The Cathedral of Sainte Cécile, a masterpiece of the Southern Gothic style presents a startling contrast between its austere, defensive exterior and its sumptuous interior decoration.

Built as a statement of the Christian faith after the upheavals of the Cathar heresy , this gigantic brick structure was embellished over the centuries : the Dominique de Florence Doorway , the 78m high bell tower the Baldaquin over the entrance (1515 – 1540).

• Construction work took : 200 years, from 1282 to 1480
• Exterior dimensions : 113m long by 35m wide, 40m high, 78m high bell-tower
• The largest painted cathedral in Europe, thanks to the Renaissance paintings of the vault, which are contemporary with the Sistine Chapel
• The largest group of mediaeval sculptures in southern France

Inside, the frescoes of the vault , full of colour, are the work of Italian Renaissance painters (1509 – 1513).
The painting of the Last Judgement (1474-84) provides a marvellous "cartoon strip" vision of Heaven, Earth and Hell. Executed using the tempera technique, it originally covered more than 200m2. It was mutilated in the 18th century when the central part was completely destroyed to give access to the chapel in the base of the bell tower.

The organ loft was built by Christophe Moucherel in the 18th century.
Its extraordinary size (16.40m wide x 15.30m high) and its variety of decoration make it one of the finest in France. There is a programme of free concerts on Wednesdays and Sundays in July and August.

The roodscreen , veritable filigree work in stone in the Flamboyant Gothic style, is decorated with a magnificent group of polychrome statuary carved by artists from the Burgundian workshops of Cluny and comprising over 200 statues which have retained their original colours.

Installed in a strong room dating back to the 13th century, this holds objects of religious art from the 14th to the 19th centuries and liturgical objects .