Albi - Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile

Albi was a wealthy and prospering time already in the 11th century, when a bridge, that still exists, was built, to cross the river Tarn. Albis´s fate changed dramatically, when in 1208 Pope Innocent III and Philip II of France decided to start the Albigensian Crusade to eliminate Catharism in the south of France.

Albi was an important center of the Cathars and got nearly completely destroyed between 1209 and 1229. Many Cathars were burnt at the stake in Albi.

After Albigensian Crusade Bishop Bernard de Castanet, who as well was the Chief Inquisitor, ordered the building of the cathedral of Sainte-Cécile in 1282. This cathedral, built from red bricks, is a massive statement of power. It is one of the largest brick buildings in the world.

I had been in Albi a couple of times, so I´ll not add more details of the cathedral´s exterior.

The cathedral has no portal on the west side. I learned, that the former Cathar quarters were mainly in that direction, so people from there, did not deserve a portal. The architecture of the cathedral is a kind of propaganda against the heretics. The paintings seen below the organ (1736, Christophe Moucherel) depict the Last Judgement. They were painted 1474-1484 and have really horrifying details of physical torture in hell. They remind me on works of Hieronymus Bosch.