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Photo: ByacC, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This beautiful and impressive fortified cathedral was designed to express a renewal in orthodox Catholicism after the Cathar heresy, which had been centred in the area and whose bloody suppression by the Inquisition was largely complete at the time construction began in 1287. The edifice is primarily a brick Gothic construction, but there is a door by Dominique de Florence (Dominick of Florence) and there are also Italian Renaissance frescoes on the ceiling. Its organ dates from the 18th century.
The Cathedral of Saint Cecilia of Albi, also known as Albi Cathedral, is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Albi. First built in the aftermath of the Albigensian Crusade, the exterior resembles a fortress, but the interior is lavishly decorated with art and sculpture, a very ornate choir screen, and walls in bright blues and golds, in the Toulousian or Southern French Gothic style. It was begun in 1282 and was under construction for 200 years. It is claimed to be the largest brick building in the world. In 2010 the cathedral, along with its episcopal buildings, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its unique architecture and the remarkable consistency in its design.
Cloitre de la Collegiale Saint Salvy
A cloister in the middle of the city accessible by pedestrian walkways. An isle of calm in the green in the historic center