A veritable symbol of the city is St. Cécile’s cathedral, built between the 13th and 16th centuries, and a masterpiece of southern Gothic. The defensive aspect of this brick fortress integrated into the ramparts forms a contrast with the richness of its interior decoration: remarkable frescoes on the vaulting and magnificent coloured statuary in the chancel. The old bridge over the River Tarn, built in the early 11th century, is one of the oldest in France.
The Palais de Berbie, an old Episcopal palace, contains the world’s largest collection of works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, a native of the city. The Lapérouse Museum, Romanesque cloister of Saint-Salvi and the houses in the old town are also worth a visit.
It is worth a trip to the nearby walled town of Cordes, Castelnau-de-Montmirail, Puycelli and Penne Abbeys, the villages of Bruniquel, Monesties (famous 12th century tomb statuary) and the village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val with its medieval and Renaissance houses.
