Episcopal city with a heretic history - Episcopal City of Albi 1337; Craft techniques and customary practices of cathedral workshops, or Bauhütten, in Europe, know-how, transmission, development of knowledge and innovation 01558; The art of glass beads 01591
What and Why
The magnificent city Albi is inherently linked to the river Tarn. The settlement was uninspired as it was sort of isolated by the river. Once the Old Bridge (French: Pont Vieux) was built, the city prospered and grew rich thanks to trade exchanges, and also to the tolls charged to travellers for using the bridge. The affluence of the city also brought another issue, it confluenced a sect in Southern France in the form of Catharism, a Christian heretical sect that was considered deviant from the mainstream during the 12th century CE.
Catharism literally means pure and derives from the Greek word: καθαροί (katharoi). Central to Catharism is the concept two deities: one good and the other evil, which clearly upset the main church. As a result the Cathar was repressed and persecuted by the Catholic Church. Many were burnt at stake and an Albigensian Crusade (Croisade des Albigeois) was led to eliminate Catharism in the region during the period. Not only did it suppress and kill the Cathars, it also brought the region firmly into French monarchy. From then on, the Catholic Church took Albi seriously and raised the city to archbishopric status and the main cathedral was built. Other buildings followed, following similar architectural style of red bricks.
Toponymy
Albi derives from the Latin word albēscere, to its vulgar form albīre, meaning white. The root is also responsible for producing name and city like Albus and Albion. The river Tarn derives its name from its Latin form Tarnis, meaning rapid.
See
Saint Cecilia Cathedral (Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile)
Formally the the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Cecilia (Basilique Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d'Albi), this is the seat of the archbishop of Albi. The cathedral was originally built as a fortress-cum-church during the Albigensian Crusade in the late 13th century CE, and hence it looks very imposing, strong and majestic. It stands on the site where a little church was built as early as the 4th century CE, until it was replaced by a bigger church in the 10th century CE to commemorate Saint Cecilia (Latin: Sancta Caecilia), the patron of music. It actually took almost 200 years for it to complete and it holds the record of being the largest brick structure in the world.
The cathedral is built in the Southern French Gothic style with an exceptionally high and wide nave. As mentioned earlier, the cathedral cum fortress was built entirely with bricks.
The choir of the church, the grand organ and the associated frescoes are some of the most impressive one can find in the world. The 18,500 m2 frescoes of the church literally make the walls a living bible. The ambulatory surrounding the great choir, features 200 stone statues chiselled at the end of the Middle Ages.
Berbie Palace (Palais de la Berbie)
The 13th century CE palace of the bishops of Albi or Berbie Palace (Palais de la Berbie) was built on a naturally fortified site, overlooking the Tarn. Its imposing architecture affirms the power of the bishops against the consuls of the city and its role as a former fortress. Over the centuries, the bishops transformed it into a leisure residence, it is now one of the best preserved episcopal palaces in France. The word berbie is Occitan for bishop.
The Palace gardens are one of the favourite and unmissable spots for visitors. From the old rempart the garden with the view of the river forms a picturesque panoramic view. Turning round, one can appreciate the breathtaking view of the massive Saint Cecilia Cathedral.
The palace also houses the famous Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, an art musuem dedicated mainly to the work of the local painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
Old Bridge (Pont Vieux)
The Old Bridge gives not only the most beautiful panoramas on the Berbie Palace and Saint Cecilia’s Cathedral, but also the entire history of Albi. The bridge was constructed in the mid-11th century CE and as mentioned, literally began and prospered the city due to its toll levied. During the time, and a few centuries later along with the Canal du Midi, Albi and the bridge forme at an important crossroad on the routes between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Saint-Salvi Collegiate and Quarter (Collégiale Saint-Salvy)
The Collegiate of Saint Salvi (Collégiale Saint-Salvy), named after the first bishop Salvius (Salvy) of the city of Albi in the 6th century, stands proudly at the corner of Sainte-Cécile place since the 11th century CE. This monument is one of the largest Romanesque churches in Albi.
The cloister, which is the main feature of the site was built in the mid-13th century CE and is recognised for its tranquil architecture. It is also one of the five vegetable gardens created by the city of Albi where vegetables, condiments and herbs are made available to passers-by: a pooled plant and edible heritage.
The nearby quarter, aptly known as the Saint Salvi Quarter (Quartier Saint-Salvy) is architecturally well blended with the college, housing many touristy shops and restaurants for a good stroll.
Buy and Do
Glass beads (Perles de verres)
There are a few shops around the old town area of Albi that sells the modest but beautiful glass beads. Glass beadmaking dates back to Roman times and a very significant industry of glass beads started to grow in Venice (Italian: Venezia) and France, and together with the pilgrimages, many ended up in Albi.
While melting glass and winding it has been there for ages, the French developed the techniques further by shaping and manipulating with the hot glass with other materials, like wood, graphite, stainless steel. This process is called marvering (marbrer), which eventually gives us the word 'marble'. This technique gave the world the beautiful multi-coloured glass beads (Italian: millefiori) and the murrine patterns that we know today.
As mentioned Albi was one of the trade centres and hence there are many shops selling French glass beads. Many of the shops still employ traditional techniques to make these beads.
Eat and Drink
Gaillac wine (Vin de Gaillac)
We visited the vineyards of Gaillac, which is renowned for its Gaillac Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) wine. The region, which is around 15-minute drive from Albi, claims to be the earliest viticultural centre of France. Clearly we bought a few good bottles from the town.
Getting There and Around
The entry fee to the Berbie palace is EUR 9€, while the museum requires an addition of 10€. All the spots are walking distance with each other. A good day of visit and the city is well served by trains and trams.
UNESCO Inscriptions
On the banks of the Tarn river in south-west France, the old city of Albi reflects the culmination of a medieval architectural and urban ensemble. Today the Old Bridge (Pont-Vieux), the Saint-Salvi quarter and its church are testimony to its initial development (10th -11th centuries). Following the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathar heretics (13th century) it became a powerful episcopal city. Built in a unique southern French Gothic style from local brick in characteristic red and orange colours, the lofty fortified Cathedral (late 13th century) dominates the city, demonstrating the power regained by the Roman Catholic clergy. Alongside the Cathedral is the vast bishop’s Palais de la Berbie, overlooking the river and surrounded by residential quarters that date back to the Middle Ages. The Episcopal City of Albi forms a coherent and homogeneous ensemble of monuments and quarters that has remained largely unchanged over the centuries.
The workshop organization, or Bauhüttenwesen, appeared in the Middle Ages on the construction sites of European cathedrals. Now, as then, these workshops are home to various trades working in close collaboration. The term Bauhüttenwesen in German refers both to the organization of a workshop network dealing with the construction or restoration of a building and to the workshop itself, as a place of work. Since the end of the Middle Ages, these workshops have formed a supra-regional network extending beyond national borders. The workshops safeguard the traditional customs and rituals of their professions, as well as a wealth of knowledge transmitted across the generations, both orally and in writing. Faced with the progressive shortage of technical skills and in an age of increasing mechanization and cost optimization, the workshops created or re-established in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have become institutions that preserve, transmit and develop traditional techniques and know-how. Their commitment to safeguarding and promoting living heritage, through targeted awareness raising, information and communication measures and close cooperation with shareholders in the field of politics, the church, monument conservation, business and research, can be considered as an example to be adapted and implemented in other contexts worldwide. Through their organization and training system for on-site practice, the workshops could be considered as a model for all types of buildings that need to be built and maintained.
The art of glass beads is closely linked to the wealth of knowledge and mastery of a material (glass) and element (fire). The art covers specific knowledge and shared skills, reflects the use of specific traditional tools and processes, and includes various stages. In Italy, technical knowledge related to the production takes two forms: 1) a lume beads (with a blowtorch) and 2) da canna beads, made by sectioning, softening and polishing a hollow cane. In France, solid beads are made with a torch and the hot glass is rounded through rotation and gravity, or hollow beads are made either on a mandrel or by blowing into a hollow cane. The more complex production of murrines, common in both States, consists of assembling multicoloured glass canes around a core. The beads are then decorated and used in a wide variety of ways. In both States Parties, the practice is mainly transmitted informally in workshops, where apprentices acquire knowledge through observation, experimentation and practice under the supervision of expert craftspeople. Transmission can also occur through formal education in technical establishments. Gifts made with glass beads are used to mark certain events and social occasions, and the practice promotes social cohesion and dexterity in manual and craft work. Bearers and practitioners recognize themselves in a collective identity made up of shared memories and spaces.
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