Episcopal city of ALBI - Sainte-Cécile Basilica

Reference : FR086

POSTCARD AVAILABLE FOR TRADE
Size : 10 x 15 cm

"ALBI (Tarn) - La basilique Sainte Cécile (XIIIème s.)"

Location of ALBI in FRANCE :

Albi cathedral

Albi Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d'Albi) is the most important religious building in Albi, southern France. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Albi (in full, Albi-Castres-Lavaur).

The present cathedral was preceded by other buildings. The first dated from the fourth century and in 666 was destroyed by fire. The second is recorded in 920 by the name of Saint Cecilia, the present-day patroness of musicians. It was replaced in the thirteenth century by a Romanesque cathedral in stone.

The Gothic cathedral which we see today was constructed in brick between 1282 to 1480 in the wake of the Albigensian heresy and the brutal crusade which suppressed it, with great loss of life. In the aftermath of the bloodshed, the cathedral's dominant presence and fortress-like exterior were intended to convey the power and authority of the Christian faith.

The cathedral is built in the Southern Gothic Style. Notable architectural features include the bell-tower (added in 1492), which stands 78 meters tall, and the doorway by Dominique de Florence (added circa 1392).

The elaborate interior stands in stark contrast to the cathedral's military exterior. The central chœur, reserved for members of the religious order, is surrounded by a roodscreen with detailed filigree stone work and a group of polychrome statues. Below the organ, a fresco of the Last Judgement, attributed to unknown Flemish painters, originally covered nearly 200 m² (the central area was later removed). The frescoes on the enormous vaulted ceiling comprise the largest and oldest ensemble of Italian Renaissance painting in France.

The cathedral organ, the work of the artist Christophe Moucherel, dates from the 18th century.

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.