A TRIP TO ALBI

I know I’m not the only one suffering from continued isolation and lockdown. It’s been 13 months and we still have a curfew in France from 7 PM until 6 AM though it’s easier in my region than in other parts where confinement is complete. There is benefit to living in a rural region.

Nonetheless, Chantal and I have been wanting to just get out and do something for weeks… With Spring in the air and vacances scolaires (two weeks off from classes) giving me more time, we decided to go to a place that has been on our list for nearly two years.

For me, these trips are an adventure to see new places and discover new things about the region in which I now live. For Chantal, it is a break from the routine. She enjoys driving and says it relaxes her. So Chantal drives and I gawk at the scenery. When the scenery is lacking, we work on my French.

We left Saturday morning at 10 AM. It’s a beautiful two-hour drive over the Montagne Noire via Mazamet, famous for its leather industry. When you reach the summit of the Montagne Noire, it is a different world with coniferous trees, shrub and rock formations as well as some ruins. The air is also (as Chantal put it) “frais” meaning “fresh.” I’m glad we brought our jackets.

The Montagne Noire is the southwestern tip of France’s Massif Central which compromises about 15% of France. It spreads from east to west and visible to the north from my village of Montréal as well as from Carcassonne. At its highest, it measures nearly 4000 feet.

As we passed over the Montagne Noire approaching Mazamet, we came to a lookout with Mazamet down below. Behind us, were ruins from the Cathar age (13th century) of the medieval village of Hautpoul, destroyed by Simon de Montfort in 1212.

Given that no restaurants have been open in France since October, we had to find a boulangerie to pick up sandwiches. It took a while to find one as many were closed. But we finally got lucky and they were kind enough to make up two baguettes with ham and cheese for these hungry day-trippers.

As we continued north towards Albi, we passed the village of Lautrec, known as one of the most beautiful villages in France and also for its famous son, the artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. While born and raised in Albi, Toulouse-Lautrec spent much of his life in Paris and London and died at his mother’s estate in Saint-André-du-Bois, not far from Bordeaux. The former bishop’s palace next to the Albi cathedral is now the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec. But his aristocratic family had roots in this village of Lautrec, just 20 miles south of Albi.

Albi’s cathedral, officially known as the Basilica of Sainte Cécile, was visible from afar due to its unusual and powerful design. It has an interesting history in that, given the time, it was designed as a pseudo-fortress to imply the power of the bishop. It had dungeons below that were kept secret for years. Not only were the Cathars perceived as a threat to Catholicism, there also was the War of Religions that divided the country. Pope Innocent III instituted the Albigensian Crusade to rid the southwest of France of the Cathars who were heretics because they didn’t believe there was need for the institutional church. They believed it was possible to live a good and holy life without priests or physical structures. They called themselves “good men” and lived accordingly. But the Pope saw it differently. In part, it had to do with power and money and the Cathars could not be tolerated. The Inquisition was the result and millions of lives were lost.

Construction of the cathedral began in 1282 and took nearly 200 years to complete. It is claimed to be the largest brick building in the world. In 2010 it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Its design is Southern French Gothic and includes an ornate entrance and choir. Interior colors are bright and intricate. It is unique and left me with the impression that there was Moroccan influence. Its nave is the widest Gothic nave in France (at 59 feet beating out the Reims Cathedral with 48.1 feet and Notre Dame in Paris at 46 feet).

The South Portal is breathtaking in its intricacy.

The interior is at first overwhelming with its colors and design. There is no space unadorned and each chapel has its own beauty. On either side of the main altar is a depiction of The Last Judgment.

I found the choir the most attractive with its Gothic carvings encompassing the choir stalls. It had the appearance of a church within a church. The intention was to provide a private space for clergy to pray and was a popular feature within cathedrals until the 16th century. While closed to us on this day, its delicate structure did not go unnoticed.

Along the choir exterior were beautifully carved statues from the late 15th century.

For more detail and photos, see here.

Leaving the cathedral, we walked towards the bishop’s palace and gardens to its rear overlooking the River Tarn. It was a gorgeous, sunny day.

We left Albi around 4:30 PM as we had a two-hour drive and curfew was looming. On the return we traveled via Castres and Revel for a change of scenery and avoiding this time the Montagne Noire.

It was a day long anticipated and well-spent. We decided we need to do more outings despite the lockdown though we are limited to day trips manageable within the curfew hours. Next stop? Maybe Minerve.