Perched on a hill at the base of the Pyrenees mountains in Southern France, Saint Bertrand de Comminges appears from the ground as a gateway to the heavens. It takes only a few moments after passing through one of the village’s three gates to understand why St Bertrand de Comminges is listed amongst the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (“The Most Beautiful Villages of France”).
For us, the charming medieval village of Saint Bertrand de Comminges was a stop as we drove from Lourdes to Toulouse in France. In the past, it was a pilgrim stopover on one of the paths to Santiago de Compostela.
There are two key sights to see here: the Roman ruins of Lugdunum at ground level, and the village of Saint Bertrand de Comminges upon the hill. A shuttle takes people up and down for a nominal fee. It was on lunch break when we arrived, so we walked. Steps in the steeper parts make it an easy walk.
Even on a cloudy day, the area was beautiful.
Roman ruins of Lugdunum
Our first glimpse of Saint Bertrand de Comminges towering over the archaeological site of the Roman Ruins of Lugdunum. The cathedral dominates the view of the village.
Another shot of the ancient Roman city of Lugdunum.
Saint Bertrand de Comminges
We were greeted by charming narrow roads, many paved over the original cobblestones.
The Saint Bertrand de Comminges Cathedral is the main site to visit. Personally, the entrance door was my favourite feature of this Romanesque-Gothic masterpiece, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Inside is an architectural mix including these renaissance stained glass windows.
The 16th-century organ in the cathedral.
The 12th-century cathedral cloisters.
Now the Olivetains (information center), this former 19th-century convent stands nearby.
Lush green rolling hills surround the walled village.
The cheese store and the man in a beret, an image that seemed stereotypically French to me.
In a modern contrast to the rest of the town, this artwork sits outside the cultural center.
Nearby Caves of Gargas
Prehistoric cave art can be seen inside the nearby grotte de Gargas. Similar to the cave art we had seen only a few days earlier at Altamira, we opted not to visit Gargas cave.
Interior view of the cave shot by Félix Régnault (1847 – 1908) – Scan on Flickr by Bibliothèque de Toulouse [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
Practical Information on St Bertrand de Comminges:
- The cathedral is home to the former seat of the ancient Diocese of Comminges.
- The tomb of Saint Bertrand (canonised in 1671) is inside the cathedral.
- Also famous for hanging on a wall inside the cathedral is a taxidermied crocodile, but somehow we didn’t see it.
- For more images of the cave drawings check out this article: The Cave Art of the Grotte de Gargas.
- We had a car. Self-driving is definitely the easiest way to get here. If you are travelling Europe by Eurail, there is a local train from Toulouse that will get you near Saint Bertrand, and then you will need to take a taxi or walk. Check prices and find the Eurail pass that is right for you.
- There is no shortage of places to stay in the Midi-Pyrenees region. Booking.com offers over 4000 accommodation options covering the full gambit of hospitality.
- We originally discovered Saint Bertrand de Comminges in the Lonely Planet Western Europe travel guide.
- All of my photos on this page are previously unpublished. I am not sure why we never shared our images of the charming Saint Bertrand before today. I rediscovered them after moving my images to Lightroom and utilizing its simple organization features.
Have you visited Saint Bertrand de Comminges?
The post Saint Bertrand de Comminges: Charming French Village first appeared on Albom Adventures. It is written by Rhonda Albom.
