Cordes sur Ciel
Founded by Raimon VII, Count of Toulouse
The town was founded in 1222, during the Occitan re-conquest after the death of Simon de Monfort. Cordes was the first and most important «bastide», built to welcome refugees after the Cathar wars. The surrounding area had certainly been inhabited since pre-historic times.
The incredible work with its two fortified surroundings walls, were built in seven years. Cordes was to become one of the major Cathar centres. It would experience the cruelty of the Inquisition, the Bishop of Albi’s repression and be actively involved in the revolt against the Inquisition’s methods. The legend says that in 1233, revolted by the fact that a follower was condemned to burn at the stake, the inhabitants of Cordes are said to have thrown the three inquisitors down the well in the market place where there is a plaque to commemorate the event.
At the end of the 19th century the town was given a new and incredible boost because of mechanical embroidery. These days there are about fifty artists and craftsmen. They have turned Cordes into an artistic centre, but since they love its old stones, they have also ensured that the wonderful art of the medieval builders has been rescued from the ruins. It now attracts an ever-increasing number of visitors. |
|
Albi
A site which is naturally easy to defend and a river, source of life, were the determining factors behind the first human settlement in Albi in the Bronze Age. After the Roman conquest of Gaul in 51 BC, the town became "Civitas Albigensium", the territory of the Albigeois. Archaeological digs have not revealed any traces of Roman buildings, which seems to indicate that Albi was a modest Roman settlement .
The Middle Ages
From the earliest Christian times, Albi was the seat of a bishop , and the first bishop was Saint-Clair. His diocese had the same boundaries as the « Civitas Albigensium ».
The collegiate church and the cloister, which bear his name, are evidence of the deep respect in which he was held by the people.About 1040, the city of Albi went through a new period of expansion with the construction of the Pont-Vieux (bridge). New quarters were built, indicative of considerable urban growth.
The city grew rich at this time, thanks to trade and commercial exchanges, and also to the tolls charged for using the Pont-Vieux. A murderous crusade
Catharism took root in the 12th century in the Languedoc.
In 1208, the Pope and the King joined forces to combat this doctrine which brought their powers into question. Repression was severe, and many were burnt at the stake throughout the region. This region, until then virtually independent, was reduced to a state that enabled it to be annexed to the French Crown.After the upheaval of the crusade against the Cathars, the bishop Bernard de Castanet , in the late 13th century, completed work on the Palais de la Berbie , a Bishops' Palace with the look of a fortress, and ordered the building of the impressive cathedral of Sainte-Cécile starting in 1282. "Pastel" brings to mind a small, soft stick of colour that artists use to create drawings or paintings. Pastel pictures retain their colour very well over time. The quality of the indelible blue colour obtained after processing was very sought after at the time by dyers from all over Europe. "Isatis tinctoria" , a yellow-flowered plant, was already established in the Lauragais and the Toulouse and Albi areas by the 12th century and known for its colouring properties. At the dawn of the Renaissance, the Albi area became one of the largest centres of production and export in France, selling as far afield as Spain, Flanders and England.
 |
Saint Antonin de Noble Val
Anciently known by its Celtic name of Condate (confluence), legend recounts that the abbey of Saint-Antonin (Occitan: Sant Antoní) was founded in the 9th century in honour of the saint who brought Christianity to the province of Rouergue, on the western edge of which the town now stands. Successful in this, he decided to convert Pamiers, his hometown in the Pyrenees. But resistance there resulted in his beheading, following which his body was thrown into the Ariège River.Legend recounts that angels then descended from Heaven to collect the pieces and place them in a boat which, miraculously, floated downstream into the Garonne and on to where the Tarn flows into it; then up the Tarn to its confluence with the Aveyron and up through the Vallis Nobilis of the Aveyron Gorges to the confluence of the little Bonnette river at a point where the ancient lands and bishroprics of Rouergue, the Albigeois, and Quercy meet. There the corpse was retrieved and reassembled by Festus, the Count of Noble-Val, who placed the relics in a reliquary-shrine, now lost.The Benedictines started rebuilding the abbey in the 11th century, and it was finished around 1150 or later. By the end of the 12th century it passed into the control of Augustinian Canons Regular. It must have been a very fine and prestigious building, perhaps - to judge from the quality of the carving and the stone of the surviving fragments - one to mention in the same breath as Moissac to the south of the same département. The old town hall (even as controversially restored by Viollet-le-Duc) is also of very high quality - as shown by this exquisite carving of Adam, Eve, the Serpent and the Tree of Knowledge. The troubadour Raimon Jordan was the viscount of Saint-Antonin in the late twelfth century, on the eve of the Albigensian Crusade. The town, however, was taken by Simon de Montfort in 1212 during the Crusade. The Albigensian castle of Penne a few kilometres downstream was burned by de Montfort and survives now only as a romantic ruin overlooking the river Aveyron. In 1227 St Louis occupied Saint-Antonin which at this point enjoyed great wealth. The town was besieged and taken by the English in the 14th century, and subsequently suffered considerable damage in the Wars of Religion in the late 16th and again in the early 17th century (former Cathar lands tending towards a Protestantism which survives to this day, for there is a Protestant 'temple' in Saint-Antonin), when the collegiate church and the saintly relics were destroyed by anti-Catholic mobs. It was presumably after the restoration of Catholicism in the town that the corbels were placed on houses without risk of destruction. It was at this time that Louis XIV  |
|
Gaillac
The wines of the future are steeped in history.
Gaillac is one of the oldest vineyards in France, with a charter attesting to the quality of its wines dating back to 1271. The appellation A.O.C. dates from 1938 for white wines. A decree enlarged this appellation to red and rosé wines. The variety of soil types and tradition give Gaillac its large choice of grape varieties. Gaillac is situated on the river Tarn and gives its name to the appellation. Although grape growing in Gaillac dates from 125 BC, it was the efforts of the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Saint-Michel who provided the first real impetus to the cultivation of vineyards in 972. The Tarn River flows through the area and delimits the right and left banks of the appellation. Tarn is a Celtic word meaning deep and quick. The river starts five thousand feet up in mountains and flows into the Garonne which then joins the Dordogne and becomes the Gironde. In the thirteenth century 600 casks of Gaillac wine a year went from Gaillac to England. The wine was transported in wooden boats called gabarres. At beginning of 19th Century there were 240 boats working at the river port in Gaillac. |
Monestiés
Monesties, with its classification of ‘one of the most beautiful villages in France’ lies in the north of the Tarn, in south west France on the river Cerou. Dating from the 10th century it is on the pilgrims route to St Jacques de Compostelle .The village is an enchanting mixture of history, art, culture and everyday village life .One of the most famous exhibits here is the ‘Mise au Tombeau’, 20 statues of Christ, his disciples and Mary Magdalena housed in the Chapelle St Jacques. Monesties is a mecca for artists who come to paint its beautiful old streets and buildings, the river and surrounding countryside and to visit the Bajen-Vega Museum and other small galleries. There are various artisans who sell and exhibit their work in the village, sculpters, tile makers, glass and mosaic artists.
There are many Fetes throughout the year ,the donkey fair ,heavy horse fair ,antiques ,music and of course the summer Fetes du Monesties which lasts all weekend and goes on well into the night ,with music dancing and plenty of attractions for children.
There are activities for the more active such as walking, cycling, horse riding, and water sports on the local lake or maybe you just want to relax with a cold drink beside the Griffoul fountain and watch the locals play Boules in the shade of the chestnut trees. |
Najac
Monesties, with its classification of ‘one of the most beautiful villages in France’ lies in the north of the Tarn, in south west France on the river Cerou. Dating from the 10th century it is on the pilgrims route to St Jacques de Compostelle.The village is an enchanting mixture of history, art, culture and everyday village life. One of the most famous exhibits here is the ‘Mise au Tombeau’, 20 statues of Christ, his disciples and Mary Magdalena housed in the Chapelle St Jacques. Monesties is a mecca for artists who come to paint its beautiful old streets and buildings, the river and surrounding countryside and to visit the Bajen-Vega Museum and other small galleries. There are various artisans who sell and exhibit their work in the village, sculpters, tile makers, glass and mosaic artists.
There are many Fetes throughout the year ,the donkey fair ,heavy horse fair ,antiques ,music and of course the summer Fetes du Monesties which lasts all weekend and goes on well into the night ,with music dancing and plenty of attractions for children.
There are activities for the more active such as walking, cycling, horse riding, and water sports on the local lake or maybe you just want to relax with a cold drink beside the Griffoul fountain and watch the locals play Boules in the shade of the chestnut trees.
Château de Najac or the royal fortress was built in 1253 by the villagers on the orders of Alphonse de Poitiers, brother of Saint Louis, on the site of an older castle (a square tower) built in 1100 by Bertrand of St Gilles, son of Raymond IV, count of Toulouse. The union of these two castles produced what is now considered a masterpiece of 13th century military architecture. The castle has a world record with its 6.80 metre high archères (a thin aperture for archers), such a size being designed to allow use by three archers at the same time. A secret corridor, hidden within the walls, links the Romanesque tower to the chapel of the keep. Possession of this castle, built 200 meters over the Aveyron River, was key to control of the region. |
|
Surroundings