# Exterior view [View the canonical artwork record]() ## Artwork - Artist: [ARCHITECT, French]() - Date: 1301-1350 - Technique: Photo ## Commentary First built as a fortress in the aftermath of the Albigensian Crusade; begun in 1287 and under construction for 200 years, Albi Cathedral is claimed to be the largest brick building in the world. The Gothic cathedral was constructed in brick between 1287 to 1480 in the wake of the Cathar Church, a Christian non-trinitarian dualist movement with an episcopal see at Albi. Catharism was extinguished in southern France by the "Cathar Crusade" \(1209-1229\). In the aftermath of the bloodshed, the cathedral's dominant presence and fortress-like exterior were intended to convey the power and authority of the trinitarian Roman Catholic Church. The construction of the cathedral was initiated by Bernard de Castanet \(1240-1317\) Bishop of Albi and Inquisitor of Languedoc. Work on the nave was completed about 1330. The bell tower was added in 1492. It is a hall church, the widest in France. The photo shows the south side of the Cathedral. The principal entry is on the south side through an elaborate porch entered by a fortified stair, rather than through the west front, as is traditional in France. View the <a href="\#" onClick="w=window.open \('/support/plans/zzzarchi/14c/2/albi.html', 'newWin', 'scrollbars=yes,status=no,dependent=yes,screenX=0,screenY=0,width=400,height=600'\);w.opener=this;w.focus\(\);return false">ground plan</a> of Sainte-Cécile Cathedral, Albi. ## Related artworks - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Aerial view]() - [Bird's eye view]() - [Burial lantern]() - [Castle]() ## Attribution [Web Gallery of Art]()