Rodez (pop. 26,367), chief town of the département of Aveyron, lies on a hill above the Aveyron, between Auvergne and Toulouse. On the east side of the Place d'Armes is the fortress-like Cathedral of Notre-Dame (13th-16th C.), its west front flanked by two unfinished towers. The upper part of the bell-tower on its north side has delicate
Flamboyant tracery. The interior is richly decorated. The third chapel on the right has a fine stone screen (15th C.) and a Holy Sepulchre (16th C.). In the transept are a magnificent 15th C. rood screen and a beautifully carved organ gallery (17th C.). The choir has Late Gothic stalls. On the north side of the cathedral are the Bishop's Palace (17th C.) and the Tour de Corbières (1443), a relic of the old town walls. Also of interest are the Romanesque church of St- Amans (12th C., rebuilt in 18th C.), with beautiful capitals and 16th C. tapestries, the Musée Fenaille (archeological finds, medieval sculpture, applied art) and the Musée des Beaux-Arts (pictures and sculpture).
Farther upstream is the little town of Belcastel, dominated by the ruins of its castle.