Lavaur

Lavaur stands on a spur above the Agout, around the church of Saint-Alain. In 1211 the town fell to Simon de Montfort during the Albigensian Crusade, and its church was ruined. Rebuilding began in 1255, while Lavaur grew within new walls and ditches. In 1318 the town became a bishop's seat and Saint-Alain a cathedral, giving its bishops a central role in the life of the city for centuries to come.