Fortress of Carcassonne: detailed information, description, history and interesting facts

Fortress Carcassonne - an architectural ensemble of buildings, many of which date back to the medieval period, in fact, the citadel. It is located in the city of the same name, in the territory of modern France, in the region of Occitania, in the department of Aude. Traditionally, this medieval fortress is called Site. Most excursions to Southern France include in their programs a visit to this most interesting architectural monument with a rich history.

Fortress Carcassonne (France): a description of the city and the location of Cité

This fortification was built on the right bank of the river Od. The fortress is located on a hill, to the southeast of the modern center of Carcassonne. The city itself has long occupied a good strategic position, controlling the stretch of land between the Pyrenees and Montagne Noir, and the path from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean. The hill on which the fortress is located is a plateau with a height of one hundred and fifty meters. The area of the city as a whole is 65 square kilometers, which is much larger than all other settlements in the province of Aude.

Early history

The fortress of Carcassonne (France) was known even during the Gallo-Roman wars. People lived on these hills since the primitive era. The Celts built here an ancient settlement, known from the sixth century BC. Then, in 125 BC. The Romans came to this territory and founded a fortified camp (kastrum Yulia Carcaso) on this site. Later it was included in the province of Narbonne Gaul. The camp began to be called Karkasum and gradually gained wide autonomous rights and privileges. Because it began to be called "Shite" - a fortress that has the title of the city. Some towers and walls, which can be seen in modern Carcassonne, store traces of Gallo-Roman masonry. After weakening the empire, the fortress became one of the strongholds of the Kingdom of the Visigoths. They built their own walls on Roman foundations. In addition, Visigothic emperor Theodoric ordered to build a basilica. In 725 Carcassonne seized the Saracens. Legends about this period include the appearance of the name of the city by this time. Allegedly, when the stronghold was besieged by Charlemagne, the wife of the Saracen king, Dama Carcas, cunning forced him to withdraw troops. In fact, the dominion of the Arabs continued only until 759, when they expelled Pepin the Short from these lands.

Middle Ages

Since the end of the eighth century, the fortress of Carcassonne belonged to the Carolingians. But since they had neither the means nor the ability to manage the city directly, it was instead made by them graphs. But they were all small lords who did not have much influence on the development of their possessions. But when, from the eleventh century, Carcassonus belonged to the mighty kind of viscount Trencavelay through marriage with the heiress of the last counts, the city was transformed. There was built a castle, and the dilapidated fortifications were renovated. They surrounded the citadel with a ring. Under the rule of Trenkawel the city reached its political and cultural flourishing. The viscounts were vassals of the Earl of Toulouse and the King of Barcelona.

The Epic of Cathars

The fortified city of Carcassonne is known for its role in the so-called Albigensian crusade. His rulers were tolerant of the Christian dissidents of the time, whom the Roman Catholic Church called heretic Cathari. Trenkaweli honored and respected them and refused to extradite them to the crusaders. In August 1209, the army led by the papal legate Arno-Amori took the city under its control. Raymond-Roger Trencavel, who went to negotiations with the besiegers, was captured and then, obviously, poisoned. The new viscount was declared the leader of the crusade Simon de Montfort. All the inhabitants were expelled from the city in only their own shirts.

The era of French rule and the Inquisition

When the Crusaders captured Carcassonne, the fortress became the outpost of the capture of Occitania. Simon de Montfort further strengthened her. In Site was allowed to settle only his allies and loyal to him nobles and merchants. All the other residents of the city had to be built in the vicinity. In fact, in those days, Carcassonne was strengthened not to defend against external enemies, but to prevent the uprising of the Occitan. In the forties of the thirteenth century, the son of Raymond-Roger tried to take the city by storm, but he failed, and he was forced to flee to the kingdom of Aragon. In 1247 the fortress passed under the control of the French. After the establishment of the Inquisition in Occitania, the city becomes one of the outposts of the new religious police. Here there is a special prison for heretics - Moore. Until now, guides show the so-called Tower of the Inquisition. From it was seen the place where heretics burned at the stake on the banks of the river Aude.

Subsequent years. Restoration of the ensemble

In the middle of the thirteenth century, the fortress of Carcassonne became a border between France and Aragon. It became so impregnable that during the Hundred Years' War the British troops could not take it by storm. This failed and the Huguenot armies during the religious conflicts of the sixteenth century. But after 1659, when the whole territory of the province of Roussillon became part of France, the border was moved to the west, and the importance of Carcassonne decreased noticeably. Fortifications were abandoned. The city of Carcassonne itself fell into decay. The fortress in the time of Napoleon was quite a miserable sight. The government even decided to demolish it. But the famous writer Prosper Merimee led a real public campaign to save the medieval heritage. A little later, the restoration of the historical monument began, which was headed by the most famous specialist on medieval architecture of the time, Violet-le-Duc.

What does the modern Citée look like?

Although the work to restore the old city gave him a not quite authentic look, this work was recognized as the work of genius. Now the fortress of Carcassonne with its architectural ensemble has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997. Administratively all historical monuments are divided between different owners. The walls, the castle of the Counts, the towers and the fortifications are the property of the state. They are classified as monuments of national importance. And the rest of the territory of the Cité belongs to the municipality. Narrow medieval streets, squares and stylized medieval restaurants give the city a special charm.

Main Attractions

The fortress of Carcassonne is surrounded by a double belt of fortress walls. Their total length is about three kilometers. On the walls there are 53 towers and barbakans, in order to protect the city from siege machines. In addition, the main attractions of the Cité are the castle of Count and the Cathedral of Saint Nazaría and Celsius. Before the main entrance to the fortress, in front of the Narbonne Gate you can see the bas-relief of Dame Carcas. The building of the cathedral is divided into two parts - Romanesque and Gothic. The exterior of the church is decorated with gargoyles and pinnacles. In the temple there are also ancient stained-glass windows. Among the tombstones interest is the bas-relief in honor of Simon de Montfort. The so-called castle of the eleventh century became an archaeological museum. In addition, on the territory of the citadel there is an exhibition dedicated to the Inquisition, which tells about the history of the tribunal and exhibits instruments of torture.

Carcassonne (fortress): reviews

Tourists who have visited here mention this medieval ensemble as an amazing place with an ancient and heroic history. He is beautiful, "fabulous" and completely immerses the traveler in ancient times, as if making him a participant in events. It can be inspected for hours, in all details. The city seemed to have come down from medieval engraving. It is not without reason that many historical films were shot here. From the menacing walls of this fortress it is blowing with strength and might. And this impressive structure is surrounded by equally picturesque landscapes.