"The US-based magazine picks 10 European towns that it judges to be the most 'culturally rich', based on survey data from visitors to UNESCO world heritage sites, conducted by European Best Destinations."
"The small town (population 50,000) situated in the Tarn departement of south-west France, not too far from Toulouse and Carcassonne, punches well above its weight when it comes to culture. Its two big attractions are the cathedral and the Toulouse-Lautrec museum. The Sainte Cecile cathedral is notably enormous and slightly scary-looking - looming above the town with its fortress-like exterior, it has a distinct aura of Mordor. The region around Albi was at the centre of the Cathar uprising in the 1200s, and the turbulent history of the period directly contributes to the town's unusual cathedral."
"Tourist sites will tell you that the imposing building with its 78-metre high bell tower was built "as a statement of faith after the upheavals of the Cathar uprising". Local guides will tell you a darker story - of a group of priests who essentially extorted money from the town's wealthiest families by threatening to report them to the Inquisition as suspected Cathar sympathisers, and used the cash to build the enormous cathedral."
Albi, a small town of about 50,000 in the Tarn department of south-west France, ranks among Europe’s culturally rich towns. The town lies near Toulouse and Carcassonne and features two main attractions: the massive Sainte Cécile cathedral and the Toulouse-Lautrec museum. The cathedral’s fortress-like exterior and 78-metre bell tower reflect the region’s turbulent Cathar-era history and dominate the skyline. Explanations for the cathedral’s construction range from a public statement of faith after the Cathar upheavals to claims that wealthy families were pressured into funding the project under threat of Inquisition accusations.
Read at www.thelocal.fr
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