Agde

Agde stands on the Hérault near the Mediterranean, a port built in dark volcanic stone. Its fortified cathedral of Saint Stephen recalls the power of the bishops who ruled the town. In 506 a church council met here under Caesarius of Arles. Many centuries later, the Canal du Midi reached the nearby lagoon of Thau; by 1675 its waterway between Béziers and the lagoon had opened, giving Agde a new connection across Languedoc.