St. Martin church is a splendid building with an exceptionally beautiful Flamboyant Gothic chancel. It also contains a major work by Renaissance sculptor Ligier Richier, his Pietà. The church has been a historic monument since 1846 and it contains numerous works of art that have also been listed as historic monuments in their own right. The church was built in the 12th-13th centuries and it has been enlarged later.
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.