chapelle Notre-Dame de Baillarguet

The Chapelle Notre-Dame de Baillarguet is a small chapel in Montferrier-sur-Lez, in the Hérault department, a short drive north of Montpellier. It sits on a hilltop in the hamlet of Baillarguet, facing the Château de Montferrier, and today serves as a modest local cultural venue.

Where exactly is it located?

The chapel stands on the Chemin de Notre Dame de Baillarguet, within the commune of Montferrier-sur-Lez (postcode 34980). Its coordinates are 43.677901, 3.869609. The hamlet of Baillarguet occupies a rise above the Lez valley, right on the northern edge of the Montpellier urban area.

What is the history behind it?

The religious history of Baillarguet goes back further than the current building. A larger Romanesque church once stood at the bottom of the valley, but it fell into ruin toward the end of the 17th century. A new parish church was then built higher up the hill, next to the château, and in 1727 it was fitted with a bell — traditionally a sign that the new building had been formally put into service. The chapel visitors see today dates from this period, making it a 17th–18th century structure.

During the French Revolution, the church building was sold off as national property, a common fate for church assets at the time. The hamlet of Baillarguet itself was soon after administratively attached to the municipality of Montferrier-sur-Lez, losing its earlier status as a separate parish.

What is the chapel used for now?

The building no longer functions as a regular parish church in the traditional sense. It is maintained by the association "Les amis de la chapelle de Baillarguet" (Friends of the Baillarguet Chapel), which looks after the site and organizes exhibitions and cultural events inside it throughout the year. This keeps the chapel active as a community gathering place, blending its architectural heritage with ongoing artistic programming.

What can visitors see on site?

Perched on its promontory above the valley, the chapel looks directly across toward the Château de Montferrier, which stands nearby on the same rise. This pairing — a modest rural chapel set against the silhouette of the château — is a distinctive feature of this stretch of the Lez valley. The surrounding area is also part of a local network of scenic viewpoints over the valley, underlining the landscape value of this part of the commune.

How do you get there?

Montferrier-sur-Lez sits right at the northern edge of the Montpellier metropolitan area, so driving from the city center typically takes around fifteen to twenty minutes. The chapel itself is reached via the Chemin de Notre Dame de Baillarguet, a side road set apart from the main village center.

Frequently asked questions

Is the chapel open to visitors every day? The site is looked after by the association "Les amis de la chapelle de Baillarguet," which opens it mainly for exhibitions and cultural events, including during the annual Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days).

How old is the chapel? The current building dates from the period when a new parish church, replacing an earlier Romanesque church that had fallen into ruin at the bottom of the valley by the late 17th century, was fitted with a bell in 1727.

Is there anything else worth seeing nearby? Yes — the chapel stands right next to the Château de Montferrier, and the surrounding area belongs to a network of scenic viewpoints over the Lez valley.

Is it still an active parish church? Not in the traditional sense. Today it functions mainly as a cultural venue, run on a voluntary basis by a local association.