Something to see: St. Bertrand de Comminges

As we have seen, this area has historic and religious significance accompanying its geographical scenery. Perhaps the best example of this is the Cathedral at St Bertrand de Comminges, in the Luchon valley, and a must-see if you are at all interested in the history of the area.

The cathedral itself is something to marvel at - as you approach the town, you will see the cathedral and the rest of the town sitting on a hill; you immediate realise the cathedral dwarfs everything else around it.

Walk up the hill, and on the side of the hill facing you you will see ruins which look like barricades - these are in fact the remnants of a theatre, which was used in the middle ages. Rather than following the road, you can cross the ruins and take a footpath leading through the trees - this follows the contour and then rises steeply, to hit the road further up. A further fifty metres and you will see the main entrance to St. Bertrand de Comminges.

The town itself is almost stereotypically quaint-medieval: coats of arms fly from wooden beams and stone gateways; little shops sit on the corners of cobbled streets. Take your time to browse, or follow the signs to the main square, and the cathedral.

The cathedral is even more impressive up close: looking from the square, you can see on its left flank a series of curved stone pillars, which culminate on the tower at the front. This tower continues up to the sky until it stops, with a small wooden extension clinging onto its summit, like a bird's nest to a tree. This reflects the cathedral's formation: it had been built up over centuries, beginning in the medieval period and continuing until the sixteenth century, every addition tacked onto what had gone before. This does not diminish how impressive the cathedral is, however, and this is compounded when you go inside - stare at the ceiling and you realise how vast the space that those medieval workers built. The cathedral is also surrounded by a series of stone terraces, which offer great views across the rest of the valley.

St. Bertrand de Comminges

Aside from the cathedral itself, there are all sorts of museums, galleries and shops which I would recommend visiting - the tourist information centre on the main square is particularly useful in gaining a greater insight into why this cathedral is here.

Overall a must-see if you would like to know a bit more about the place you're visiting (which is never a bad thing) or to do some souvenir shopping. Recommended.