The Soulages Museum and Aubrac beef — Aveyron's cathedral city and the birthplace of the world's greatest living abstract painter
Rodez is the capital of the Aveyron — a remote, plateau-and-gorge département that is one of the most gastronomically rich regions in France. The red sandstone Gothic cathedral dominates the skyline from miles away. The Musée Soulages (opened 2014) is dedicated entirely to Pierre Soulages (born Rodez, 1919 — died 2022), one of the greatest abstract painters of the 20th century, famous for paintings he called 'outrenoir' (beyond black) — explorations of black surface, reflection, and texture. The Aveyron's food identity is built on Aubrac beef (a rustic brown cattle breed raised on high platea…
Rodez was the capital of the Ruthènes, a Gallic tribe, before becoming Segodunum — an important Roman administrative centre controlling the Aveyron plateau. The massive 13th–16th century Gothic cathedral was built in local red sandstone (grès rouge du Rouergue) and its bell tower, completed 1526, is one of the finest examples of Late Gothic in southern France. The Rouergue — the historical name for the Aveyron region — was one of medieval France's most independent counties. Pierre Soulages was born in Rodez and studied by copying the Romanesque tympanum of Conques's abbey church before discov…