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Description

Attractive antique birdseye view of the town of Montpelier in France. This Belleforest depiction shows the city as it stood in the late 16th century and originally appeared in Belleforest's Cosmographie Universelle.

Montpellier is depicted as seen from the west and the view is centered on the Basilica of Notre Dame de Taules [Tables], named for the money changing tables which operated in front of the Basilica during the 12th century. Soon after the publication of this view, the Basilica would be destroyed during the French Wars of Religion. However, the Church of St. Pierre, labelled D on the map, still remains (despite receiving moderate damage during the same conflict) and would later be elevated to the status of cathedral once fully repaired. 

The Cosmographie Universelle was a French reprint of Munster's Cosmographie. The publishers Nicolas Chesneau and Michel Sonnius felt that Munster's work, even when published in French, focused too heavily on Germany and thus needed updating for a French audience. The final work would contain 163 plates, only 49 of which were based on Munster's original.