France - Albi, Carcassonne and Dordogne

ALBI 3

LINKS to other pages in the Albi, Carcassonne and Dordogne website and the Colin Day Travelling Days series:

THE COLLEGIATE church of St Salvi is the city's oldest landmark. Building of the church and cloister took place in two stages; the first, in Romanesque style and using stone, commenced in 1080. The second stage, in Gothic style and employing brick instead of stone, began after the war against the Albigenses. Later modifications in the 15th century emphasised the Gothic style by the raising of the original roof and inserting high windows. The church is dedicated to St Salvi who was bishop of Albi from 574 to 581 and who in 577 rescued the inhabitants of Albi from slavery.


Twenty eight steps on the north side of the church lead to the main Romanesque doorway   (Left)

The interior reveals a mixture of Romanesque and Gothic styles. Romanesque side chapels flank the essentially Gothic 15th century choir and sanctuary area seen in this picture. The altar dates from the 18th century.   (Right)

Another street in old Albi   (Left)

Several different generations of brick architecture are to be seen in this wall surrounding the Berbie Palace that now houses the Toulouse Lautrec Museum  (Left)

The formal gardens of La Barbie Palace  (Right)....
.... and the Bridges over the River Tarn. The bridge in the foreground (Pont Vieux) was built in 1040 and remains in use today, although six houses that had been constructed on it were washed away in the flood of 1766   (Below)

The ensuing centuries left their mark without altering the overall character of the town or its surroundings. The Baroque era left its mark after the Religious Wars and some further modifications to the town's architecture occurred during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

A shopping street in Albi leading to the Basilica of St Cécile   (Left)