Albi Cathedral: Architecture as Intimidation

Aug 2, 2011
Vivien Young

Albi Cathedral, Intimidating and Awe Inspiring - Vivien Young

Albi Cathdral, built of pink Languedoc bricks is a truly stunning sight, awe inspiring even today but probably terrifying to its contemporary congregation.

The cathedral of St. Cecile in Albi dominates the surrounding landscape creating a strange, dissonant counterpoint with the river Tarn which flows nearby.

The river is cool, green, timeless and inviting as it flows its inscrutable way from its source in the Cevennes towards its confluence with the Garonne, passing under the bridges of Albi on its way west. It is still possible to take river trips on the Tarn in Albi by gabarre, the ancient style of wooden river boat used for trading woad (or Cocanha in the Occitan tongue) which made Albi prosperous in the 15th and 16th centuries. On a hot summer's day, this is the essence of tranquillty.

The cathedral, on the other hand, built in Languedocienne pink brick (a French version of the ancient Roman brick) forces its way into the consciousness of the visitor, as it has done for the past six centuries.

Monolothic, fortresslike and uncompromising, its arrowslit windows squint down at ant-like passers by and its enormously tall walls,buttresses and towers make a powerful statement about the strength and importance of this house of God.

Albi: History and Heresy

Albi became a focal point of the efforts of the Catholic Church to suppress the Cathar movement in the thirteenth century. This Holy War (Pope v.People of the Languedoc) was called the Albigensian Crusade, although in essence, it was merely the Church defending the status quo and suppressing the revolutionary views of the Cathars.

The belief that the people of Albi were more committed to Catharism than the population of any other town was probably a mistaken one. A savage bloodlust seemed to run like a scarlet thread through this medieval century. When Simon de Montfort infamously ordered the burning of the cathedral of nearby Beziers, in which 10,000 people were sheltering, he asked the Papal Legate first whether he should try to separate the Catholics from the Cathars. The Bishop of Citeaux replied " Neca ecos omnes. Deus suos agnoscet." ("Kill them all, God will recognise his own."). This was an era when life was cheap, especially when it belonged to the peasantry.

Over succeeding centuries, the name of the city of Albi has become inextricably linked with the history of the Cathars, their challenge to the status quo and their obliteration by the Church.

Catharism in the Languedoc

The essence of Catharism was essentially focused on aesceticism, austerity and leading a good life on earth, working hard and observing the Ten Commandments strictly. Cathars believed in the equality of the sexes, which immediately brought it into conflict with Rome.

Cathar beliefs, spiritual and anti-materialistic formed a stark contrast to the greed and excesses of the Church and must have been very appealing to those who questioned the often tyrannical rule of Rome. Rome, however, was not prepared to be questioned, and the cathedral at Albi seems like the defining architectural statement of the wealth and dominance of the Catholic Church.

Albi and the Cathedral

St. Cecile's Cathedral in Albi is the biggest brick built building in the world and its enormous pink presence seems to radiate a power which is economic and material much more than spiritual, a feeling reinforced when the lavishly decorated interior is seen. This Cathedral seems to threaten its congregation as much as it offers succour and solace.

A few medieval streets remain around the cathedral close, narrow and with overhanging upper storeys. To walk out of this enclosed darkness into the bright Mediterranean sunlight and be confronted by the cathedral is a memorable experience.

The cathedral took more than two hundred years to build. Construction started in 1282 and was almost completed by 1383 but the finishing touches took another hundred years. Its austere and threatening exterior makes the lavishly decorated interior all the more surprising.

The cathedral at Albi is breathtaking and quite different from any other cathedral you are likely to see; its connection with a brutal and bloodthirsty historical era is almost tangible, even today, making this a cultural tourism destination of note and well deserving of its World Heritage Site status.