Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Serendipity art in Albi, France


One of my favorite photos taken in Albi; the decorative painting on the blank wall of a house we found on an evening walk through the town
 This ancient town dates back to the Bronze Age (3000-600 BC) and today is famous for several things including the Museum of Toulouse-Lautrec and the Sainte Cecile Cathedral; two of the most important sites.  Red brick is the main feature of most of the buildings and is known as the Languedoc-style red brick construction.

The cathedral is a masterpiece of the Southern Gothic style, built between the 13th and 15th centuries as a statement of Christian faith after the upheavals of the Cathar heresy.  It is characterised by a strong contrast between its austere, defensive exterior and its beautiful interior decorations.  

The Toulouse-Lautrec Museum has more than 1000 works and is the largest public collection in the world devote to Toulouse-Lautrec who was born in this city in 1864.  It is housed near the cathedral in the former Bishops' Palace which is older than the Palace of the Popes in Avignon.  
 

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