Breathe in the history of Castres. And smell the odour of rebellion. Imagine Protestant Castres and Catholic Albi. From that point on, until the present day, there has always been a friction between the two towns. Like most towns locally, Castres benefits from some lovely houses built by rich merchants, mainly in the wool trade. The Jardins de l’Evêche were designed by LeNôtre (of Versailles fame), and are well worth a look. It’s ironic that the bishop’s house was used after the Revolution as the town hall (mairie). Revenge is sweet… today it’s used as a museum of Spanish art, with some beautiful work by Goya, including “Self portrait with glasses”.