Perched on a hill 25km/16mi northwest of Albi is the town of Cordes (pop. 996), which enjoys the picturesque style of Cordes-sur-Ciel. This little walled medieval town was founded by the Count of Toulouse in 1222, and with its towers, embrasures, numerous 13th and 14th century buildings, market hall of 1352 and other features it is a museum of secular medieval architecture.
This annual festival includes a series of five concerts which run from early July to mid-August. The performances range from orchestral, to choral, to chamber, and include classical as well as contemporary music. All the events take place in the thirteenth-century Church of Saint Michel.
Address: Festival de Musique de Cordes-sur-Ciel, ACADOC Maison Gaugiran, F-81170 Cordes, France
The Escalier du Pater Noster in the west of Cordes, with exactly as many steps as the Lord's Prayer has words, leads up to the picturesque Porte de l'Horloge, which was probably rebuilt in the 16th C.
In the Grand'Rue are the Maison du Grand Veneur and the Maison du Grand Ecuyer (14th C). Also of particular interest are the market hall (1352), with stone pillars and a fine timber roof structure, a well over 100 m/330ft deep and the church of St-Michel, with a 13th C choir and transept.
The cave is actually a dry bed of the Bosc river which now flows below the cave. It includes a 4-meter wide and 10-meter-high tunnel, filled with limestone formations. New lighting was installed in 1992.
Address: Grotte du Bosc, Les Cabannes, F-81170 Cordes, France
Hours:
July 1 to August 31: 10am-12pm, 2pm-6pm
September 1 to June 30: 2pm-6pm; Closed: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat
The Maison du Grand Fauconnier, now the Mairie, takes its name from the figures of falcons on the facade. Carefully restored by Viollet-le- Duc in the 19th C, it has a fine 15th C spiral staircase and houses the Musée Yves-Brayer, with work by the painter of that name (d. 1970).
Hours:
February 1 to January 7: 10am-12pm, 2pm-5pm; Closed: Mon
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