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onjour!
Our newsletter is dedicated to Carcassonne, the most impressive
fortified medieval city in the south of France. This extraordinary UNESCO World Heritage site
was built over the course of 2,000 years, by passionate men and women willing to give up their
lives for their beliefs. The city of Carcassonne is exceptionally well-located in the southwest
between Toulouse and Narbonne and close to another Heritage site, the Canal du Midi. This network
of navigable waterways was built in the 17th century to link the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
You can explore the whole region aboard a "péniche" or barge:
see our newsletter on the Canal du Midi to learn more about it.
But before continuing, please remember that you can access and read all the newsletters already published
at www.FranceMonthly.com
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| Carcassonne, A Medieval City |
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Carcassonne: A Medieval City
No matter which direction you are coming from, you can’t miss the imposing silhouette of the
City of Carcassonne which is encircled by a huge double row of fortified walls that run almost
2 miles long, accentuated by 56 watchtowers. During the 9th and 10th centuries B.C., the village
of Carcas was already a very large and active agglomeration, about a mile south of Carcassonne.
Its inhabitants migrated to the present location of Carcassonne around 600 B.C. At that time, the
common way to protect a city was to dig a large moat and build a very tall reinforced wood fence
all around it. The 3rd century A.D. was a particularly unstable period that saw incessant Barbarian
invasions. This is when Carcassonne decided to update its defense mechanisms and solidify its
ramparts, building the fortified walls that we can still admire today. Rattled by another period
of invasions and insecurity, the inhabitants built a second exterior wall around 1230. It took
several thousand soldiers to protect the city back then. The 2000-year-old city of Carcassonne
still stands today as the most successful achievement in military architecture of that time in Europe.
Nothing has really changed since the 13th century, and if you find yourself in the south of France,
you should not miss the chance to be carried back to the heart of the Middle Ages and feel the magic
of its glorious past.
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| Recipe
for April 2001 |
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Who Were the Cathars? |
The Cathars were an integral part of Carcassonne’s history. Catharism was a very
active religion in Europe and especially in the area around Carcassonne. The middle of the 12th
century was a prosperous period of French history, as well as one of great religious tolerance
when Jews, Catholics and Cathars all lived in harmony. Cathars were Christians, but unlike the
Roman Catholics, they believed that God had only created spiritual perfection and eternity, not
the material world that they saw as the Devil’s creation. Therefore, they led very austere lives,
refusing any earthly pleasure. They did not eat any fancy food such as meat, and sex and wealth
were banned.
The Cathars' clergy, called The Perfects, were thought to know the secrets of alchemy and to
practice magic. This way of life and these odd beliefs were eventually no longer tolerated by
the Catholics, and especially not by the lords who saw the Cathars as a threat to their own power.
The Cathars were then massacred and burned at the stake. Some of Carcasonne's current inhabitants
still believe that the Cathars hid their treasures in the surrounding mountains before their execution.
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Where Does the Name "Carcassonne" Come From? |
In 760, "Pepin the Short", King of the Franks, took most of the south of France back from the
Saracens, except for Carcassonne. True to its reputation, it remained an impregnable fortress.
After a long siege, the Franks had good reason to think that the inhabitants of Carcassonne
would soon starve and surrender. But Dame Carcas, the widow of the Sarrasin lord of the castle,
devised a plan to save the city. She had a pig fed with the last sacks of grain the inhabitants
could find. When the pig was fat enough, it was thrown over the city’s ramparts. At the sight of
such a well-fed fat animal, the astonished assailants concluded that the inhabitants still had
enough food in stock to stave off famine and weren’t about to surrender any time soon. And so they
gave up and quickly lifted the siege. Dame Carcas rang all the bells of the city all day long to
celebrate the victory. Legend has it that Dame "Carcas sonne" (Dame "Carcas rings") is where the
name of the city came from.
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What Should You See in Carcassonne? |
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We definitely recommend a walk along the external fortifications to take in the beautiful scenery
surrounding the city. You may visit the towers and discover the different defense mechanisms that
were set in place to protect the city. We also recommend that you attend the bird show featuring
raptors trained according to medieval tradition, as well as the show on medieval life that will
plunge you into the heart of the Middle Ages. Should you happen to find yourself near Carcassonne
on July 14th, the French national holiday, you can also admire the traditional fireworks display,
but beware of tremendous traffic jams at that time of year when the city’s population grows
substantially.
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Carcassonne: Of Military Genius |
Carcassonne's was virtually an impregnable fortress. The architects
had mainly focused on its defensive features. The design strategy was to allow the inhabitants
to survive long sieges while fooling the enemy. A prime example of this is the "Tour Narbonnaise"
(Narbonne Tower), not to be missed during your visit. One of its 1st floor rooms could store and
preserve 1,000 salted pigs and 100 beef cattle to feed the soldiers during sieges. On the 2nd floor,
fake stairs were set up that would plunge any stranger who set foot on them straight down into a
deep well. Devices such as false doors, barricades, and many winding twists and turns were built-in
to lure the enemy, isolate him and get him lost. There were even devices put in place to prevent
treason. For instance, there were two distinct mechanisms that operated the tower portcullises.
Such cautionary measures and design details explain in large part the exceptional military
success that this fortified city enjoyed.
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Who Invented Sparkling Wines?
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In the early 16th century, the Champagne region of France was only producing a few still wines.
That is when a monk from the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire, 8 miles south of Carcassonne, discovered
that his carefully corked bottles of wines had become effervescent in a few months’ time. Thus,
the first French bubbly was born! You can still taste this famous wine, the "Blanquette de Limoux",
produced today the same way it was in the 16th century. The riper Mauzac grapes produce a
slightly alcoholic wine (5%), which is bottled during the descending moon of March (no scientific
report has ever explained this peculiar timing, but those who disregard it end up with a
different product!). During spring, a second fermentation occurs in the bottle. The resulting
sparkling wine has tiny little bubbles and a 6% to 7% alcohol content. This light but very
aromatic wine goes best with desserts.
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The Treasure of Alaric
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The 3rd century A.D. was a particularly unstable period in history. Barbarians looted and
destroyed anything in their path. The King of the Visigoths, Alaric, invaded Rome and is
believed to have hidden part of his treasure in the City of Carcassonne. As no one has ever
found it, maybe you would like to go there and give it a try?
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A Gold Mine Near Carcassonne
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Around 300 B.C., the Volques Tectosages (a Celtic people) invaded the region of Carcassonne.
As their religion required them to make offerings to their gods, they exploited a local gold mine,
at Salsigne. Gold was so abundant there that it could even be seen on the surface of the mountain.
This is no longer the case today, but the mine does still exist. It was one of Europe’s most important
gold mines up until its scheduled 2004 closure.
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