The first true knowledge about the foundation of the St. Vitus abbey dates back to a document from the late 11th century, probably from the scriptorium of the monastery of Gladbach. This richly illuminated document reports that a nobleman long before the founding of the abbey would have erected a church on the top of the hill, a church destroyed by the Magyars in 954.
In 1120, at the latest, the monastery was affected by the Benedictine reform Siegburg. The nave of the abbey got its definitive form between 1228 and 1239. Between 1256 and 1277, while reconstruction was developing, the idea of building a new choir appeared, but on a different plane (the typical elongated choir of the Gothic style). In order to carry out this plan, Master Gerhard, the first architect of Cologne Cathedral brought to his experience. Albert the Great consecrated the abbey on April 28, 1275.
The old Benedictine monastery church was elevated in 1973 to the rank of Minor Basilica by Pope Paul VI.
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.