From the exterior, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Cecilia in Albi, France intentionally connotes the overwhelming power of a fortress rather than the spiritually of a place of worship (see image at bottom). Built in the aftermath of the bloody Albigensian crusade, the reference to the military might of the church is no accident. The surprise is the lavish and beautiful interior of the church, decorated largely with abstract paintings.

For a somewhat related story involving the historical Catholic church in France using architecture as part of a power play, see Sacré Coeur Passage.