Carcassonne: A General Overview Travis Cianciulli

What is Carcassonne? Carcassonne is a famous fortified city built on a hilltop in southern France. It was originally built by Romans, but has changed hands over the course of history several times. Because much of the city has been restored, Carcassonne is an excellent model of medieval architecture and history.

Where is Carcassonne? An overview of France, showing Carcassonne in the South. A more detailed map of Carcassonne in the Aude departement of the province of Languedoc.

Carcassonne From Above

The Layout of Carcassonne

Early History The area of present-day Carcassonne was thought to have been settled as early as 3500 BC. Being strategically important between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, the Romans first fortified the hilltop around 100 BC. After Roman rule, Carcassonne was taken over by the Visigoths, a Germanic tribe. The Visigoths were later conquered by the Saracens in 725, but Pepin the Short of France expelled the Saracens in 759.

Legend of Dame Carcas While Pepin the Short conquered much of Southern France, he was unable to seize Carcassonne. As Pepin was trying to starve the occupants of Carcassonne with his army, a clever woman named Dame Carcas decided to feed what little grain the town had to a pig to fatten it. The citizens then launched the pig at Pepin’s army. The disheartened army decided to leave as they thought that the city must have plenty of grain if they could sacrifice a fattened pig.

More History Carcassonne later fell into the hands of the wealthy Trencavel family in 1067. The Chateau Comtal and the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire were built. French Cathars used Carcassonne as a stronghold, but Simon de Montfort killed Trencavel and claimed the city, fortifying the hill further. In 1247, Carcassonne fell under rule of the King of France, Louis IX. He had an outer rampart built around the city. In 1659, the Treaty of Pyrenees extended the southern border of France and lessened the need for a military fortification.

Restoration A decree was made by the French government in 1849 to destroy Carcassonne because of its need of repair, but this was extremely unpopular to the citizens. Architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc was hired to renovate Carcassonne. As a result, the outer ramparts were repaired in addition to 53 towers.

View of Carcassonne from outside the city walls

Carcassonne Today One section of the city of Carcassonne manufactures shoes, rubber, and textiles, but most revenue comes from tourism. Around 3 million people visit Carcassonne every year.

Bibliography Deveze, Lily. Carcassonne. Casa Editrice Bonechi. Florence, Italy. 1997. www.lechappeebelle.co.uk www.lesmarronniers.co.uk www.lescompagnons.ca www.cathie.over-blog.com www.francemonthly.com www.midi-life.com/Carcassonne/carcassonnehistory.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne