Albi

Administration

Albi is the seat of four cantons, covering 16 communes, with a total population of 72,416 (2019).

History

The first human settlement in Albi was in the Bronze Age (3000–600 BC). After the Roman conquest of Gaul in 51 BC, the town became Civitas Albigensium, the territory of the Albigeois, Albiga. Archaeological digs have not revealed any traces of Roman buildings, which seems to indicate that Albi was a modest Roman settlement.

In 584, Gregory of Tours reports that the majority of the townsfolk died from plague.

In 1040, Albi expanded and constructed the Pont Vieux (Old Bridge). New quarters were built, indicative of considerable urban growth. The city grew rich at this time, thanks to trade and commercial exchanges, and also to the tolls charged to travelers using the Pont Vieux.

In 1208, the Pope and the French king joined forces to combat the Cathars, who had developed their own version of ascetic Christian dualism, a heresy considered dangerous by the dominant Catholic Church. Repression was severe, and many Cathars were burnt at the stake throughout the region. The area, until then virtually independent, was reduced to such a condition that it was subsequently annexed by the French Crown.

Late in the 13th century, after the upheaval of the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars, the local bishop, Bernard de Castanet, completed work on the Palais de la Berbie, an episcopal palace with the look of a fortress. Castanet ordered the building of the cathedral of Sainte-Cécile starting in 1282. The town enjoyed a period of commercial prosperity largely due to the cultivation of Isatis Tinctoria, commonly known as woad. The fine houses built during the Renaissance bear witness to the vast fortunes amassed by the pastel merchants.

Albi had a small Jewish community during medieval times, until it was annihilated in the 1320s during the Shepherds' Crusade. Afterward, Jews were allowed only to transit the town by payment, and not to live in it. By 1967, however, about 70 Jews, most of north-African origin, again lived in Albi.

Albi has conserved its rich architectural heritage which encapsulates the various brilliant periods of its history. Considerable improvement and restoration work has been done, to embellish the old quarters and to give them a new look, in which brick reigns supreme. The Hôtel de Ville, also built in brick, dates back to at least 1682.

Main sights

Albi was built around the original cathedral and episcopal group of buildings. This historic area covers 63 hectares. Red brick and tiles are the main feature of most of the edifices. Along with Toulouse and Montauban, Albi is one of the main cities built in Languedoc-style red brick.

Among the buildings of the town is the Sainte Cécile cathedral, a masterpiece of the Southern Gothic style, built between the 13th and 15th centuries. It is characterised by a strong contrast between its austere, defensive exterior and its sumptuous interior decoration. Built as a statement of the Christian faith after the upheavals of the Cathar heresy, this gigantic brick structure was embellished over the centuries: the Dominique de Florence Doorway, the 78 m high bell tower, the Baldaquin over the entrance (1515–1540). The rood screen is a filigree work in stone in the Flamboyant Gothic style. It is decorated with a magnificent group of polychrome statuary carved by artists from the Burgundian workshops of Cluny and comprising over 200 statues, which have retained their original colours.

Older than the Palais des Papes in Avignon, the Palais de la Berbie, formerly the Bishops' Palace of Albi, now the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, is one of the oldest and best-preserved castles in France. This imposing fortress was completed at the end of the 13th century. Its name comes from the Occitan word Bisbia, meaning Bishops' Palace.

The Old Bridge (Pont Vieux) is still in use after almost a millennium. Originally built in stone (in 1035), then clad with brick, it rests on eight arches and is 151 m long. In the 14th century, it was fortified and reinforced with a drawbridge, and houses were built on the piers.

Albi is a city known for its elite Lycée Lapérouse, a high school with 500 students situated inside an old monastery. It has several advanced literature classes. Furthermore, it is one of the few holding a full-scale music section with special high-tech rooms for this section. The Pacific explorer Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse is commemorated in the museum.

Located in an ancient mill (41 rue Porta), the Le LAIT Art Centre is a research laboratory dedicated to contemporary art.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

The Toulouse-Lautrec Museum houses more than 1000 works, including 31 famous posters. This body of work forms the largest public collection in the world devoted to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who was born in Albi in 1864.

World Heritage Site

UNESCO's World Heritage Centre notes the Old Bridge (Pont-Vieux), the Saint-Salvi quarter, the quarter's church, the fortified cathedral (late 13th century) in unique southern French Gothic style from local brick, the bishop's Palais de la Berbie, and residential quarters, which help the Episcopal City of Albi form a "coherent and homogeneous ensemble of monuments and quarters that has remained largely unchanged over the centuries... a complete built ensemble representative of a type of urban development in Europe from the Middle Ages to the present day." | access-date = 20 August 2012}}

Transport

Albi is served by two railway stations on the line from Toulouse to Rodez:

• Gare d'Albi-Ville
• Gare d'Albi-Madeleine

The A68 motorway connects Albi with Toulouse (and Lyon N 88, future motorway).

The nearest airport is Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, located 84 km south west of Albi.

Sport

• SC Albi – The city's rugby union team competing in the second-level Rugby Pro D2.
• RC Albi – A rugby league team that compete in the Elite One Championship.
• US Albi – A Union Sports Football Club established in 1912 in Albi playing the Regional 2 Level.
• Albi held Stage 13 of the 2007 Tour de France. The stage was a 55 km individual time trial which started and finished in the city.
• Albi was the finish of Stage 10 of the 2019 Tour de France on Mon 15 July. There was a rest day at Albi on the 16th and Albi was the start of stage 11 to Toulouse On Weds 18 July.
• Albi was the finish of Stage 5 of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on Thursday, 27 July. The winner of the stage was Ricarda Bauernfeind (Germany) of Team Canyon/Sram Racing. Bauernfeind was riding in her Tour debut.
• Circuit d'Albi, a motor racing circuit used for national racing surrounding Albi's airport.

Education

• École des mines d'Albi-Carmaux
• Jean-François Champollion University Center for Teaching and Research

Climate

Albi experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa) bordering oceanic climate (Cfb). Like much of southwestern France, the summers tend to be warmer and the winters milder than most areas of similar classification. Substantial summer rainfall prevents its climate from being classified as Mediterranean.

|Jan record high C = 19.5 |Feb record high C = 24.7 |Mar record high C = 28.3 |Apr record high C = 30.1 |May record high C = 35.4 |Jun record high C = 40.5 |Jul record high C = 40.8 |Aug record high C = 42.3 |Sep record high C = 36.5 |Oct record high C = 34.3 |Nov record high C = 25.3 |Dec record high C = 21.0 |Jan record low C = -20.4 |Feb record low C = -12.0 |Mar record low C = -9.8 |Apr record low C = -3.6 |May record low C = -0.2 |Jun record low C = 4.3 |Jul record low C = 6.5 |Aug record low C = 4.9 |Sep record low C = 1.0 |Oct record low C = -2.7 |Nov record low C = -9.4 |Dec record low C = -10.5 |access-date=14 December 2024}}{{cite web | access-date = 8 January 2016 | archive-date = 3 August 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190803071302/http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/midi-pyrenees/regi73/normales | url-status = dead

Population

| graph-pos = bottom |1793 |11176 |1800 |9649 |1806 |10061 |1821 |10644 |1831 |11665 |1836 |11801 |1841 |12408 |1846 |14211 |1851 |13788 |1856 |14636 |1861 |15493 |1866 |16596 |1872 |17469 |1876 |19169 |1881 |20379 |1886 |21224 |1891 |20903 |1896 |21948 |1901 |22571 |1906 |23303 |1911 |25100 |1921 |26628 |1926 |29015 |1931 |29351 |1936 |30293 |1946 |34342 |1954 |34693 |1962 |38709 |1968 |42930 |1975 |46162 |1982 |45947 |1990 |46579 |1999 |46274 |2007 |48889 |2012 |49231 |2017 |48970

Twin towns – sister cities

Albi is twinned with:

• ESP Girona, Spain
• USA Palo Alto, United States
• AUS Randwick, Australia

Notable people

• Antoinette de Saliès (1639–1730), writer, feminist
• Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse (1741–1788), Pacific explorer
• Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières (1815–1895), military engineer and general
• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901), painter, caricaturist, illustrator
• Pierre Benoit (1886–1962), novelist, screenwriter
• Isabelle Candelier (born 1963), actress

Gallery

Albi 1.png|Albi Albi cathedrale.png|Albi cathedral (Albi) Eglise Sainte-Marie-Madeleine vue du premier niveau du Palais épiscopal.jpg|St-Madeleine Church, Albi Albi Sainte-Cécile.JPG|Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile Albi Cathedral Choir (7160566080).jpg|The choir of the cathedral Sainte-cecile albi jugement dernier.JPG|In the cathedral, paintings of the Last Judgement France Albi cloitre Saint Salvy.jpg|Collégiale Saint-Salvi, the oldest church in Albi, dedicated to Saint Salvius Albi - Façade hôtel Reynès.jpg|Hôtel Reynès (Renaissance) (Albi)_Maison_Enjalbert_Albi_XVI°_siècle_MériméePA00095478.jpg|Maison Enjalbert (Renaissance) (Albi) Le Tarn vu du vieux pont vers l'ouest.jpg|Tarn river in Albi (Albi) Palais de la Berbie - Jardin ancienne place d'arme.jpg Albi - Berges du Tarn (1).jpg|Banks of the Tarn river Albi - Berges du Tarn (2).jpg|Banks of the Tarn river (Albi) Palais de la Berbie, depuis le Vieux Pont.jpg (Albi) North views of the Ste Cécile Cathedral.jpg Albi.jpg|Map of Albi, 1914

References

References

1. (4 May 2022). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises.
2. However, after the preposition ''a ~ à'', the name becomes ''as Albi ~ à-z-Albi'' {{IPA. oc. aˈzalβi
3. [https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/643/ UNESCO World Heritage Centre – World Heritage Committee inscribes five new cultural sites on World Heritage List and approves two extensions to existing properties]. Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved on 19 November 2011.
4. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/6011060/dep81.pdf Populations légales 2019: 81 Tarn], INSEE
5. Kohn, George C.. (2007). "Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence: From Ancient Times to the Present". Infobase Publishing.
6. "ALBY (ALBI)".
7. "Albi".
8. {{Base Mérimée. PA00095461
9. "centre d'art Le Lait".
10. "Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec". BnF Catalogue général.
11. {{Cassini-Ehess. 390. Albi
12. [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-81004#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE
13. "Albi: Une destination unique". Albi.