Lavaur - Saint-François

Lavaur was a bastion of the Cathars in the 12th century. In 1211, after a siege, it was taken by Catholic troops, lead by Simon de Montfort. Dame Guiraude de Laurac, lady of Lavaur at the time, was killed, being thrown down a well and stoned to death. About 400 Cathars perished in the flames of one of the largest stakes of the Crusade. The Albigensian Crusade had so many cruelties.

The towns fortifications got dismanteled and over the next decades Lavaur grew. In a "new" district a Franciscan community was founded in 1235. The erection of the monastery´s church lasted three centuries, it was consecrated in 1512. Behind the somehow "humble" facade (previous uploud) a huge nave opens. The building is pretty large: 56 meters long x 11 meters wide.