Episcopal city of ALBI - The Berbie Palace

Reference : FR113

POSTCARD AVAILABLE FOR TRADE
Size : 10 x 15 cm

"ALBI (Tarn) - Ville d'Art, centre de tourisme
Ancien Palais archiépiscopal de la Berbie
(Musée Toulouse Lautrec)
Les jardins suspendus dominant le Tarn"

Location of ALBI in FRANCE :

The Berbie Palace

Older than the Palais des Papes in Avignon, the Palais de la Berbie, formerly the Bishops' Palace of Albi, now the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, is one of the oldest and best-preserved castles in France.

Its name comes from the Occitan word Bisbia, meaning Bishops' Palace.
An imposing Bishop's Palace

This imposing fortress was completed at the end of the 13th century . It was both the temporal and spiritual manifestation of the Bishops of Albi.
It is particularly interesting from the architectural point of view :

• an enormous keep, 50m high, flanked at the four corners by towers, three of which are solid throughout,
• walls 7 metres thick at the base,
• ramparts.

Over the centuries, the Bishops transformed this stronghold into an elegant residence with a slate roof. They created vast reception rooms, terraces and French-style gardens masking the bulky appearance of the building, and added a Renaissance wing.

A remarkable garden

During the reign of Louis XIV, in 1678, the gardens were commissioned by the first Archbishop of Albi, Hyacinthe Serroni, on the lines of the French-style garden .

These gardens occupy the former site of the Bishops' Garrison and add to the beauty of the whole place. Overlooked by the former sentry-walk, they now afford a panoramic view of the banks of the Tarn .

The Palais de la Berbie and its gardens are one of the most-visited sights of the city.

UNESCO w.h.s. :
Episcopal City of Albi

Date of inscription : 2010

On the banks of the Tarn river in south-west France, the old city of Albi reflects the culmination of a medieval architectural and urban ensemble. Today the Old Bridge (Pont-Vieux), the Saint-Salvi quarter and its church are testimony to its initial development (10th -11th centuries). Following the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathar heretics (13th century) it became a powerful episcopal city. Built in a unique southern French Gothic style from local brick in characteristic red and orange colours, the lofty fortified Cathedral (late 13th century) dominates the city, demonstrating the power regained by the Roman Catholic clergy. Alongside the Cathedral is the vast bishop’s Palais de la Berbie, overlooking the river and surrounded by residential quarters that date back to the Middle Ages. The Episcopal City of Albi forms a coherent and homogeneous ensemble of monuments and quarters that has remained largely unchanged over the centuries.