Medieval Festival of the Grand Fauconnier

The Medieval Festival of the Grand Fauconnier: over 50 years of tradition in Cordes-sur-Ciel

Since 1971, the Medieval Festival of the Grand Fauconnier has enlivened the medieval city of Cordes-sur-Ciel every summer, perched on the Puech de Mordagne, a few leagues from Albi. Created for the 750th anniversary of the founding of the fortified town by Count Raymond VII of Toulouse in 1222, these festivals have become over the decades one of the most renowned medieval events in the south of France.

A Journey to the Heart of the Middle Ages

For three days, the upper city transforms into a vast medieval encampment. Visitors are invited to stroll in medieval or fantasy costume through the cobbled streets, among the sculpted Gothic houses and artisan shops. Blacksmiths, basket makers, wood turners, tanners, and illuminators set up their workshops and share their ancestral know-how, while the Compagnons du Gras Jambon ensure the authenticity of the festivities.

Shows and Activities

The program combines live shows and participatory activities: knight combats, falconry demonstrations, archery, medieval music and dances, storytelling, and juggling. The medieval banquet on Friday evening, served by torchlight with a medieval-inspired menu, is a highlight and a convivial moment that opens the festivities. Historical reenactment troupes from all over France animate the following two days.

An Exceptional Setting

Cordes-sur-Ciel, classified among the Most Beautiful Villages of France, offers an incomparable natural setting for this dive into history. The five successive fortified walls, the Gothic houses of the 13th and 14th centuries with their sculpted facades, the Hall, and the monumental gates form an open-air theater where the past comes back to life with striking authenticity.