The abbey is built on the former site of the chapel of Saint-Hilaire, the first bishop of Carcassonne. Saint-Hilaire evangelized the Carcassès region in the 6th century. The first written mention of the abbey dates from 825 and we learn that it was first dedicated to Saint-Saturnin, 1st bishop of Toulouse. The sarcophagus of Saint-Sernin is the masterpiece of the abbey of Saint-Hilaire, made in white marble from the Pyrenees by the Master of Cabestany, itinerant and anonymous sculptor of the 12th century. The master of Cabestany left his original mark on a number of monuments in Spain (Catalonia and Navarre), France (Languedoc and Aude) and Italy (Tuscany). [See also Wikipedia Article]