Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, the Hérault Gorges and the Abbey of Gellone

A stone oasis in the Hérault gorge

To reach Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert you must travel up the Hérault gorge, a slash of white limestone carved by the river over millions of years. The road narrows, the walls rise, and suddenly the canyon opens into a sheltered hollow where the village rests like a cat in the sun. Founded in the ninth century around a Benedictine abbey established by a cousin of Charlemagne, Saint-Guilhem is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a stage on the Way of Saint James and a monument of Romanesque art.

Despite this prestige, the village retains a rural soul and has not been turned into a showcase for tourists. The lanes are real, cats sleep on doorsteps, and the dominant sound is that of running water.

The Abbey of Gellone

Guilhem d'Orange — Duke of Aquitaine, warrior against the Moors, cousin of Charlemagne — founded the abbey in 804 and retired there as a monk, bringing with him a relic of the True Cross given to him by the emperor. This extraordinary story made Gellone a place of pilgrimage, and the abbey grew to become one of the most important monasteries in the South of France.

The abbey church

The church, consecrated in 1076, is a masterpiece of Romanesque architecture from the Languedoc. The single nave, tall and austere, is covered by a barrel vault that amplifies every sound. The semicircular apse, with its blind arcading and columns with carved capitals, has the geometric perfection of the great pilgrimage churches. The restored eighteenth-century organ offers concerts that make full use of the exceptional acoustics.

The cloister

Of the original Romanesque cloister only two galleries remain: the rest was sold and dismantled piece by piece in the nineteenth century, and the columns are today at the Cloisters museum in New York. This mutilation has, paradoxically, made the cloister even more affecting: the surviving arcades open onto a wild garden where cypresses and rosemary grow.

The village and the trails

The lanes of Saint-Guilhem climb from the river towards the abbey between houses of pale stone with Romanesque doorways, Gothic windows and hanging gardens. The Place de la Liberté, with its hundred-year-old plane tree and its fountain, is the place to sit and watch time pass.

The Grotte de Clamouse

Three kilometres away, the Grotte de Clamouse is one of the most beautiful caves in the South of France: forests of stalactites and stalagmites, aragonite flowers and eccentric crystallizations in tastefully lit chambers. The visit lasts an hour and is accessible all year round.

The Pont du Diable

The Pont du Diable, downstream from the village, is the oldest Romanesque bridge in France (eleventh century). In summer the turquoise waters of the Hérault beneath the bridge attract swimmers — a natural pool in a spectacular setting. Bring your swimwear.

Hiking trails

The GR74 crosses the Hérault gorges with trails offering extraordinary panoramic viewpoints over the village and the valley. The Cirque de l'Infernet, reachable in an hour on foot, is a natural amphitheatre of white limestone that takes your breath away. For the more fit, the trail climbs to the Causse de la Selle (limestone plateau) with views all the way to the Mediterranean.

What to eat

• Pélardon: a small bloomy-rind goat's cheese, AOP from the Languedoc, with a nutty flavour
• Petit pâté de Pézenas: a traditional sweet-savoury pastry
• Brandade de morue: salt cod whipped with olive oil and garlic, a speciality of Nîmes
• Terrasses du Larzac wines: elegant, deep reds — the Languedoc's fastest-rising appellation
• Figue de Puimisson: fresh figs from the Hérault plain, remarkably sweet

How to get there

The TGV station at Montpellier (45 km) is on the Paris-Barcelona line. From Montpellier continue by car along the D27 into the gorges. The Hérault Transport bus line connects Montpellier to Aniane-Saint Guilhem with several daily services. Montpellier-Méditerranée airport is 55 km away.

When to go

From April to October. Summer is hot and the gorges offer relief with river bathing. Spring is ideal for hiking. The Festival Saison Musicale presents concerts in the abbey from June to September. Winter is quiet and mild.