Albi

the walls and ceilings of the cathedral are elaborately decorated and painted

looking at the northern banks, the Eglise Sainte Madelaine dominates the view

looking back at the Pont Vieux.

meanwhile, down at the waterfront a Night Heron tries its luck

since the 16th century the Albi Weir has controlled the water flow. In the background the Pont Neuf.

the Choir of Canons features delicately crafted stone lacework

the Damned are not so lucky and will descend into Hell

the resurrected Righteous are on their way to Paradise, with the Book of Live at heart level

a mural of the Last Judgement stretches over two massive pillars

Albi is a small town, located on the banks of the Tarn River, with its origins dating back to the Bronze Age. Later the region was inhabited by the Gauls.
After the Roman conquest of Gaul in 51 BC, the city became known as Albiga.

In 1054, the first fixed bridge over the Tarn was built, today known as the Pont Vieux. The toll revenues from the bridge helped in the further economic development of Albi.

In the 11th and 12th centuries, the bishops of Albi were actively involved in the merciless fight against the apostate Cathars.
ThePalais de la Berbie (bishop's palace) and the cathedral of St Cecile date from that time and both look like fortresses..

In the following centuries, Albi became known for processing woad plants into blue dye for the cloth industry.

Nowadays Albi's economy is mainly driven by tourism, partly because of the Toulouse-Lautrec museum, located in the Palais de la Berbie.

We visited the Ville Rouge in May 2025

on the Pont Vieux this is the view of the northwestern bank.

looking to the Southwest, the cathedral and bishop palace dominate the view.

this is the Belbie Palace. Looks like a fort.

a front view of the gothic Sainte Cecile cathedral

in the treasury the skulls of the Sainte Cecile and Saint Nazeire are on display

a view up of the painted ceiling