The grey fortress-like Cathedral (March, April & Oct Mon–Sat 10am–noon & 2–6pm, Sun 2–6pm; May–Sept Mon–Sat 9am–7pm, Sun 2–6.30pm; Nov–Feb Mon–Sat 10am–noon & 2–5pm, Sun 2–5pm; admission to cloister and choir €4) at St-Bertrand-de-Comminges commands the plain from the knoll ahead, the austere white-veined facade and heavily buttressed nave totally subduing the clutch of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century houses huddled at its feet. To the right of the west door a Romanesque cloister with engaging carved capitals looks out across a green valley to hills, where a local maquis unit had its lair during the war. In the aisleless interior, the small area at the west end reserved for the laity has a superbly carved sixteenth-century oak organ, pulpit and spiral stair, although the church's great attraction is the central choir, built by toulousain craftsmen and installed in 1535. The elaborately carved stalls – 66 in all – are a feast of virtuosity, mingling piety, irony and malicious satire, each one the work of a different craftsman. In the misericords and partitions separating them, the ingenuity and humour of their creators is best seen; each of the gangways dividing the misericords has a representation of a cardinal sin on top of the end partition. By the middle gangway on the south side, for example, Envy is represented by two monks, faces contorted with hate, fighting over the abbot's baton of office, pushing against each other foot to foot in a furious tug-of-war. The armrest on the left of the rood-screen entrance depicts the abbot birching a monk, while the bishop's throne has a particularly lovely back panel in marquetry, depicting St Bertrand himself and St John. In the ambulatory a fifteenth-century shrine depicts scenes from St Bertrand's life, with the church and village visible in the background of the top right panel.During peak season cars are not allowed in the village itself, but a minibus operates a shuttle service from the car park at the base of the hill. In July and August the cathedral and St-Just in Valcabrère, both with marvellous acoustics, host the musical Festival du Comminges; more details from the tourist office on the cathedral square (daily 10.30am–12.30pm & 3–7pm; tel 05.61.95.44.44; or for specific enquiries about the festival tel 05.61.88.32.00 in summer, tel 05.61.95.81.25 the rest of the year). Staying overnight is an attractive proposition, at least outside peak season. Opposite the cathedral, the Hôtel du Comminges (tel 05.61.88.31.43, fax 05.61.94.98.22; €40–55; closed Nov–March) makes for a fine, old-fashioned overnight and has a reasonable restaurant (closed Oct–March). Otherwise the more modern Hôtel L'Oppidum (tel 05.61.88.33.50, fax 05.61.95.94.04; €40–55; closed mid-Nov to mid-Dec & Wed out of season), north of the cathedral on rue de la Poste, has variable but engaging en-suite rooms, with an excellent ground-floor restaurant (allow €20 including drink), which doubles as a salon de thé. The nearest campsite – shady and well laid out – is Es Pibous (tel 05.61.94.98.20), north of the road to St-Just. The only notable unaffiliated restaurant is Chez Simone, downhill from the Hôtel du Comminges, serving simpler fare (€14) on its panoramic terrace.
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