The Cathedral of Saint-Nazaire stands on the highest point of Béziers, a fortified Gothic bulk that dominates the city's skyline from every direction. It was built largely in the 13th and 14th centuries on the ruins of an earlier building destroyed during the Albigensian Crusade, and the fortified character of its exterior reflects the violent history of the period. The walls are thick, the windows high and narrow on the lower levels, and the overall effect is more fortress than place of worship — deliberately so.
Inside, the scale is impressive and the choir stalls are excellent late medieval woodwork. The real draw, however, is the terrace on the south side of the cathedral: from here, the view sweeps across the Orb valley, the vineyards of Languedoc, and on clear days reaches all the way to the Mediterranean, some fifteen kilometres away. It is the best free viewpoint in the region and justifies the climb alone.