Story
The story of Cité de Carcassonne
A legend gives this citadel its name. During a five-year siege by Charlemagne, Lady Carcas, running short of food, fed a pig with a sack of wheat and pushed it from the highest tower. Believing the city still had food to waste, the Franks ended the siege, and as she rang all the bells, one of them shouted Carcas sonne, Carcas is ringing.
The real history is long too. The Romans turned the hill into a fortified town in the 3rd century, and today its double walls run for 3 kilometres with 52 towers. On 1 August 1209 the Crusaders besieged the Cité, and Raimond-Roger Trencavel surrendered on 15 August in exchange for the lives of the citizens.
It later became a royal domain and a strong frontier with the Crown of Aragon. In 1849 the government decided to demolish the fortifications, but local people opposed it, and restoration began in 1853 under Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. In 1997 UNESCO listed it as a World Heritage Site.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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More highlights in Carcassonne
- Châteaux de LastoursThe Châteaux de Lastours (in Occitan Lastors) are four so-called Cathar castles in the French commune of Lastours in the département of l'Aude.
- Carcassonne CathedralCarcassonne Cathedral is a cathedral and designated national monument in Carcassonne, France. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Carcassonne and Narbonne.
- Lagrasse AbbeyThe Abbey of St. Mary of Lagrasse is a Romanesque abbey in Lagrasse, southern France, whose origins date to the 7th century. It is located in Languedoc, near the Corbières Massif, about 35 km from Carcassonne.
- Fresquel AqueductThe Fresquel Aqueduct is one of several aqueducts on the Canal du Midi. Until its building, the canal crossed the River Fresquel on the level. Built in 1802–1810, the structure is near Carcassonne.
- Basilica of St. Nazaire and St. CelseThe Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus is a Roman Catholic minor basilica located in the citadel of Carcassonne, France. It is a national monument, and is in the Gothic-Romanesque architectural tradition.
- Théâtre Jean-DeschampsThe former great theatre of the Cité of Carcassonne, named Théâtre Jean-Deschamps since July 2006.