 (1135?-1173?). William VIII married Eudokia Komnene, grand-niece of the Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos. They had one d ...

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, legate of Pope Honorius III; 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 in 1204 by the marriage of Peter II of Aragon with Marie of Montpellier, who was given the city and its dependencies as part of her dowry. Tour de la Babote Montpellier

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. Montpellier remained a possession of the crown of Aragon until it passed to James III of Majorca, who sold the city to the French king Philip VI of France, Philip VI in 1349, to raise funds for his ongoing struggle with Peter IV of Aragon. 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. In 1432, Jacques Cœur established himself in the city and it became an important economic centre, until 1481 when Marseilles overshadowed it in this role. From the middle of the 14th century until the French Revolution (1789), Montpellier was part of the Languedoc, province of Languedoc.

After the Reformation

At the time of the Protestant Reformation, Reformation in the 16th century, many of the inhabitants of Montpellier became Protestants (or Huguenots as they were known in France) and the city became a stronghold of Protestant resistance to the Catholic French crown. In 1622, King Louis XIII of France, Louis XIII besieged the city which surrendered after a two-month siege (Siege of Montpellier), afterwards building the Citadel of Montpellier to secure it. Louis XIV of France, 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. After the French Revolution, the city became the capital of the much smaller

Hérault Hérault (; oc, Erau, ) is a department of the region of Occitania, Southern France. Named after the Hérault River, its prefecture is Montpellier. It had a population of 1,175,623 in 2019. 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 induced fungal disease had spread amongst the vineyards and the people were no longer able to grow the grapes needed for wine. After this the city had grown because it welcomed immigrants from Algeria and other parts of northern Africa after Algerian War, 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-third 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, Montpellier, Antigone, Port Marianne and Odysseum districts. Antigone_District_(191768335)

Geography

The city is situated on hilly ground inland from the Mediterranean coast, on the river Lez (river), Lez. The name of the city, which was originally ''Monspessulanus'', is said to have stood for ''mont pelé'' (the naked hill, because the vegetation was poor), or ''le mont de la colline'' (the mount of the hill). Montpellier is located from

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

, from Toulouse, 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

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(Köppen climate classification, Köppen ''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.

Neighbourhoods

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 : 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 metropolitan area had a population of 510,400 in 2006. And 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. In 2018, the estimated population of the functional area (France), metropolitan area was 787,705. For most of its history, and even today, Montpellier is known for its significant Spanish population, heritage and influence. Montpellier also houses significant Occitan, Moroccan, Algerian, and Italian communities.

Heraldry

Sights

* The main focus point of the city is the Place de la Comédie, with the Opéra Comédie built in 1888. * The Musée Fabre. * In the historic centre, a significant number of ''Hotels of Montpellier, 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 (heraldry), 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 Mikveh, mikves preserved in Europe. * The Jardin des plantes de Montpellier—oldest botanical garden in France, founded in 1593 * The La Serre Amazonienne, a tropical rain forest greenhouse * The 14th-century Montpellier Cathedral, Saint Pierre Cathedral * The Porte du Peyrou, a triumphal arch 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 was designed by the postmodern architect Ricardo Bofill from Catalonia, Spain * A Montpellier follies, number of ''châteaux'' (such as Château de Flaugergues, Château de la Mogère or Château d'O), so-called folly, follies, built during the 18th century by wealthy merchants surround the city * 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

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

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. 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 schools. 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. 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, 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 of Trilia, 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, Pope Martin V, Martin V 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, 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 Dominican Order, Dominicans and Jesuits interfered seriously with the prosperity of the faculty, which disappeared at the Revolution. The faculty numbered among its illustrious pupils of law

Petrarch Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited ...

, who spent four years at Montpellier, and among its lecturers Guillaume de Nogaret, chancellor to Philip IV of France, Philip the Fair, Guillaume de Grimoard, afterwards pope under the name of Urban V, and Pedro de Luna, antipope 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, the latter faculty had among its lecturers Casaubon. 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, elaborated by Paul Joseph Barthez, 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

*

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

: sciences, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law, business, sports * Paul Valéry University, Montpellier III, 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

; Science * E-Artsup * École polytechnique universitaire de Montpellier, École Polytechnique Universitaire de Montpellier (Polytech) * National Superior Architecture School of Montpellier (ENSAM) * École nationale de l'aviation civile * École nationale supérieure de chimie de Montpellier, ENSCM: chemistry * École pour l'informatique et les nouvelles technologies * Institut supérieur européen de formation par l'action * SupAgro, Montpellier SupAgro: agronomy * SUPINFO International University: private institution of higher education in general Computer Science ; Business * Montpellier Business School * SupExup Higher Education Institute

Transport

Montpellier is served by railway, including TGV highspeed trains. Montpellier's main railway station is Montpellier-Saint-Roch station, Saint-Roch. Since 2018, there is also a station on the Contournement Nîmes – Montpellier, high-speed railway linking Nîmes and Montpellier with the LGV Méditerranée, called Montpellier Sud de France station, Montpellier-Sud de France. Montpellier_Tramway_Map

The Montpellier – Méditerranée Airport is located in the area of Fréjorgues, in the town of Mauguio, southeast of Montpellier. The ''Transports de l'agglomération de Montpellier'' (TaM) manages the city's public transportation, including its Trams in Montpellier, 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 in the northeast to Saint-Jean-de-Védas, 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 with a branch to Lattes, Hérault, 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. The TaM also manages the large bike sharing scheme Vélomagg', started in June 2007, comprising 1200 bicycles and 50 stations.

Sport

Montpellier was the finish of Stage 11 and the departure of Stage 12 in the 2007 Tour de France. It was also the finish of Stage 11 and the departure of Stage 12 in the 2016 Tour de France, 2016 edition. The city is home to a variety of professional sports teams: * Montpellier Hérault Rugby, of the Top 14 who play rugby union 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 of Ligue 1 who play association football at the Stade de la Mosson. MHSC became 2011–12 Ligue 1, French Champions on 20 May 2012. * Montpellier Red Devils who play rugby league in Elite 1 division at the Stade Sabathé * Montpellier Agglomération Handball are a team handball club playing in the French National League. * 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 of France's Division 1 ice hockey Federation, play at the ''Patinoire de l'Agglomération de Montpellier'' at Odysseum * Montpellier Water Polo play in the National League and European Cup competitions. * Barracudas de Montpellier is a baseball club, and competes in Division Élite, a French top level baseball league. Montpellier was one of the hosts of the FIBA EuroBasket 2015. The city is home to the Open Sud de France tennis tournament since 2010, and will host the XXXI World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship. The main athletics stadium is the Philippidès Stadium, which is owned by the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

.

Culture

The city is a centre for cultural events as there are many students. Montpellier has two large concert venues: Le Zenith Sud (7.000 seats) and L'Arena (14.000 seats). Corum (Montpellier), Le Corum cultural and conference centre contains three auditoriums. * The Festival de Radio France et Montpellier 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 courtyards of the city or in the modern concert halls 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. 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 Town twinning, twinned with: * Barcelona, Spain since 1963 * Bethlehem, Palestine, since 2012 * Chengdu, China, since 1981 * Fes, Morocco, Fes, Morocco since 2003 * Heidelberg, Germany, since 1961 * Kos, Greece, since 1962 * Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville, United States, since 1955 * Obninsk, Russia, since 2017 * Palermo, Italy, since 2016 * Rio de Janeiro, Brazil since 2011 * Sherbrooke, Canada, since 2006 * Tiberias, Israel, since 1983 * Tlemcen, Algeria, since 2009

Notable people

Montpellier was the birthplace of: * Abraham ben Isaac of Narbonne (c. 1110–1179), rabbi and author of the ''halakha, halakhic'' work ''Ha-Eshkol'' * James I of Aragon (1208–1276) King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276. * Nicholas of Poland (c.1235-c.1316), Dominican healer * Saint Roch (1295–1327), pilgrim to Rome, venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. * Pierre Magnol (1638–1715), botanist, founder of the concept of plant families * Charles Bertheau (1660–1732), French pastor * Jean Raoux (1677–1734), painter. * Louis Bertrand Castel (1688–1757) mathematician, entered the order of the Jesuits in 1703. * Joseph-Marie Vien (1716–1809), painter. * Étienne-Hyacinthe de Ratte (1722–1805), mathematician and astronomer * Suzanne Verdier (1745–1813), writer * Cyrille Rigaud (1750–1824), poet * Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès (1753–1824), lawyer and statesman, author of the Napoleonic Code, Code Napoléon. * Guillaume-Mathieu Dumas (1753–1837), military leader. * Louis-Sébastien Lenormand (1757–1837), chemist, physicist, inventor, the world's first modern parachuting pioneer * Pierre Marie Auguste Broussonet (1761–1807) naturalist, contributed primarily to botany. * Pierre Daru, 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. * Joseph Frédéric Bérard (1789–1828), physician and philosopher. * Auguste Comte (1798–1857), a founder of the discipline of sociology * Antoine Jérôme Balard (1802–1876), chemist. * Émile Saisset (1814–1863), philosopher. * Charles Bernard Renouvier (1815–1903), philosopher. * Édouard Albert Roche (1820–1883), astronomer * Alfred Bruyas (1821–1876), art collector * Alexandre Cabanel (1823–1889), painter. * Renaud de Vilbac (1829–1884), composer, organist * Frédéric Bazille (1841–1870), Impressionist painter * Eugène Baudouin (1842–1893), painter * Paul Ferrier (1843-1920) dramatist, he also provided libretti for several composers. * Henri Chantavoine (1850–1918), writer and Professor of Rhetoric. * Henri-Charles Puech (1902–1986), historian of religion * Léo Malet (1909–1996), crime novelist * Henri Carol (1910–1984), French composer and organist * Adèle Charvet (born 1993), operatic mezzo-soprano * Jeanne Demessieux (1921–1968), organist, pianist, composer, and Teacher, pedagogue * Monique de Bissy, member of the Resistance during World War II (1923–2009) * Juliette Gréco (1927-2020), singer and actress * Jean-Luc Dehaene (1940–2014), Prime-Minister of Belgium * Didier Auriol (born 1958), rally driver, 1994 World Rally Championship, World Rally Champion * Rémi Gaillard (born 1975), famous French prankster * Sophie Divry (born 1979), writer, winner of the 2014 Prix Wepler Other famous inhabitants include: * François Rabelais (1493–1553), student at the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

. *

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...

(1503–1566), student at the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

. * Iacob Heraclid, (1527–1563), List of Moldavian rulers, ruler of Moldavia from 1561 to 1563 * Pierre-Joseph Amoreux (1741–1824), zoologist * Adamantios Korais (1748–1833), Greek humanist scholar and a major figure in the Greek Enlightenment, studied at the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

. * Jean-Louis Michel (fencing), 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 (1842–1917), mathematician * Josias Braun-Blanquet (1884–1980), botanist * Jean Moulin (1899–1943), famous French resistant during WWII, studied and worked in Montpellier * Alexander Grothendieck (1928–2014), mathematician * Nikola Karabatić (born 1984), handball player * Paul Valéry (1871–1945), student at the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

* Enver Hoxha (1908–1985), student at the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

* Grégory Vignal (born 1981), Birmingham City F.C. full-back * Taha Hussein (1889–1973), student at the

University of Montpellier The University of Montpellier (french: Université de Montpellier) is a public research university located in Montpellier, in south-east of France. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the wor ...

* Michel Marcel Navratil, Michel Navratil (1908–2001), survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, RMS ''Titanic'' * Guy Delisle (born 1966), Canadian-born cartoonist, animator and author

Other locations named after Montpellier

"Montpellier" is used as the name of other towns and streets in as many as four continents. Many places in England, Scotland, Wales 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's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, Brewer uses that spelling. The first example was the early 19th-century suburb of Montpelier, Brighton, Montpelier in Brighton. The capital of the American state of Vermont was named Montpelier, Vermont, Montpelier because of the high regard in which the Americans held the French who had aided their American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War against the Kingdom of Great Britain, British. 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), after the resort-like properties associated with the city at the time.

References

Citations

Sources

*

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Montpellier, Communes of Hérault Cities in Occitania (administrative region) Prefectures in France Crown of Aragon Languedoc Cities in France

Status

History

Medieval period

After the Reformation

Geography

Climate

Neighbourhoods

Population

Heraldry

Sights

Education

History

Universities

Grandes Ecoles

Transport

Sport

Culture

International relations

Notable people

Other locations named after Montpellier

See also

References

Citations

Sources

Further reading

External links