Alet-les-Bains Abbey-Cathedral

This beautiful church adjoins the ruins of the Abbey of Alet. Its area dominates the adjoining cemetery and the main street of the village. It is of southern Gothic style. The interior is remarkable, notably with its beautiful frescoes from the 14th century, in the north side chapel, known as Saint Benoit chapel. The building was built by order of the first Bishop of Alet, in the 14th century. A restoration took place in the 17th century, and an extension in the 18th century.

The church dedicated to Marie-Madeleine dates from the 11th century and has an eventful history. Interestingly there is a devil supporting the holy water vessel on the left when entering the Church. Abandoned and dilapidated in the 19th century, it was the subject of major restorations by the parish priest Bèrenger SauniËre in 1886. Supposedly strange parchments, a tomb and a treasure at the origin of the legend of the treasure of Rennes-le-Chateau have been discovered here.

The abbey was built on the Saint-Hilaire chapel dedicated to the first bishop who evangelized the region in the sixth century. The abbey experienced difficulties in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, particularly financial. During the French Revolution, the buildings were sold as national goods.