Saint-Lizier

Set in the Salat valley, St Lizier appears, dominated by the imposing silhouette of the fourteenth-century Bishops' Palace, facing the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees. It was once the religious capital of the Couserans; the town has kept two churches, witnesses of its past importance. Outside the ramparts, the magnificent cathedral of St Lizier, built between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries, has a very fine brick portal with marble columns, an octagonal bell tower, and inside a rich decoration (twelfth-century frescoes, treasury, etc.). The exceptional cloister dates from the twelfth century.

Beside the cathedral, you must visit the Hôtel-Dieu and its eighteenth-century pharmacy. From the terrace, there is a very fine view of the mountains. You then enter the Roman enclosure through the Clock Tower and stroll through the picturesque little streets lined with old half-timbered, jettied houses, with fine studded doors, built between the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. You must also discover the former cathedral Notre-Dame de la Sède, which contains superb woodwork.

← Other sites in Ariège