THE ARENES

Built in 1897, the bullring hosted its first bullfight the same year. Often referred to as the "French Seville", Béziers, with its bullfighting traditions, is one of the leading bullfighting centres in France. It was the Béziers winegrower and patron Castelbon de Beauxhostes who made the arena a Mecca for the lyric arts. Saint-Saëns and Fauré produced two operas there, and Déjanire, performed on 28 August 1898, was the first of a long series. The arenas still cultivate this duality by hosting bullfighting shows and concerts throughout the year.