Cathédrale Saint-Lizier de Saint-Lizier

Saint-Lizier

Nestled in the hollow of the Couserans valley, the little town of Saint-Lizier packs into a few hectares two cathedrals, a Romanesque cloister and a bishops' palace — the remains of an episcopal power out of all proportion to its present size. The former cathedral, in the so-called "lower town", owes its name to Lizier, a 6th-century bishop who took part in the Council of Agde in 506 and was venerated as protector of the Couserans. Consecrated in 1117 under the episcopate of Jourdain I, the Romanesque building retains an east end with three apses and above all an exceptional decoration: in the apse, 12th-century frescoes attributed to the Catalan workshop of the Master of Pedret, rediscovered in 1960, sit alongside a Christ in Majesty painted in the 13th century. The adjoining cloister, with four galleries of paired arcades, completes this ensemble, inscribed since 1998 on the UNESCO World Heritage list as part of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela, the town having long served as a staging post for pilgrims heading down towards the Pyrenean passes. From 1655, the episcopal seat moved to Notre-Dame-de-la-Sède, in the upper town, leaving the old cathedral to its parish role. Today, in the coolness of the Romanesque stone, one senses the echo of an ancient Pyrenean Christianity, shaped by exchanges between the French and Catalan sides of the mountains.

Getting there : Centre of the village, designated a "Town of Art and History"; free visit of the church, admission charge for the cloister and frescoes

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

Ambient sound