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Carcassonne
Carcassonne is
the capital of the département of Aude. It is located on
both sides of the River Aude, southeast of Toulouse. It
also has access to the Canal du Midi. Carcassonne is
connected to the city of Narbonne, and to the Mediterranean
Sea, by the 7mile long Canal de la Robine.
The largest fortress in
Europe. Carcassonne is situated on the junction of the east
to west and north to south trading routes, and first became
important under Julius Caesar.
There are two
parts to Carcassonne, the Ville Basse and the Cité. The
Ville Basse is located on the left bank. It contains most
of Carcassonne’s business activity and two 13th century
churches: The Cathedral of Saint Michael and the Church of
Saint Vincent.
The Cité, is the
medieval 5th century walled city built by Euric I, king of
the Visigoths, at a Roman site. It is located atop a hill
on the right bank. This site was occupied, as early as the
5th century BC, by the Iberians. The 11th to 14th century
Romanesque and Gothic Church of Saint Nazaire, that was
built by the viscounts of Carcassonne and Beziers, and the
12th century château Comtal, are located within the Cité’s
ramparts. Its fortifications are among Europe’s finest
medieval remains.
In 508, the
Frankish king,
Clovis I,
failed to take the Cite. However, both the Muslims, in 728,
and the Caroligion king,
Pépin
the Short, in 752, did manage to take it.
In the 13th century, as a consequence of the wars against
the Albigensians, a religious sect, the town’s inhabitants
were massacred by the Anglo-Norman Simon IV de Montfort. In
1247, the possessions of the viscounts of Carcassonne were
confiscated by the French crown.
Starting in 1247, the Ville Basse’s Cathedral of Saint Michael’s
Romanesque transept and choir were replaced by Gothic
structures. The Romanesque nave remains. In the 14th
to the 16th centuries the stained glass windowns
were installed.
The Cité’s outer ramparts, which are turreted, towered, and
crenellated, were built during the reign of
Louis IX.
His son,
Philip III, continued the work. He also added the
beautiful gate, called the Porte Narbonnaise, to the inner
walls. The Porte is the only entry into the Cité by road.
It is guarded by two towers.
In 1659 the old
province of Roussillon was annexed by France. Carcassonne
ceased to be a frontier fortress and was left to decay. In
1844 the architect and medievalist Viollet-le-Duc began
reconstruction of Saint Michael’s cathedral and the Cité’s
ramparts. This work continued until the 1960s.
The town has been used in
numerous films, the latest being “Robin Hood, Prince of
Thieves”. The walls consist of a vast circle of double
battlements enclosing medieval streets, contain many
boutiques, souvenir shops and restaurants, it relies heavily
on tourism. On the 14th July there is a massive firework
display to celebrate Bastille Day, in which the whole of the
Cite appears to go up in flames.
Carcassonne has become a popular gateway to the South West
of France with the arrival of inexpensive flights by Ryanair
from London(Stanstead) in England.
Lagrasse
Halfway between Beziers and Carcassonne is the village of Lagrasse, situated where the valleys of the Orbieu and Alsou meet. The story goes that Charlemagne christened this region ‘vallee grasse’ hence Lagrasse. The village is fortified and here six Benedictine monks founded an abbey on the banks of the Orbieu shortly after Christianity reached France. The belfry is early 14th century and reaches a height of 40 meters. Lagrasse is a picturesque village with narrow streets and several monastic buildings still stand, even though the monks disappeared at the revolution. The 18th century Abbott’s lodgings can only be described as a palace. A humpbacked bridge connects the abbey to the town. A visit to the monastic buildings can be made for a small charge. There are many restaurants and bars and the rolling hills that surround Lagrasse are picturesque.
Ginestas
This attractive village next to the Canal du Midi is popular with holidaymakers. It is possible to hire holiday cruisers for the day or the week. Canal side, walks are very popular here.
The nearby, "Le Somail" is a hamlet of Ginestas.
Le Somail owes its existence to the Canal du Midi, and is an attractive village where the hustle and bustle on the canal can be observed at leisure from the bar next to the stone bridge.
Commercial traffic on the canal used Le Somail for night stopovers at the Auberge. Other commercial support services were stables, where horses used in the pulling of the barges could be changed, an ice plant, and warehouses. The peak of the commercial traffic was in the mid 1800s. Today, the canal is entirely tourist based.
Nearby is the Musee de la Chapellerie (Hat Museum) The museum contains over 6500 hats and hat making equipment. The collection spans the period 1850 to the present day and includes military and ecclesiastical headgear, as well as traditional, costume, and contemporary hats.
Opening Times:
1st June to 30th September: 09:00-12:00 and 14:00-19:00
1st October to 31st May: 14:00-18:00. Sundays 14:00-19:00
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