The Episcopal City
It has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010. The city is a unique brick urban ensemble. Brick is the architectural signature of the Episcopal City
Sainte Cécile Cathedral
One of the world’s most powerful monumental brick ensembles. A masterpiece of Southern Gothic architecture, it offers an astonishing contrast between the rigor of its defensive architecture and its sumptuous interior decoration.
113 m long and 35 m wide, its steeple is 78 m high! Do you know how many steps there are to reach the bell tower? 365 steps.
Its monumental organ is composed of 3549 pipes and the number of bricks used to build the cathedral is 14 Million!!!!
If you’d like a private tour of Albi Cathedral, visit Christian Rivière’s blog…it’s fascinating!
The Palais de la Berbie
This imposing fortress was completed at the end of the 13th century. It is the temporal and spiritual expression of the Bishops of Albi. (Berbie means Bishop in Occitan). Its military architecture asserts the power of the bishops over the city’s consuls. Over the centuries, the bishops transformed it into a residence for their pleasure. Classified as a historic monument in 1862, it is one of the best-preserved episcopal palaces in France.
Albi is also home to an internationally renowned museum:
Toulouse-Lautrec Museum: The former bishop’s palace, built in the 13th century, is an unexpected setting for the work of Albigensian painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. www. musee-toulouse-lautrec.com
Musée Lapérouse: Jean-François Galaup de Lapérouse, a famous explorer born into a noble family in Albi.
