Lagrasse Abbey is one of the great historic sights of the Corbières, standing beside the Orbieu River in a village of stone lanes, bridges, and old houses. The abbey's surviving medieval buildings make a good counterweight to the ruined hilltop castles elsewhere in Cathar country.
It is close enough to Talairan for an easy half-day, and the village of Lagrasse itself deserves time before or after the abbey visit.