The seventeenth-century restorations amounted practically to a reconstruction, as the Calvinists had partly destroyed the fabric. The two fine towers of the century before were left standing, but without their spires. The city itself lies at a height of over seven hundred kilometres, and the _pic_ rises another three hundred kilometres above. The surrounding "green basin of hillsides" encloses the city in a circular depression, which, with its cathedral as the hub, radiates in long, straight roadways to the bases of these verdure-clad hills. It is not possible to have a general view of the cathedral without its imposing background of mountain or hilltops, and for this reason, while the entire city may appear dwarfed, and its cathedral likewise diminished in size, they both show in reality the strong contrasting effect of nature and art. The cathedral towers, built by Bishop de la Rovère, are of sturdy though not great proportions, and the half-suggested spires rise skyward in as piercing a manner as if they were continued another hundred feet. As a matter of fact one rises to a height of two hundred and three feet, and the other to two hundred and seventy-six feet, so at least, they are not diminutive. The taller of these pleasing towers is really a remarkable work. The general plan of the cathedral is the conventional Gothic conception, which was not changed in the seventeenth-century reconstruction. The nave is flanked with the usual aisles, which in turn are abutted with ten chapels on either side. Just within the left portal is preserved the old _bourdon_ called _la Non-Pareille_, a curiosity which seems in questionable taste for inclusion within a cathedral. The rose window of the portal shows in the interior with considerable effect, though it is of not great elegance or magnificence of itself. In the _Chapelle des Catechismes_, immediately beneath the tower, is an unusual "Assumption." As a work of art its rank is not high, and its artist is unknown, but in its conception it is unique and wonderful. There are some excellent wood-carvings in the _Chapelle du Baptistère_, a description which applies as well to the stalls of the choir. Around the sanctuary hang seven tapestries, ancient, it is said, but of no great beauty in themselves. In a chapel on the north side of the choir is a "miraculous statue" of _la Vierge Noir_. The organ _buffet_ dates from 1640, and is of the ridiculous overpowering bulk of most works of its class. The bishopric, founded by St. Sévérein in the third century at Civitas Gabalorum, was reëstablished at Mende in the year 1000. The Ermitage de St. Privat, the holy shrine of the former habitation of the holy man whose name it bears, is situated a few kilometres away on the side of Mont Mimat. It is a favourite place of pilgrimage, and from the platform of the chapel is to be had a fine view of the city and its cathedral. XXII OTHER OLD-TIME CATHEDRALS IN AND ABOUT THE BASIN OF THE GARONNE