Caunes-Minervois Abbey

At the foot of the Black Mountain, between vineyards and garrigue, lies the picturesque medieval village of Caunes-Minervois. This village is famous for the quality of its crimson marble, which is used to embellish celebrated monuments like the Grand Trianon at Versailles, the Opéra Garnier in Paris and the Capitole in Toulouse, to name but a few.

Caunes-Minervois is also renowned for its former Benedictine abbey, founded in 780. Richly decorated with crimson Caunes marble, its abbey church has two bell towers, a superb 11th-century Romanesque apse and a beautiful 13th-century sculpted doorway. As well as this architectural gem, there's an 18th-century cloister, a crypt which holds the remains of the first Carolingian church and 17th-century convent buildings.

After you have seen the abbey, take a stroll in the little Caunes-Minervois streets, lined with medieval and Renaissance houses. You will have a chance to admire the façades of beautiful, ancient dwellings, such as the 14th-century mansion Hôtel Sicard, or the 15th and 16th-century Hôtel Alibert.