Cordes-sur-Ciel is a picturesque town near Albi. Despite its honored place on the European Heritage List, this stunning town perched atop a rocky hill is little known to tourists.

One of the main reasons is the proximity of Albi, which surpasses Cordes-sur-Ciel in size and architecture. When construction of the Church of St. Cecilia began in 1282, Cordes was only 60 years old.

The town was founded by Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse, in 1222 as a new type of settlement. The declassed inhabitants of the surrounding towns devastated by the Albigensian Wars began to settle here. The central feature of the bastide towns was the market square with the town hall. The bastide was usually surrounded by a double, and sometimes triple, row of stone walls with watchtowers.

In those days, such precautions were not unnecessary: ​​frequent wars and neighboring raids alternated with more or less extended periods of peace. Cordes-sur-Ciel, located on a high hill, was fortified with five layers of stone walls, barbicans, and large gates.

Local residents successfully engaged in various crafts and trade, and by the early 14th century, Cordes had become a major economic center of the Middle Ages. From that era remain beautiful Gothic mansions decorated with stone carvings, narrow cobblestone streets, and breathtaking views of the Sérou Valley.

You can wander for hours in this town, forgetting about time, because time seems to stand still here.

Cordes-sur-Ciel is beautiful at any time of year. In the spring, irises and tulips bloom, and in the summer, lush rose bushes stand out beautifully against the gray stone walls. In autumn, fires burn comfortably in the fireplaces, and the wind carries yellow leaves across the cobblestone streets. In winter, frost covers the narrow Gothic windows.