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Albi (; )However, after the preposition a ~ à, the name becomes as Albi ~ à-z-Albi is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, on the river Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called Albigensians (, ). It is the seat of the Archbishop of Albi.
The episcopal city, around the Albi Cathedral, was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2010 for its unique architecture. UNESCO World Heritage Centre – World Heritage Committee inscribes five new cultural sites on World Heritage List and approves two extensions to existing properties. Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved on 19 November 2011. The site includes the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, dedicated to the artist who was born in Albi.
In 584, Gregory of Tours reports that the majority of the townsfolk died from plague.
In 1040, Albi expanded and constructed the Pont Vieux (Old Bridge). New quarters were built, indicative of considerable urban growth. The city grew rich at this time, thanks to trade and commercial exchanges, and also to the tolls charged to travelers using the Pont Vieux.
In 1208, the Pope and the French king joined forces to combat the Cathars, who had developed their own version of ascetic Christian dualism, a heresy considered dangerous by the dominant Catholic Church. Repression was severe, and many Cathars were burnt at the stake throughout the region. The area, until then virtually independent, was reduced to such a condition that it was subsequently annexed by the French Crown.
Late in the 13th century, after the upheaval of the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars, the local bishop, Bernard de Castanet, completed work on the Palais de la Berbie, an episcopal palace with the look of a fortress. Castanet ordered the building of the Albi Cathedral starting in 1282. The town enjoyed a period of commercial prosperity largely due to the cultivation of Isatis Tinctoria, commonly known as woad. The fine houses built during the Renaissance bear witness to the vast fortunes amassed by the pastel merchants.
Albi had a small Jewish community during medieval times, until it was annihilated in the 1320s during the Shepherds' Crusade. Afterward, Jews were allowed only to transit the town by payment, and not to live in it. By 1967, however, about 70 Jews, most of north-African origin, again lived in Albi.
Albi has conserved its rich architectural heritage which encapsulates the various brilliant periods of its history. Considerable improvement and restoration work has been done, to embellish the old quarters and to give them a new look, in which brick reigns supreme. The Hôtel de Ville, also built in brick, dates back to at least 1682.
Among the buildings of the town is the Sainte Cécile cathedral, a masterpiece of the Southern Gothic style, built between the 13th and 15th centuries. It is characterised by a strong contrast between its austere, defensive exterior and its sumptuous interior decoration. Built as a statement of the Christian faith after the upheavals of the Cathar heresy, this gigantic brick structure was embellished over the centuries: the Dominique de Florence Doorway, the 78 m high bell tower, the Baldaquin over the entrance (1515–1540). The rood screen is a filigree work in stone in the Flamboyant Gothic style. It is decorated with a magnificent group of polychrome statuary carved by artists from the Burgundian workshops of Cluny and comprising over 200 statues, which have retained their original colours.
Older than the Palais des Papes in Avignon, the Palais de la Berbie, formerly the Bishops' Palace of Albi, now the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, is one of the oldest and best-preserved castles in France. This imposing fortress was completed at the end of the 13th century. Its name comes from the Occitan language word Bisbia, meaning Bishops' Palace.
The Old Bridge ( Pont Vieux) is still in use after almost a millennium. Originally built in stone (in 1035), then clad with brick, it rests on eight arches and is 151 m long. In the 14th century, it was fortified and reinforced with a drawbridge, and houses were built on the piers.
Albi is a city known for its elite Lycée Lapérouse, a high school with 500 students situated inside an old monastery. It has several advanced literature classes. Furthermore, it is one of the few holding a full-scale music section with special high-tech rooms for this section. The Pacific explorer Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse is commemorated in the museum. Located in an ancient mill (41 rue Porta), the Le LAIT Art Centre is a research laboratory dedicated to contemporary art.
The A68 motorway connects Albi with Toulouse (and Lyon N 88, future motorway).
The nearest airport is Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, located south west of Albi.
==Gallery==
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 Eglise Sainte-Marie-Madeleine vue du premier niveau du Palais épiscopal.jpg/){kind=link}
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 Le Tarn vu du vieux pont vers l'ouest.jpg/){kind=link}
 Palais de la Berbie - Jardin ancienne place d'arme.jpg/){kind=link}
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 Palais de la Berbie, depuis le Vieux Pont.jpg/){kind=link}
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