Cordes was founded in 1222 by Raymond VII, count of Toulouse. It had been a refuge for cathars, followers of a “heretic” religious movement that criticised wealth and earthly power of the Roman Catholic church. And in fact, Cordes was a formidable fortress; assailants were already exhausted from the run on the steep hill, before they arrived at the city walls: the crusaders from the north were not able to take the bastide.
The Wars of Religion and Black Death on the contrary took their tolls. A period of wealth followed the period of the crusade, thanks to leather and textile industries; the bastide counted some 5000 inhabitants during that period. From that epoch stem the beautiful Gothic palaces in the main street. The city council tried to avoid that protestantism got hold on the city, en therefore persecuted their protestant citizens, whereupon the Huguenots acted to protect their fellow protestants, and took the bastide in 1568 and 1574. After these unfortunate history, pestilence decimated the population in 17th century, to be followed by 4 years of famine early 18th century: industry and commerce collapsed, only a few hundred inhabitants survived. Never Cordes regained its 14th century wealth.
Today, Cordes-sur-Ciel is certainly the most touristy city in the region of the bastides albigeoises. The ramparts are well preserved, as well as a number of towers and gates. The narrow streets impede cars to drive around. Since many years, the number of inhabitants of Cordes-sur-Ciel is shrinking: the Cité has become an open-air museum, with souvenir shops, snack bars and all what tourism carries along. However, even if it lacks the authenticity of other bastides albigeoises, the visit of Cordes remains a must: it is a beautiful, and worth a few hours of your time.
The Gothic palaces in the main street were built by rich pastel merchants, mostly between 1260 and 1315. The names of the buildings came from the rich decoration on the front: Grand Fauconnier, Grand Veneur, Grand Ecuyer are the most famous. Take your time to stroll around the city, you will discover many architectural beauties. The small museums are interesting: there is one devoted to the painter Yves Brayer, who played a role in making known Cordes; the Musée de l’art du sucre, from the pastry-baking school Thuriès, the Charles Portal history museum.
You are probably better off not to stay in the bastide itself: car access and parking are difficult. You might be better off for a place that is better located for a visit of the the bastides and Gaillac vineyards area.
Bed and Breakfast Artichaud is located in Castelnau-de-Montmiral, along both the tourist roads of the bastides albigeoises and the Gaillac wine. It is a good idea to stay here for your holiday in this region: an eco-friendly guest house, comfortable, with good food and wine. Our guests are enthusiastic about their stay, and about the good tips we can give them for making their holiday a fine experience.
Text & pictures: © Bed and Breakfast Artichaud
