The bastides around Albi are relatively unknown, not only by tourists: even most inhabitants of the French South-West have never visited the fortified villages in the Tarn area. These bastides albigeoises are essential to understand history and culture of the southern France. They were built in 13th and 14th centuries, as a defence system against the crusaders coming from the north: the French king and the Pope wanted to exterminate the “Cathar heretics”. Merchants and craftsmen were allowed to settle down in the bastides and were granted tax relieves.
In the Provence, a bastide is a fortified farm, whereas in the region Midi-Pyrenees a bastide is a fortified village, build according to a blue-print, with rectangular or concentric streets. The houses were built in stone or brick, around a central square, the centre of public life in the village: it was the market place, the local court, where also the sentences were executed, animals slaughtered … The houses around the square often were equipped with galleries. And of course, the walls and towers made use of natural defences: the bastides were built on top of a rock (Cordes sur Ciel, Castelnau de Montmiral, Puycelsi...), at a river side (Lisle-sur-Tarn). Based upon the models from the Tarn, the bastide system spread throughout South-West France.
◊ The best known bastide is Cordes-sur-Ciel: she maintained most of her ramparts, towers and gates; the central square and main street with renaissance palaces are quite harmonious.
◊ The inhabitants of Castelnau-de-Montmiral are proud of their Place des Arcades and the surrounding streets; here you will find a number of nice houses from 16th and 17th centuries. This bastide was founded by Raymond VII, count of Toulouse, in the same year as Cordes.
◊ Puycelsi, a village from the Celtic area, bordering the Grésigne Forest, has been during centuries the fortified place from where the Forest was administrated on behalf of the French king; in recent years the ramparts have been restored.
◊ Lisle-sur-Tarn is quite a different bastide, located in the plain on the Tarn river side. The river however is not navigable any more, the port has vanished; the central square is the largest in the South-West, the streets too narrow for modern transport.
◊ Bruniquel is a fortified village around two castles on a cliff near the Aveyron; in the past it provided a source of inspiration for renown artists: Ossip Zadkine, Valentine Prax, Marcel Lenoir...
◊ Continuing the Aveyron, one discovers Penne, built around the ruins of a castle, and Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, one of the oldest cities in France, both severely damaged by religion Wars; luckily a number of splendid buildings from the middle-ages were saved.
For touring the bastides around Albi, one should count on a few days, saving at least one day for Albi itself. However, if you would like to enjoy nature, and/or to discover the bastides walking or cycling, you should count on a week.
Bed and Breakfast Artichaud in Castelnau-de-Montmiral is a nice starting point for your visit of the bastides and the nearby vineyards of Gaillac: an eco-friendly and comfortable guest house, a charming old house in a quiet hamlet, a gourmet cuisine and the excellent Gaillac wines.
The Long Distance Footpath GR46 follows to a some extent the circuit of the “Bastides albigeoises et gorges de l'Aveyron”. On this backbone, we have prepared a walking arrangement, which allows you to visit al the aforementioned bastides, many of them labelled “most beautiful villages of France”.
Text & pictures: © Bed and Breakfast Artichaud
