Description
At the heart of old Sète, right in the middle of the Upper District, the St-Louis church is the oldest in the city and the largest of the “decanal” churches.
Built in 1702 from ashlar and based on plans by the architect Daviler – a colleague of Mansart – in honour of the city's patron saint, it was listed as a historical monument in 1989.
The virgin Regina Maris, queen of the sea, towers above the church and keeps watch over the fishermen. Originally covered with a fine layer of gold, the statue has lost its gilding because of its exposure to the wind and sea-spray.
During the 18th century, hundreds of Sète residents were buried in the vaults underneath the church's inner chapels, a common practice at that time despite the existence of cemeteries.
Every year for the festival of fishermen the statue of St Peter, the patron saint of fishermen, is brought to the church for a high mass.
