There was a music festival in Albi's main square all weekend and of course we visited the cathedral and several other interesting buildings in the Old Town, most of which are made of pinky-red brick. Here are some highlights.
Albi cityscape in some dramatic light this evening.
The cathedral is really unusual, very fortress-like with no transept and a flat top. It was built between 1282 and 1393.
Just left of center in the photo above is the fortified bishop's palace, which houses an art museum that we actually visited (partly because it's inside a castle!). It's the Museum of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, a 19th-century painter known for his portraits of people in Montmartre, Paris. He was born in Albi and after his death his mother donated all his paintings to his hometown.
The rocket-like west front of the cathedral. It was built into the city walls, so unlike most cathedrals, there is no door on the west end.
The interior is really something. It's the opposite of the plain and forbidding exterior, with every surface elaborately decorated. All the walls and the entire ceiling are covered in paintings, most of which date from 1512-13. Despite myself, I actually kind of liked it. David didn't so much. Above is a huge depiction of The Last Judgment at the front of the cathedral.
Lacy vault in the choir screen, which separates the nave from the choir.
Old mill and bridge over the River Tarn.
View of the old town from across the river.
Some crazy guys on stilts at the music festival.
Today we drove north to Conques, which was one of my big must-sees before leaving France. Both the village and church were spectacular and we had a wonderful time. I hope to post some pics tomorrow, after we move to Toulouse.
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