Carcassonne, the saint louis country house

Discover carcassonne and its cultural and historical heritage.

St michael's cathedral (13th-19th century)  It was built as a memorial to the old parish of St Michael then extended in 1283 and altered in the 14th century. It is typical of the Gothic style as developed in Languedoc, with its nave supported by tall side chapels but no side aisles. It became a cathedral in 1803. It was damaged by fire in 1849 and restored by Viollet Le Duc.

St vincent's church (13th-19th century)  Work began on the building of this church, in memory of the original parish of St Vincent, c. 1242. It was extended by the addition of a chancel in 1308. It is a fine example of the Southern French Gothic style with a nave that is one of the widest in the South of France.

Place carnot  This is a favourite meeting place for local people and it has attracted a number of famous visitors over the years, among them authors such as Balzac and Stendhal who admired its market, its shade, and the Neptune Fountain carved by Barata and Son, 18th century Italian sculptors. Since the Middle Ages, Carcassonne's main market has been held on this square. Marketdays on tuesday, thursday and saturday mornings.

Jacobins gate (18th century)  The gate was designed by architect Dolbeau in 1778 and built on the site of an older gate with drawbridge. To the right of the gate is a section of the old town wall.

Covered market (18th-19th century)  Built in 1768 on the site of the Officiality and St Mary's Church, it included the foodgrain market, the "King's Weights and Measures", butchers' shops and fish shops. In the centre of the square were the stocks. Originally, all these buildings stood on Place Carnot.

The présidial (17th-19th century)  Situated in the medieval town before being moved to the "Bastide St Louis" in 1657. It was rebuilt against the eastern rampart in 1699 and was used as a court house until 1861. Nowadays, it contains the fine arts museum and the library of the town. The rampart was demolished at the beginning of the XXth century, in order to build the highly decorated new gothic front.

Old bridge (14th century)  This 14th century bridge is typical of the Middle Ages. It includes the chapel that was once part of St James' Hospital (now destroyed). Until the 19th century, this was the only link between the Bastide and the walled town whose boundary lays under the third arch (from the Bastide side). The huge size of the bridge is due to variations in the bed of the river.