The first human settlement in Albi was in theBronze Age (3000–600BC). After theRoman conquest ofGaul in 51 BC, the town becameCivitas 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 fromplague.[6]
In 1040, Albi expanded and constructed thePont 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 theCathars, 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 theAlbigensian 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 thecathedral of Sainte-Cécile starting in 1282. The town enjoyed a period of commercial prosperity largely due to the cultivation ofIsatis Tinctoria, commonly known aswoad. The fine houses built during theRenaissance bear witness to the vast fortunes amassed by the pastel merchants.
Albi had a smallJewish community duringmedieval times, until it was annihilated in the 1320s during theShepherds' Crusade.[7] Afterward,Jews were allowed only to transit the town by payment, and not to live in it. By 1967, however, about 70Jews, most of north-African origin, again lived in Albi.[8]
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. TheHôtel de Ville, also built in brick, dates back to at least 1682.[9]
Albi was built around the originalcathedral 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 withToulouse andMontauban, Albi is one of the main cities built inLanguedoc-style red brick.
Among the buildings of the town is theSainte Cécile cathedral, a masterpiece of theSouthern 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 theCathar heresy, this gigantic brick structure was embellished over the centuries: theDominique de Florence Doorway, the 78 m high bell tower, the Baldaquin over the entrance (1515–1540). Therood screen is a filigree work in stone in theFlamboyant Gothic style. It is decorated with a magnificent group of polychrome statuary carved by artists from theBurgundian workshops ofCluny and comprising over 200 statues, which have retained their original colours.
Palais de la Berbie
Older than thePalais des Papes inAvignon, thePalais de la Berbie, formerly the Bishops'Palace of Albi, now theToulouse-Lautrec Museum, is one of the oldest and best-preservedcastles in France. This imposing fortress was completed at the end of the 13th century. Its name comes from theOccitan wordBisbia, 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 eliteLycée 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 explorerJean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse is commemorated in the museum.
La Goulue arriving at the Moulin Rouge, byToulouse-Lautrec (1892)
Located in an ancient mill (41 rue Porta), the Le LAIT Art Centre is a research laboratory dedicated to contemporary art.[10]
TheToulouse-Lautrec Museum houses more than 1000 works, including 31 famous posters. This body of work forms the largest public collection in the world devoted toHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who was born in Albi in 1864.[11]
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."[12]
US Albi – A Union Sports Football Club established in 1912 in Albi playing the Regional 2 Level.
Albi held Stage 13 of the2007 Tour de France. The stage was a 55 km (34 mi) individual time trial which started and finished in the city.
Albi was the finish of Stage 10 of the2019 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 the2023 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift on Thursday, 27 July. The winner of the stage wasRicarda 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.
Albi experiences ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classificationCfa) borderingoceanic 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.
Climate data for Albi (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1976–present)
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