Setting for Homicide Herault
When I decide the setting for my next Hardy Durkin Travel mystery I research the locale’s history, lore, and legends. Was someone martyred there? Is the area known for a murder or scandal of some sort? Any unsolved disappearances? Is there a local tradition that makes it unique or quirky?
My latest Hardin Durkin mystery, Homicide Herault, is set in the Herault area in the South of France. The small city of Béziers is the primary town here and the oldest city in France. (Second oldest, if you ask someone from Marseille.) It is simply loaded with history from as far back as the 6th century BC, and is a land full of legends, atrocities, and culture.
During the Algerian War of Independence from France in the early 1960’s many of the French citizens who had been living and working in Algeria moved back to the Motherland. Those Algerians fighting for independence violently targeted their countrymen who had worked for the French, massacring whole Algerian families in horrific ways as payback for the support they had shown the French military. Thousands of these hunted Algerians, known as Harkis, fled to mainland France to escape the terrible purge, settling in the southern regions of France.
My favorite Béziers legend is that of Saint Aphrodise who rode into town on his camel from Egypt around 65 AD. Just around the corner from the ancient Roman amphitheater, which was mostly torn down in the 3rd century so the citizens could use the stones to build up the city’s defense …. that’s another story… is a small plaza, Place Saint-Cyr, at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue Canterelles. You might notice the small brass caps on the pavement that say ‘Chemin Romeux’. This was part of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, but I digress.
Look Up! See that headless stone figure on the corner of the building? That is Saint Aphrodise. Why is he there, you ask? Because … he was beheaded in the square where you are standing, and his head tossed in a well nearby. Not one to give up easily, the good saint fetched his head from the well and proceeded to carry it back to his cave on the outskirts of town. He is known as a cephalophore, a subset of saints who carry their heads after martyrdom.
Passing down what is now the Rue des Têtes, the Street of Heads, he was mocked by a group of stone masons who were turned to stone when Aphrodise stared them down (you can’t make this up!) with the head cradled in his arms.
It all ended well, with Saint Aphrodise being venerated in his tomb which is now a basilica where his relics repose, and his camel became a celebrity with the rich folks in town vying to take care of him. A dubious replica of said camel appears each April on the saint’s day to be paraded through town as part of the celebration.
Béziers hosts the largest festival in the South of France each August, the Feria, replete with flamenco, bullfights, street foods, and non-stop, out-door concerts. Almost a million people pour into the city over the span of a week to party and celebrate good times in a safe, family-friendly atmosphere with a laid-back Mediterranean vibe.
Into all this I insert my hunky protagonist, Hardy Durkin, who is leading a bike tour in the Herault with his irregular cast of characters and let the magic of imagination stir the pot. Expect a murder … or two. Enjoy the show!
My latest Hardin Durkin mystery, Homicide Herault, is set in the Herault area in the South of France. The small city of Béziers is the primary town here and the oldest city in France. (Second oldest, if you ask someone from Marseille.) It is simply loaded with history from as far back as the 6th century BC, and is a land full of legends, atrocities, and culture.
During the Algerian War of Independence from France in the early 1960’s many of the French citizens who had been living and working in Algeria moved back to the Motherland. Those Algerians fighting for independence violently targeted their countrymen who had worked for the French, massacring whole Algerian families in horrific ways as payback for the support they had shown the French military. Thousands of these hunted Algerians, known as Harkis, fled to mainland France to escape the terrible purge, settling in the southern regions of France.
My favorite Béziers legend is that of Saint Aphrodise who rode into town on his camel from Egypt around 65 AD. Just around the corner from the ancient Roman amphitheater, which was mostly torn down in the 3rd century so the citizens could use the stones to build up the city’s defense …. that’s another story… is a small plaza, Place Saint-Cyr, at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue Canterelles. You might notice the small brass caps on the pavement that say ‘Chemin Romeux’. This was part of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, but I digress.
Look Up! See that headless stone figure on the corner of the building? That is Saint Aphrodise. Why is he there, you ask? Because … he was beheaded in the square where you are standing, and his head tossed in a well nearby. Not one to give up easily, the good saint fetched his head from the well and proceeded to carry it back to his cave on the outskirts of town. He is known as a cephalophore, a subset of saints who carry their heads after martyrdom.
Passing down what is now the Rue des Têtes, the Street of Heads, he was mocked by a group of stone masons who were turned to stone when Aphrodise stared them down (you can’t make this up!) with the head cradled in his arms.
It all ended well, with Saint Aphrodise being venerated in his tomb which is now a basilica where his relics repose, and his camel became a celebrity with the rich folks in town vying to take care of him. A dubious replica of said camel appears each April on the saint’s day to be paraded through town as part of the celebration.
Béziers hosts the largest festival in the South of France each August, the Feria, replete with flamenco, bullfights, street foods, and non-stop, out-door concerts. Almost a million people pour into the city over the span of a week to party and celebrate good times in a safe, family-friendly atmosphere with a laid-back Mediterranean vibe.
Into all this I insert my hunky protagonist, Hardy Durkin, who is leading a bike tour in the Herault with his irregular cast of characters and let the magic of imagination stir the pot. Expect a murder … or two. Enjoy the show!
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