Abbaye Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse

A predecessor building, whose founding date is unknown, was reconstructed in 779 under the aegis of Charlemagne by the first abbot Nebridius. This elevated the abbey to the first religious center in Languedoc, enjoying the protection of the emperor. Its possessions, acquired through donations, stretched from Albi to Zaragoza. During the Cathar Wars in the 12th and 13th centuries, the abbots of Sainte-Marie played a mediating role. Abbot Benoît d'Alignan contributed to Béziers and Carcassonne making peace with the Church and King Louis. Fragments of a portal, attributed to the Master of Cabestany, show the ornamentation. From the 13th to the 15th century, the abbey experienced a decline due to the Hundred Years' War, after which the abbey church was fortified in the 14th century under Abbot Auger de Gogenx.