Cordes sur Ciel, beautiful medieval village in southern France

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Cordes sur Ciel in Occitania in southern France

One of the most pleasant surprises on my most recent trip through theSouth of France It has been, without a doubt, Cordes sur Ciel.

This trip was intended to continue discovering more pretty villages of those that abound so much in the old Midi-Pyrénées region, now integrated into Occitania. which recovers the historical denomination of these lands.

Until this trip he had not had the opportunity to know anywhere in the department of Tarn, starting with its capital, the highly recommended Albi with his imposing cathedral Built with bricks.

Just 25 kilometers northwest of Albi is Cordes sur Ciel, that I advance you must be a totally essential visit if you like them like me medieval walled villages.

Cordes sur Ciel, in front of other beautiful villages in the region that because of their size are rather villages, as would be the case withConques or The Couvertoirade, It has a certain dimension because in it currently reside about 1,000 inhabitants.

History of Cordes sur Ciel

But you should know that in this town past times were even better, when between the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries it had a great commercial strength and came to house up to 5,000 inhabitants.

Cordes sur Ciel in Occitania in southern France

It was a time in which a very important commercial activity of fabrics, silks and skins was lived, and during the same the merchants were built large mansions of Gothic architecture which are now a part of the appeal your visit has.

The origin of Cordes sur Ciel It was a little earlier, because this fortified town was founded in 1222 by Ramon II, Count of Toulouse with the purpose of becoming a defensive point before the advance of the troops sent to fight the Cathars.

Cordes sur Ciel It was located on top of a hill and surrounded by two fortifications, which are largely preserved.

Then, during the fifteenth century, the current neighborhood outside the walls was developed.

Cordes sur Ciel in Occitania in southern France

The best to see and do in Cordes sur Ciel

Now when you get to visit Cordes sur Ciel, you have the best panoramic view of this walled town from the nearby hill Pied Haut.

That is the place from where I have taken the photo that heads the video, and also the spectacular image that illustrates the posters and tourist brochures of the town, in which the walled town rises over a sea of ​​clouds caused by fog.

Seeing this panoramic one understands his name of Cordes "over the sky", which a poet put it on not long ago, in 1985, and which has been officially assumed.

From there you can also see the beautiful and very green countryside landscapes that surround Cordes sur Ciel.

Once you park the car in the lower part of the town (there is a blue zone in most of it), to visit the fortified site you must climb the very steep Barbican Street.

Medieval festival in Cordes sur Ciel in southern France

In this hard climb you will be able to discover charming corners.

But when you go through the door of the first wall is when you will really feel moved to the middle ages, a sensation that increases once you pass the second door and access the interior of the walled enclosure of Cordes sur Ciel, which is not too big.

In an elongated way, its beautiful half-timbered houses and the mansions with Gothic facades are arranged along two parallel streets.

As a central axis, a landscaped plaza, another with the colonnade enclosure of the old market of the fifteenth century, and a third plaza that opens before the San Miguel's Church, built between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries.

In you walk through Cordes sur Ciel you will check the prominence of the artist and artisan shops, with numerous galleries and establishments of the most diverse trades.

Cordes sur Ciel in Occitania in southern France

And, of course, to highlight the great succession of mansions on whose facades you can see the various Gothic styles, from the most primitive of the thirteenth century to the flamboyant of the fifteenth century.

Medieval festival Cordes sur Ciel

A key for your possible visit Cordes sur Ciel is to make it coincide with the celebration of the medieval festival of Great Falconer, whose dates Annual are July 13 and 14.

So it coincided during my quotedjourney through Occitania and I could see how the town is decorated with a great color.

In Cordes sur Ciel in these dates a true medieval festival is celebrated (entrance price, 9 euros; children under 14, 3 euros) with a market and the most diverse performances and events.

Cordes sur Ciel in Occitania in southern France

Without a doubt, a good excuse to approach visit Cordes sur Ciel.

Photos Cordes sur Ciel

Here you have more photos of the beautiful medieval village of Cordes sur Ciel in Occitania in southern France.








How to get to Cordes sur Ciel

Cordes sur Ciel It is just over an hour's drive northeast from Toulouse, south of France.

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Video: Cordes-sur-Ciel, Southwestern France (March 2024).