Cathedral © Dominique Cathedral © Dominique Viet, CRTL OccitainieRuins of the roman theatre © Tingra, CanvaVital d’Ardengost (d.1334) of the pungentepitaph: ‘Here lies a rose of the world, but nolonger a rose intact. She no longer perfumes,but smells of what she should smell.’Sculptors from Toulouse carved Sainte-Marie’s66 magnificent choir stalls between 1523-51,whose Renaissance humanistic view of theuniverse includes sibyls, prophets, Christianvirtues, knights, imaginary beasts -- and anabbot caning a naughty bare-bottomed monk.St Bertrand is buried in his own chapel,decorated with folksy 15th-century paintings ofhis life. The last scene shows Pope Clement V.Because of his importance, the painters madehim the size of the Jolly Green Giant.Upstairs, the Treasury’s exquisite hoard includesthe alicorne, a ‘unicorn’ (actually a narwhal)horn. Water filtered through it was considered asure-fire antidote for poisoning. In 1594 a bandof Huguenots under Corbeyran d’Aure stole it,but even Corbeyran feared the vengeance of StBertrand, and he returned the horn in exchangefor amnesty.Lastly in the nave don’t miss the tomb ofHugues de Châtillon, the wealthy 14 th - centurybishop whose fine alabaster effigy lies on a slabsculpted with 70 figures in a funerary procession.The good thing about going in winter is youcan usually have it to yourself; the bad newsis the information centre and the nearbyArchaeology Museum are closed.Third wonder of Gascony’ © Dominique Viet, CRTL OccitainieAn ancient shopping mallSainte Marie overlooks the excavatedsections of the ancient LugdunumConvenarum. Although the ruins are basicallyfoundations, it appears life in this town of10,000 was pretty jammy 2000 years ago.The forum temple (c. 15AD) is opposite theschool, by the Thermes du Forum, built aboutthe same period; you can make out the hotand cold rooms (caldaria and frigidaria) andmuch of the plumbing. Roman bathing was along-drawn-out social ritual, a place to talkbusiness and politics.Across the D26 stood the commercial heartof Lugdunum: a once-covered shopping mallor Macellum, from 15 AD with 26 boutiquespaved with black and white mosaics. At over500 square metres, it is among the largestcovered markets ever discovered in thewestern Roman Empire. Towards the car park,a raised circular sanctuary marked the maincrossroads. The municipal baths, the Thermesdu Nord complex, included an early sauna.South of the Macellum, Lugdunum’sPalaeochristian Basilica dates from the 5thcentury, making it one of the oldest insouthern Gaul. It had a green, red and whitemosaic floor; it was used even after theMerovingians trashed the place in 585.Nearby, Saint-Julian was rebuilt in the 12thcentury over the original cemetery chapel.Little remains of the Roman theatre on theslope—it was just too convenient to quarry.Into the Valley of GoatsValcabrère’s name, ‘valley of goats’ comesfrom a trick pulled by the Vandals in 407 AD.When they found Lugdunum too well defendedfor their tastes, they gathered all the goatsthey could find and tied torches to their horns,and at night drove them towards the cityBasilique de Saint-Just © Père Igor via Wikimedia Commonsgate. Everyone rushed to ward off the attack,leaving the other gates undefended for theVandals to waltz in and overturn the wagons,break the windows and paint their names allover the walls.There’s one last must-see. Isolated in a field, the12th-century Basilique de Saint-Just is a crazyquilt of cannibalized Roman and Merovingianstones. The portal was inspired by the Romanmodels so near at hand and it featuresan unusually pudgy Christ in Majesty andEvangelists clutching their emblems. Serenelyelegant figures of Saints Stephen, Just, Pasteurand Helen guard the door, under capitalsshowing cartoonish scenes of their lives. If it’sopen, stand near the altar and sing a few notes:the acoustics are well-nigh perfect.visit-occitanie.com/en46 | The Good Life FranceThe Good Life France | 47
