Molière in Pézenas: in the playwright's footsteps

Pezenas is 8 km from Florensac. Ten minutes by car. We go there often for the Saturday market, for a coffee on the Cours Jean Jaures, or to wander through the lanes. But Pezenas is also Moliere’s town. Well, one of them. He spent several stays there between 1650 and 1657, and the town remembers.

Why Molière was in Pézenas

In the 1650s, Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (his real name) was touring the south of France with his travelling troupe. They were not yet famous. They performed in provincial towns, in front of local dignitaries.

Pezenas was then the seat of the Etats du Languedoc, the provincial assembly. When the Etats convened, dignitaries flocked in, and with them came money and entertainment. Moliere and his troupe found an audience and a patron: the Prince de Conti, Governor of the Languedoc, who took them under his protection for several years.

It was in Pezenas and the surrounding area that Moliere honed his craft. He observed the local characters: the bourgeois, the country doctors, the devout. You can find these types in his plays. Le Medecin volant (The Flying Doctor), one of his first farces, was probably performed here.

Molière’s places

The barber Gély’s shop

This is the best-known address. At 30 rue de la Foire, the barber Gely kept his shop on the ground floor. Moliere used to sit there and listen to the conversations. The anecdote is reported by chroniclers of the time. The shop is no longer a barber’s, but the building is still there.

The Hôtel d’Alfonce

On rue Conti, this 16th-century townhouse is said to have hosted performances by Moliere’s troupe. The inner courtyard is handsome, with its stone staircase and arcaded gallery. You can walk in, it is an open space.

The Vulliod-Saint-Germain Museum

Housed in a 17th-century townhouse, this museum dedicates a room to Moliere. There are documents, engravings, and a chair said to have been his. The authenticity of the chair is debated, but it has been there a long time and the locals are attached to it. The museum also displays faience and Louis XV furniture. Admission: 3 euros.

The Cours Jean Jaurès

This is the main promenade in Pezenas, lined with plane trees. In Moliere’s day, it was where polite society strolled during the sessions of the Etats. Today, it is where you sit at a terrace cafe and watch people go by. The principle has not changed much.

Pézenas beyond Molière

It would be a mistake to reduce Pezenas to Moliere. The town has a remarkable historic centre, with 16th and 17th-century townhouses, inner courtyards discovered by pushing open the doors, and a network of cobbled lanes worth getting lost in for an hour or two.

The townhouses

The Hotel de Lacoste (rue Francois Oustrin), the Hotel de Peyrat (place Gambetta), the Hotel des Commandeurs de Saint-Jean de Jerusalem: these buildings recall that Pezenas was a wealthy and important town in the 16th century, the administrative capital of the Languedoc.

Some can be visited during the Journees du Patrimoine (third weekend of September). The rest of the year, you can admire the facades and portals from the street.

The craftspeople

Pezenas has reinvented itself around arts and crafts. The lanes in the centre hold a good thirty shops: potters, glassblowers, jewellery makers, textile designers. Some workshops are open and you can watch people at work.

The petit pâté de Pézenas

This is the local speciality. A small cylinder of puff pastry filled with sweet-savoury lamb. The recipe allegedly dates from the 18th century, brought by Lord Clive (Clive of India) who was staying in Pezenas. You find them in every bakery in town. About 2 euros each. Try one, it is surprising.

The Saturday market

This is the big weekly market. It takes over the whole town centre: Cours Jean Jaures, Place du 14 Juillet, adjacent streets. Local producers (fruit, vegetables, cheese, olives), clothing, bric-a-brac. It is lively, noisy, and crowded. Arrive before 10am if you want the best choice. By noon, the stalls start packing up.

There is also a smaller market on Tuesday morning, but it is the Saturday one that is worth the trip.

Pezenas is the easiest outing from Florensac. Ten minutes by car, and you are in another era. Discover our rooms.