Les Chevaliers cathares, Contemporary sculpture by highway A61 in Narbonne, France.
Les Chevaliers cathares is a monumental sculpture in cement by Jacques Tissinier, installed in 1980 beside the Autoroute des Deux Mers at Pech Loubat in Narbonne. It comprises three figures, each 13 metres high, with a flat vertical base curving into a rounded top and a single dark rectangular opening cut into the upper front. Only their upper sections rise above the surrounding trees.
Jacques Tissinier made the sculpture in cement in 1980 on the edge of the Autoroute des Deux Mers, on the territory of Narbonne. It groups three knights 13 metres high that evoke the memory of the Cathars. In 1982 Autoroutes du Sud de la France bought it for 190,000 francs.
These sculptures evoke the memory of the Cathars, a religious group that lived in southern France and faced intense opposition. They serve as a visual reminder of a past that remains part of the region's identity today.
The three 13-metre concrete figures stand beside the Autoroute des Deux Mers at the Pech Loubat rest area, on the edge of Narbonne, so they are seen during a break in the drive. They rise from dense trees, and only their upper sections show above the foliage; no staircase or interior access is documented.
French singer Francis Cabrel wrote a song about these sculptures, describing them as knights who cry softly beside the highway. This connection to popular music makes them an unusual example of public art that lives in people's memories through a song.
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