Vias is an old town dating back to ancient times. It was first mentioned in 899, in a charter from the bishopric of Agde: the fief of Vias was originally an old Gallo-Roman villa, built in the days when the Romans colonised the region. However, the area was occupied long before that: traces of chalcolithic dwellings (2000 B.C.) have been found on the slopes of the extinct volcano, Roque-Haute, along with evidence that Greek sailors landed here in 600 B.C. The “castrum” (fortified village) was built in the 12^th Century, with volcanic stone ramparts that give the village its characteristic rounded shape. At this time, entry to the town was via four drawbridge gates, of which the St-Thibéry gate is the only one still remaining.

These defences were strengthened by the construction of the fortified church of St Jean Baptiste (between 1394 and 1424) in alignment with the walls. With time and the influence of events, the village took on its present appearance, made special by the use of black volcanic stone in most of its buildings.
In the 17^th Century, homes and public buildings were adorned with Italianate doors. In the 11^th Century, under the town council led by François Rasca de Palignan, the fountain was restored and the covered market was built. At the same time, vine growing intensified and the structure of houses was altered accordingly, with the cellars being built on the ground floor with access to the street. The village developed beyond the ramparts, which were destroyed after the Second World War to make way for this new expansion.