The Rignac Area is ideally located for visiting the Aveyron district as well as the nearby Tarn and Lot districts. Here are some of the sites we recommend.
ALBI
75 km - 1h15 from Rignac
Also known as « Albi la Rouge » (The Red City of Albi), the capital city of the Tarn department is an essential site to visit in the Region. The bishop's city has been listed on the UNESCO Wolrd Heritage list since 2010. Lots of tourists are coming here to look at those monuments to satisfy their curiosity.
The Sainte-Cécile Cathedral is a Gothic architectural master piece. Mainly made with brick stones and designed like a fortress, this monument will surprise you by its contrast. While the exterior looks a little bit stark, the interior is much more decorated. All the walls, chapels and ceilings are covered with fresco paintings. You can also find sculpted elements like the jube, which separates the choir from the nave. This element is a fine example of what we call flamboyant gothic architecture.
Nearby, the Palais de la Berbie, also known as the bishop's palace, has been converted into the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum. It presents to the public the largest art collection from this famous artist born in Albi.
The historical center of Albi is magnificent too. You can find around the corner medieval houses, timbered houses, mansions (that remind us of the glorious past of the Pastel makers), the cloisters of Saint Salvi, and magnificent gardens with breathtaking landscape on the River Tarn.
THE SITES ON THE SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELLA ROADS
In the medieval times the roads to Santiago de Compostella were a major pilgrimage in Europe. A lot of people walked along those roads through the centuries. They played a major part in cultural, humanist and spiritual exchanges at this period. That's one of the main reasons why the UNESCO listed them as part of the World Heritage List.
Those Roads are punctuated by major sites and are still nowadays used by hikers coming from all over the world. Those persons can find in our land several sites that are worth visiting as well.
Amongst them, the Sainte Foy abbatial church may be the best example ! Considered as a Romanesque Architectural master piece, this church is also famous for its carved tympanum and its treasure (with the relics of Sainte Foy).
We can also mention other places which are listed as world heritage material: the bridges over the River Dourdou in Conques and over the River Lot in Estaing and Espalion. These beautiful pieces of engineering were and will be followed by pilgrims for many years to come.