The Cathédrale Ste-Cécile (daily: June-Sept
8.30am-7pm; rest of year 8.30-11.45am & 2-5.45pm; entry to choir
€0.80, to treasury €3.05), begun about 1280, is visible from miles
around, dwarfing the town like some vast bulk carrier run aground, the
belfry its massive superstructure. If the comparison sounds
unflattering, perhaps it is not amiss, for this is not a conventionally
beautiful building; it's all about size and boldness of conception. The
sheer plainness of the exterior is impressive on this scale, and it is
not without interest: arcading, buttressing, the contrast of stone
against brick - every differentiation of detail becomes significant.
Entrance is through the south portal, by contrast the most extravagant
piece of Flamboyant sixteenth-century frippery. The interior, a
hall-like nave of colossal proportions, is dominated by a huge mural of
the Last Judgement , believed to be the work of Flemish artists
in the late fifteenth century. Above, the vault is covered in richly
colourful paintings of sixteenth-century Italian workmanship, while a
rood screen, delicate as lace, shuts off the choir: Adam makes a show
of covering himself, Eve strikes a flaunting model's pose beside the
central doorway, and the rest of the screen is adorned with countless
statuary.
Next to the cathedral, a powerful red-brick castle, the thirteenth-century Palais de la Berbie , houses the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec
(June-Sept daily 10am-noon & 2-6pm; rest of year Wed-Sun 10am-noon
& 2-5pm; €3.66), containing paintings, drawings, lithographs and
posters from the earliest work to the very last - an absolute must for
anyone interested in Belle époque seediness and, given the predominant
Impressionism of the time, the rather offbeat painting style of its
subject. However, perhaps the most impressive thing about this museum
is the building itself, its parapets, gardens and walkways giving
stunning views over the river and its bridges.
Opposite the east end of the cathedral, rue Mariés
leads into the shopping streets of the old town, most of it impeccably
renovated and restored. The little square and covered passages by the church of St-Salvy are worth a look as you go by. Eventually you come to the broad Lices Pompidou ,
the main thoroughfare of modern Albi, which leads down to the river and
the road to Cordes. Less touristy, this is the best place to look for
somewhere to eat and drink.
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