CATHEDRALE DE SAINT PONS DE THOMIERES

Located on the historical axis that linked the Albigensian region to the Mediterranean, Saint-Pons was first a powerful abbey founded in 936 by the Count of Toulouse. Then the site was promoted to cathedral and bishopric in the 4th century. At the end of the 15th century, a Gothic choir was built to replace the Romanesque choir, but the work was never completed because of the destruction of the cloister and the cathedral by the Huguenots in 1567. Remaining partly ruined for more than 150 years because of the wars of religion, the integrity of the cathedral was not restored until the 18th century and it was in 1711 that the current neoclassical façade was erected.
The choir is endowed with a luxurious marble decoration from Caunes-Minervois and Italy, then closed in 1771 by magnificent wrought iron gates. The visit of the cathedral is now adapted to the visually impaired public thanks to the implementation of an audio-guided sensory circuit, as well as booklets of drawings in relief and in enlarged characters.

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