St. Martin's Church was founded in 1229. The Gothic brick building has many colourful windows depicting biblical scenes. Of particular interest are the carved pulpit and the baroque organ front.
The bells of St. Martin's ring the well-known hymn 'Praise to the Lord, the Almighty', written in the 17th century by Joachim Neander, who was the church's pastor at the time. He gave his name to the Neanderthal valley, now famous for the discovery of the remains of Neanderthal Man.
References:The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.
In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.