ST. MARY'S CATHEDRAL

It stands out in the Savès region of Gers, where churches are traditionally built with wall steeples. The cathedral of Saint-Marie is like a beacon, visible all around Lombez with its magnificent octagonal bell tower in pink tones. It owes its existence to Pope John XXII in Avignon, who decided to strengthen the power and actions of the Church in the region by creating five new bishoprics on the lands of the archbishopric of Toulouse. In 1317, the Benedictine abbey of Notre-Dame de Lombez was elevated to the rank of bishopric, and remained so until the French Revolution. The cathedral's fortress-like appearance, with its massive buttresses and parapet walk, is explained by the fight against heresy and the Hundred Years' War. Its construction lasted two centuries, from the ^14th to the ^15th, starting in 1346 with the 42-meter-high, southern-style bell tower, inspired by those of Toulouse's Saint-Sernin and Jacobin churches. Listed as a Monument Historique since 1846 for its architecture, the church houses several remarkable items of furniture. Of particular note in the baptistery is the ^13th-century lead baptismal font, surrounded by glass cases displaying a^19th-century religious treasure; in the choir of the nave, ^16th-century stained-glass windows; also in the choir, the ^17th-century stalls and episcopal throne in sculpted wood, ^18th-century wrought-iron railings; finally, in the gallery above the porch, the ^18th-century organs by Guillaume de Monturus.