In Bessan, the returned rooster regained its splendor after three months of restoration

The elected official Emilie Feliu supervised the restoration of the rooster which will return to its original place in a few months. Midi Libre – Mélissa Alcoléa

Lors de la phase de restauration par un artisan ferronnier à Pézenas. – C.B.

Reappearing 25 years after being stolen, the Bessan rooster has just undergone restoration by two Piscenois artisans. It will be exhibited, from June, in the town hall, like a treasure. And continues to write his incredible story.

"In November 2023, he reappeared", smiles Émilie Féliu, assistant for culture and& nbsp;to the heritage of the City of Bessan. In his hands, an imposing ironwork rooster, decorated with gilding, which has regained its splendor. The famous Bessan rooster. It has just undergone a complete restoration by two Piscenois craftsmen. Almost three months of complete care. "Cédric Branchu, artistic ironworker, worked on the metal part, he reconstructed the claws, took up the beak. There were also gaps in the body and plumage, so he carried out work to reconstruct the animal and treated the metal", details the’ elected. "Then Kati Lorand applied the gilding in an artisanal and traditional way, in accordance with the rules of the art." After this stay in the Piscenois workshops, the rooster has just been returned to the commune.

"He wrote a letter to apologize"

This restoration operation was necessary given the state the rooster was in when it was returned last November, after 25 years of disappearance! The epilogue of a crazy story which began in April 1999… hellip; The rooster surmounting the mission cross located on Boulevard Lafayette was then stolen. The years pass, with no news of the rooster. Until last November: "The rooster had been sent by La Poste with an anonymous letter to Michel Sabatery, former elected official, local historian…& ;quot; The story made the rounds in the media, in France but also abroad. The municipality filed a complaint. And an investigation carried out by the Florensac gendarmerie made it possible to identify the author of the theft, someone who admitted the misdeed during a drunken evening and who no longer lives in the municipality. "He wrote a letter to apologize. And there is a prescription."The case was therefore closed without further action. But time had its work and it was therefore necessary to repair the ravages of time and confinement. "The rooster had to be stored in a dark place, it had therefore tarnished, was covered with a film…" It was time to find the light!

"We are going to be extra vigilant"

Next step: "We will begin the complete restoration of the Mission Cross with the same two craftsmen", explains Émilie Féliu. "They will work on site for a while and take the parts to be browned. The ideal would be to be able to reinstall the rooster there, in September, for Heritage Days."In the meantime, from June 3, the rooster will be exhibited on the first floor of the town hall, like a star, in a secure display case. The preservation and security of this element of heritage are now a concern of the municipal team. "The rooster will be fitted and attached to the cross and we will be extra vigilant", promises the heritage assistant.&nbsp ;The overall cost of the restoration (including the cross) is still estimated at 2,000 euros, for which the Bessan town hall hopes to obtain a 40% subsidy from the ;rsquo;Agglo Hérault Méditerranée.

A little history

The Bessan rooster is an element of the Mission cross, a monumental structure placed on a basalt base located on Boulevard Lafayette in Bessan. It was erected in 1699 to mark, as its name suggests, a mission. It includes several symbols relating to the Passion of Christ: the INRI inscription (Iesvs Nazarenvs, Rex Ivdæorvm), the ladder, the spear and the branch of hyssop, the crown of hyssop thorns and nails and also a rooster which crowns the whole. Which can give it the name "Croix du coq". In Christian culture, it symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus. And Jesus announcing his betrayal to Peter before the rooster crows three times.

More widely, the rooster has been used since the Renaissance as an emblem of the nation and has established itself today as a republican symbol.

The Bessan rooster was the subject of successive restorations, before disappearing in April 1999. A new, simpler rooster, made by Mr. Salvo, had been repositioned.

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