Château and ramparts of the city of Carcassonne

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Information
History
Visit
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Information
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History
Visit
Information
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English
Practical information
Tours for individuals
Self-guided tours of the château, film, museum: 1 hour
Self-guided tours of the north Gallo-Roman ramparts:
15 mins.
Self-guided tours of the west Medieval ramparts:
30 mins.
Guided tours: 45 mins.
Tour-lectures: 2 hours
Audio tours and family audio tours
Booking required for group tours
Tours adapted to adult groups
Educational tours for school groups
Tours adapted for visitors with special needs
Specially-adapted tours for disabled visitors
Tickets are valid for the whole day.
Re-entry to the château possible via the priority
entrance.
Facilities
Free cloakroom (up to 15 mins. before closing)
Toilets for disabled visitors and baby changing facilities
Gift and book shop
The guide for this monument can be found in the Itinéraires collection
and is available in 5 different languages in the gift and book shop.
Centre des monuments nationaux
Château et remparts de la cité
de Carcassonne
1 rue Viollet-le-Duc
11000 Carcassonne
tél. 04 68 11 70 70
fax 04 68 11 12 27
www.monuments-nationaux.fr
crédits photos © Patrick Cadet / Centre des monuments nationaux. illustrations Monade Communication. réalisation graphique Marie-Hélène Forestier. traduction ADT international. impression Stipa, 2016.
History
In the time of the Cathars
In the late 12th century, the vassals of the Trencavels
and their families mostly belonged to the “Cathar”
Church that offered a way of salvation outside the
Catholic Church. However, a political consequence
of the Cathar Crusade (1209-1229) was the exile
of the Trencavel family.
The Inquisition established in 1233 made Carcassonne
a key centre of the religious tribunal. A prison for
incarcerating heretics (known as ‘the Wall’) was built
at the foot of the city. In 1321, Guilhem Bélibaste,
the last Cathar parfait, as religious heretics were
known, was burned at the stake, marking the end
of the Cathar Church in the Languedoc.
An exemplary restoration
In 1844, the French state commissioned Eugène
Viollet-le-Duc (1814-1879) to restore the city. Despite
the city being in ruins, it was recognised as the
finest example of Medieval military architecture. The
restoration, which began in 1853, was not completed
until 1911 under the direction of his pupil Paul
Boeswillwald (1844-1931). The restoration returned
the royal city to its original splendour in the late
13th century with its pointed slate roofs.
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23
viewpoint
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Château and
ramparts of the city
of Carcassonne
An iconic Medieval city
2,500 years of history
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The west Medieval ramparts
Entry via the Cour du Midi
19 The Justice Tower, formerly named the Inquisition
Tower, was where the inquisitorial archives were held
from the 13th century until the French Revolution.
20 The Porte d’Aude is one of the four gates into the
city. Machicolations, visible on the wall-walk, defended
this strategic point of passage.
21 The square Bishop’s Tower is the only construction
that straddles both city walls. From the top of the
tower, you can look out over the west side of
the city.
22 The Jean Deschamps Theatre, built in 1908,
occupies the site of the former Bishop’s gardens.
Saint-Nazaire Cathedral, with its Roman-style nave
and Gothic-style apse, was erected between
1096 and 1321.
23 The Saint-Nazaire Tower and Gate features
a well and a bread oven which would have guaranteed
the autonomy of a small troop.
The site, which has been inhabited since ancient
times, was protected against the Late Roman Empire
by a Gallo-Roman wall. Despite these fortifications,
the city was occupied by the Visigoths, Saracens and
Franks in turn.
From independence to annexation
The Trencavels were one of the most powerful families
in the south of France during the 12th century. Pope
Innocent III launched the crusade against the Cathar
heretics. The besieged Carcassonne surrendered on
15 August 1209. In 1226, the Viscount of Carcassonne
was attached to the royal estate and became a
steneschal, equivalent to a steward. The city then took
the form of the fortress that can still be seen today.
Rediscovery and restoration
Until the Treaty of the
Pyrenees was signed
in 1659, Carcassonne
defended the border
between France and
Aragon. In the 19th century,
architect Viollet-le-Duc restored the city fortifications.
The monument was inscribed on UNESCO’s World
Heritage list in 1997.
History
Visit
Information
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A information-cloakroom
A’ reception-ticket desk
B film
C gift and book shop
D toilets
viewpoint
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2
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west Medieval ramparts
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14
13 12
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north Gallo-Roman
ramparts
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The Château
Cour d’honneur and Cour du Midi
1 The keep, symbol of feudal power and
2 the corps de logis (principal block) formed the
centre of the Palace of the Trencavels, viscounts of
Carcassonne, in the 12th century.
3 Sainte-Marie Chapel (destroyed),
4 the Guet Tower and the palace flank the 4th century
Gallo-Roman wall. In the 13th century, the royal
administration refurbished the former feudal palace.
Above the keep window, you can make out the
elevation of the tower while the remains of the floor
and walls of the Cour du Midi point towards more
extensive Gothic additions.
5 The surrounding wall, rectangular in shape, flanked
by towers containing embrasures for firing arrows,
is a testament to the technical progress made by
the royal architects since Philippe Auguste.
B The film
Second floor via the main staircase
The information-packed and subtitled film, On the Traces
of the City, is 11 minutes long. It presents the history
of the monument by illustrating the challenges of
its restoration.
Wall-walks
Second floor after the film
6 The west ramparts are a very fine example of
defence architecture and highlight the power of the
French monarchy in the 13th century.
7 The hoardings, wooden galleries, prefigured the
machicolations. They completed the fortifications
in the event of a siege by protecting the wall base.
8 The Gallo-Roman enclosure is typical with its
stone and brick facing. The north front of the ancient
fortification is extremely well preserved.
The lapidary museum
First floor via the wall-walk
viewpoint
Major artworks
9 Salle Pierre Embry
The reredo of the Passion, in the window, is composed
of three polychrome alabaster statues, from the early
15th century, originating from the city’s Saint-Sernin
Church, now destroyed. Scenes of the Flagellation,
the Crucifixion and the Descent into Limbo are
represented in demi-relief.
10 Salle des arcades
Arcature of three windows originating from the
Grassalio house in the low town, now destroyed,
sandstone, 15th century.
11 Salle gothique
Recumbent statue of a knight, sandstone,
13th-14th century, from Lagrasse Abbey,
founded by Charlemagne
12 The vaulted hall in the keep: camera rotunda
Paintings from the late 12th or early 13th century
depicting a combat between Christian and Saracen
knights.
13 Salle romane
Ablution fountains, white marble, 12th century, from
Lagrasse Abbey. The water flowed from the mascarons
in the shape of a face or lion’s head.
14 Salle antique
Early Christian sarcophagus, white marble, 5th century.
Biblical scenes surround the representation of two
deceased people.
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North Gallo-Roman ramparts
Entry via the main courtyard
15 The “new town” or Bastide Saint-Louis provided
from 1262 a new home for populations in the old parts
of the city, razed by Louis IX.
16 A second enclosure, built in the 13th century,
reinforced the defences of the Gallo-Roman ramparts.
Open-air enclosures in between the two walls were
used to trap the enemy.
17 The Tréseau Tower, typical of the late 13th century
with its projecting stones, guarded the royal treasure.
18 The Porte Narbonnaise, the most impressive space
in the fortifications, embodied the royal power at the
main entrance to the city.