The ancient town and its ramparts

The "cité" is the oldest part of the town. The grid pattern shown in the town?s land register is evidence of the existence of an ancient urban layout dating back to the 5th Century BC. A stroll round the narrow streets reveals  16th and 17th Century houses and private mansions built with volcanic rock. 

The ramparts

The ramparts were built in the 12th  and 13th Centuries on Greek remains that can still be seen from the Promenade. An ancient coat of arms with 4 waves, dating back to the wars of religion, can still be seen halfway up. 

La Glacière

This was where the town was born. The district owes its name to the underground ice-house there. It has been surrounded by ramparts since its earliest days, and Greek and medieval remains can be found there. In the past, it was home to the town worthies, and its houses still retain the marks of the 15th, 16th and 17th Centuries.

The Consuls House

This is at one end of the citadel, on the corner of Rues Jean Roger, Louis Bages and Honoré Muratet, three very lively shopping streets. The house was built in 1651 and enlarged in the second half of the 18th Century. It has three facades and three floors, and is built entirely with volcanic rock from Agde. The whole building is in the Italian Renaissance style. Inside, a monumental staircase leads to the wedding room (formerly the consuls? room), decorated in 1939 by Spanish artists seeking refuge in Agde. Formerly the Town Hall, it is now home to the ?Maison du Coeur de Ville?.

The Belle Agathoise fountain

Made of Carrare and African marble, the allegorial fountain is the symbol of antique 'Agathé'.

The statue of the Corsair Terrisse

In the middle of the Promenade, stands the buste of Claude Terrisse wich was realised in 1874 in honor of this privateer. Born in 1598, he served on several missions as captain for the King Louis XIII and Louis XIV before becoming Consul of Agde. At his death, he leaves his fortune to the poor. He is since being considered as a benefactor of the town.