Taxi Toulouse → Mirepoix

Mirepoix is one of the best-preserved bastides in southern France. Founded in 1289 by Guy de Levis, Marshal of the Faith during the Albigensian Crusade, this small Ariege town is a jewel of medieval architecture. Its arcaded square (Place du Marechal-Leclerc) is arguably the finest in southern France: entirely bordered by wooden galleries (the couverts) supported by carved oak pillars, it offers an architectural ensemble of remarkable coherence. The 13th to 15th century half-timbered houses framing it present carefully restored polychrome facades, adorned with wood carvings depicting characters, animals and plant motifs. The Maison des Consuls, with its corner beam carved with over a hundred figures, is a masterpiece of medieval popular art. The Cathedral of Saint-Maurice, begun in the 14th century, has the widest single nave in Southern Gothic architecture (21.40 m). Mirepoix is also a key site in Cathar country: the original town, destroyed by flooding in 1289, had sheltered the last Cathar parfaits. On Monday mornings, the Mirepoix market fills the arcaded square in an authentically Ariegeoise atmosphere: Pyrenean cheeses, mountain honey, black pork charcuterie, Pamiers beans, apple croustade.