Cathedral of Poitiers, begun by Henry Plantagenet and Aliénor of Aquitaine, 1160--In adopting the gracious Plantagenet vaulting it remained true to Poitou's Romanesque traditions--XII-century Crucifixion window the most glorious in the world--Spirit of Poitiers' bishops, St. Hilary and Fortunatus, inspired it--Church of Ste. Radégonde is Plantagenet vaulted--St. Hilaire's abbatial has curious octagonal cupolas--St. Jean's baptistry, the oldest building in France, dating from the IV century--Clement V at Poitiers in 1307 carried on the Templars' process--Hall of the count's palace rebuilt by Duke Jean de Berry--Jeanne d'Arc examined there in 1429, found to be sent of God.
Cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand, begun in 1248--Gothic of the north, translated with a Midi accent--True character of Auvergne shown in its Romanesque churches--Notre Dame-du-Port, the classic type of Auvergne's Romanesque school--Abbey church of La Chaise Dieu, begun by Clement VI, 1344--Contains incomparable tapestries (note)--First Crusade proclaimed at Clermont by Urban II, 1095--Riom's Sainte-Chapelle, of the XIV century--Madonna of the Bird a masterpiece of late-Gothic imagery--Romanesque Cathedral of Le Puy (XII century) one of the most venerable shrines in France.
Cathedral of Bordeaux, like the city itself, is of the north and the south--Nave is composite and difficult to read--Clement V (d. 1314) built the Rayonnant Gothic choir--In the Romanesque church of Ste. Croix appeared the first diagonals of the region--Charlemagne laid Roland's olifant on the altar of St. Seurin--St. Bertrand-de-Comminges Cathedral built by Clement V--Cathedral of Bayonne (note).
Cathedral of Toulouse consists of two inharmonious parts--Unaisled nave with Angevin vaults building while Simon de Montfort besieged city--Gothic choir begun in 1275--Chief monument of Toulouse is the abbey church of St. Sernin (begun 1075)--Languedoc then excelled in sculpture: Moissac's portal and cloister (note)--Toulouse a center for brick architecture--Its Jacobins' church begun in 1229--St. Dominic's mission in Languedoc--Albigensian Crusade.
Albi Cathedral, the incarnation of the Midi wars: meridional Gothic--Aggressive Bernard de Castanets began it in 1282--Flamboyant and Renaissance riches were added to St. Cecilia's cathedral--Frescoes of its vault have never been surpassed (1509 to 1512)--Its choir screen equally noted--Auch Cathedral has famous XVI-century windows (note)--Cathedral of Rodez possesses a notable Flamboyant tower (1510 to 1526) (note)--Carcassonne Cité has been too much restored--Its ci-devant cathedral of St. Nazaire the best of XIV-century Gothic--Like a reliquary of colored glass--Carcassonne town has typical Midi Gothic churches.