Pyrenees Catharevpah Logo Horizontal Colours On White Page 0001When Mirepoix became a bishopric in 1317, its church was given the title of cathedral. From then on, the centuries began to take their toll on it: builders, stonemasons and glassmakers fashioned a monument of rare elegance, an emblem of the Southern Gothic style. Here, there is no maze of chapels or superimposed vaults: a single nave, 22 metres wide, the largest in France, stretches out like a stone vessel – a symbol of unity, strength and clarity.
Above, the 60-metre bell tower watches over the medieval city. For centuries, its bells have punctuated the lives of Mirapiciens, ringing out above the covered market, the arcades and the half-timbered houses.
Today, Saint-Maurice cathedral is more than just a witness to the past: it remains a living place, open to visitors, music lovers and dreamers. Listed as a historic monument since 1907, it is now part of the Pays d’art et d’histoire des Pyrénées Cathares, which works to preserve, restore and promote this exceptional heritage of the southern Ariège region.
