Page 464 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

The picturesque town of
St-Bertrand-de-Comminges,
perched on a hilltop

15
St-Lizier
EXPERIENCE The Pyrénées stgirons-stlizier.fr
! D7 ⌂ Ariège @ n Pl de
l’Eglise; www.tourisme-

St-Lizier is located in the
Ariège, a department of the
Occitan region that is famous
for its steep-sided valleys and
wild mountain scenery. The
village dates back to Roman
times, and by the medieval
period it had become an
14 At that time it consisted of important religious centre.
two thermal baths, a theatre,
The town still boasts two
St-Bertrand- a temple, a market and a cathedrals; the finer of them,
de-Comminges Christian basilica. All were with an interesting cloister,
destroyed by Gontran, the is the 12th- to 14th-century
! C7 ⌂ Haute-Garonne
£ Montrejeau, then taxi grandson of Clovis in 585, Cathédrale St-Lizier, which is
@ n Les Olivetains, parvis and six centuries were in the lower town, but the
Cathédrale de la Sède, in the
to pass before the Bishop
de la Cathédrale; www.
tourisme-stgaudens.com of Comminges, Bertrand upper town, is the one with
de l’Isle, saw the site as a the best view. Nearby is the
The pretty hilltop village potential location for a new Bishop’s Palace, which houses
of St-Bertrand is the most cathedral and monastery. a museum of local history.
remark able artistic and Thereafter, the town, which
his toric site in the Central was relatively unimpor tant
Pyrénées and the venue for in political terms, became
Festival du Comminges, an a major religious centre.
acclaimed music festival Inside the cathedral,
held in the summer. highlights include the 66
Some of the best sculpture magnificent carved choir
in the region can be seen on stalls and the 16th-century
the portal of the Cathédrale organ case. Also worth
Ste-Marie, and the adjoining seeking out is the tomb of
Romanesque and Gothic Bertrand de l’Isle, situated
cloisters contain sarco phagi, at the far end of the choir,
carved capitals and statues with an altar beside it; the
of the four Evangelists. beautiful marble tomb in
St-Bertrand’s origins lie on the Virgin’s chapel just off
the plain below, in the city the nave is that of Hugues
founded by the great Roman de Châtillon, a bishop who
statesman Pompey in 72 BC. provided the funds for the
completion of the cathedral
during the 14th century.
Did You Know? Cathédrale Ste-Marie
" § 05 61 95 44 44
St-Bertrand is part of # Daily ¢ Sun am
Les Plus Beaux Villages
de France (The Most
Beautiful Villages of
France) association. Medieval timbered buildings
lining one side of the large
town square in Mirepoix
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