Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert

Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert is a village in the Hérault Valley where the Gellone stream meets the Hérault river, with stone houses under red tile roofs along narrow, winding lanes. The buildings hug the slopes, and slender passages lead to small courtyards where you walk between old masonry and often come across open fountains or covered steps.

In 804 William of Aquitaine founded a monastery here, which he named Gellone, and then withdrew from military service to live as a monk. After his death many pilgrims came because the abbey preserved a fragment of the cross said to have been a gift from Charlemagne.

The name recalls William of Aquitaine, who withdrew from court life to become a monk named Guilhem in this valley. The village lies on the Way of Saint James, and today pilgrims still walk through the narrow lanes and rest in the squares before continuing their journey.

You can walk through the lanes and explore the steps and passages between the old stone houses that cling to the hillside. The valley is hot in summer, so visiting in the morning or late afternoon is more comfortable when shadows grow longer and the air cools.

During the Revolution parts of the monastery cloister were sold and shipped across the Atlantic, so today you can see some of the old columns and arches in a museum in New York. Those pieces stand there alongside other medieval fragments and remind visitors on both continents of the architecture of this abbey.

Location: Hérault

Location: arrondissement of Lodève

Location: Hérault Valley community of communes

Elevation above the sea: 415 m

Shares border with: Aniane, Causse-de-la-Selle, Montpeyroux, Pégairolles-de-Buèges, Puéchabon, Saint-Jean-de-Fos, Saint-Maurice-Navacelles, La Vacquerie-et-Saint-Martin-de-Castries

Address: 2 Pl. de la Liberté, 34150 Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, France

Phone: +33467577017

Email: mairie-st-guilhem@orange.fr

Website: https://saint-guilhem-le-desert.com

GPS coordinates: 43.73389,3.54972

Latest update: December 12, 2025 18:05