Cathédrale Saint-Benoît de Castres

Castres

On the banks of the Agout, in the heart of Castres, the former cathedral of Saint-Benoît perpetuates the memory of one of the oldest monastic foundations in the South-West. Legend has it that three young noblemen, around 640–647, withdrew from the world on the banks of the river to live there according to the Rule of Saint Benedict; the abbey of Bellecelle was officially founded in 812 at the instigation of the reformer Benedict of Aniane, on land given by Count Ulfarius. Having become one of the most influential Benedictine monasteries in Languedoc, the abbey church was raised to the rank of cathedral in 1317, when the diocese of Castres was created. The Wars of Religion struck it hard: its vaults were brought down as early as 1563, and then the whole building was destroyed in 1567 by the Huguenots who held the town. Not until the end of the 16th century and throughout the 17th did it rise again, in the classical lines and monumental facade known today. A simple parish church since the suppression of the diocese in 1801, Saint-Benoît keeps the bearing of a cathedral and tells, in its rebuilt stone, the troubled memory of a town that was one of the great centres of French Protestantism.

Getting there : Historic centre of Castres, free admission, near the town hall and the banks of the Agout

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound