Architecture is the best storyteller. In Montpellier, there is an underground bath that was discovered by chance under the floor of a cellar by a private individual, in 1985.
This takes us back to 1306 when the Jews living in Montpellier were expelled from the city by Philip IV of France and settled in nearby towns in the south of France, such as Avignon.
In Montpellier, the rest of the population stayed in the old Jewish quarter whose traces were unfortunately erased. However, the Mikveh was preserved because it constituted a useful water reserve for the people of Montpellier, as the underground water is constantly renewed.
What is a mikveh?
Mikveh is a ritual bath used for immersion and purification in Judaism. The existence of mikveh, often constructed in groundwater wells in the past, was so important to the Jewish community that they used to build it before constructing a synagogue. Today, the mikveh of Montpellier is among the oldest and best preserved in Europe.
See what else you can do in Montpellier in December:
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