Cathédrale Sainte-Marie d'Auch

Auch is the historic capital of Gascony, a quiet town in the Gers set on a hill above the river, and its cathedral is one of the great buildings of south-western France. The Cathédrale Sainte-Marie dominates the town from the top of the hill, with a monumental stone staircase linking the upper town to the banks of the Gers, and at the foot of the staircase stands a statue of d'Artagnan, the Gascon musketeer made famous by Alexandre Dumas. Together, the cathedral, the staircase and the river create one of the most memorable townscapes in the region.

The cathedral took a long time to build, from the late fifteenth century until the second half of the seventeenth, which means that its architecture traces the shift in taste from the late Gothic to the Renaissance and the classical style. The plan and the structure are Gothic, with tall vaults, buttresses and a long choir, while the west front, completed later, is classical with columns and pediments. The result is a church whose exterior and interior seem to belong to different centuries. The cathedral is recognised as part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France, as Auch lies on one of the pilgrimage roads, the Via Tolosana, now followed by the GR 653 footpath.

The interior holds exceptional works of art. The most famous are the stained glass windows made in the early sixteenth century by the master glassmaker Arnaut de Moles. They fill the chapels around the choir with vivid colour and depict scenes from the Bible together with figures from classical antiquity and the sibyls, which reflects the humanist ideas of the Renaissance. Even more impressive are the carved wooden choir stalls, more than a hundred in number, whose seats, backs and canopies are filled with an extraordinary number of figures and scenes, carved in oak with remarkable skill. A large organ built in the seventeenth century adds to the richness of the interior.

Outside the cathedral, the town is worth a walk. The Rue des Remparts follows part of the old fortifications and gives views over the valley and the farmland, while the monumental staircase takes you down to the river. The Église Saint-Orens, the Place Marcellin-Berthelot and the narrow lanes of the old quarter, with their half-timbered houses and passages called pousterles, are within easy reach. Gascony is known for Armagnac brandy, foie gras and duck dishes, and local restaurants and shops offer these specialities.

The cathedral suits architecture and art lovers, pilgrims walking the Way of Saint James and visitors exploring the Gers countryside. Allow an hour for a full visit. Visiting hours vary, and parts of the church may be closed during services, so check ahead. The cathedral can be reached on foot from the town centre, by car or by train, and its terrace and the lanes around it make a pleasant ending to a day in Auch.