On Thursday, April 9, 2026, the University of Montpellier inaugurated the restored astronomical pavilion at the Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier. The inauguration was attended by Philippe Augé, president of the University of Montpellier, Isabelle Laffont, dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Montpellier-Nîmes, and John De Vos, director of the Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier.
Fully funded by the University of Montpellier, this restoration project, totaling €122,000, enhances a emblematic element of Montpellier’s scientific heritage.
A witness to Montpellier’s scientific history, in the late 18th century, Montpellier sought a new site for astronomical observation after the closure of the Babote tower observatory in 1793. In 1877, a donation from astronomy professor Jean-Nicolas Legrand allowed for the acquisition of a Foucault telescope, considered state-of-the-art at the time. A pavilion was built at the Jardin des Plantes to house the telescope, at the request of Professor André Crova, holder of the physics chair at the Faculty of Sciences.
The site, approved by astronomer Urbain Le Verrier in 1862, was chosen for its relative distance from urban disturbances, conducive to astronomical observation. The pavilion was inaugurated on July 28, 1879, on the occasion of the observation of the occultation of the star Antares by the Moon.
However, the pavilion’s construction was not without controversy. Charles Martins, then director of the Jardin and professor at the Faculty of Medicine, opposed it, citing concerns about the site’s humidity. A controversy ensued with the teachers of the Faculty of Sciences, requiring the arbitration of the Minister of Public Instruction, who ultimately approved the project.
By the early 20th century, the condition of the dome deteriorated. The use of the pavilion gradually declined, leading to the removal of the telescope in 1964, transferred to the University of Sciences and Techniques of Languedoc.
Transformed temporarily into a planetarium in 1988, the astronomical pavilion now enters a new phase of its history with this restoration. It now embodies a blend of heritage, educational, and symbolic dimensions.
It evokes the connection between the observation of living beings and the comprehension of the universe, in line with Montpellier’s scientific tradition. This restoration brings back to life a emblematic element of the university’s heritage, while enhancing the experience of visitors at the Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier.
