Inside the medieval Cite de Carcassonne you can find the Comtal Chateau dating back to the 12th century.
French architect and theorist, Eugene Viollet-le-Duc did all the restorations of this medieval chateau and the breathtaking biggest preserved medieval fortified city in Europe. He was known for his interpretative restoration projects, and one of his famous works is of course Carcassonne.
Chateau Comtal
The chateau is attached to the fortified stone walls of the medieval cite so one can actually walk on the ramparts and enjoy fantastic panoramic views of the surroundings and of Ville Basse Carcassonne.
The history of the castle and the walled town goes back to the time of the Crusaders and the Roman Catholic Inquisition. Carcassonne was one of the strategic cities back then that had power. Ruled by viscounts, it was the Trencavel family who ordered the castle to be built. You can find a separate post I did about the massive ramparts of the fortified city here: The Ramparts of Cite de Carcassonne
It was then a very dark time in the history of medieval Europe. The period was called the Dark Ages. Religion had power. Those who do not agree to the teachings and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church were called heretics. They were hunted, assassinated and burned at the stake. As the city was attacked by the Crusaders, many people fighting for their cause met their cruel judgment in Carcassonne.
It’s when god, religion, church leaders, power, hatred, domination, corruption, anarchy, war and senseless death all come together in one sentence. Ironic is it not? You’d think god would have wanted peace but some people take interpretations literally in the Bible—‘Think not that I have come to bring peace on earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword.’ These kinds of verses, if you put these on the minds of radical idealists, can be very dangerous.
What happened during the medieval period and in Carcassonne actually brings us to our world today with Islam and IS in the Middle East. The human race has not really progressed at all, after more than 800 long years, we are still fighting for the same thing. I have so much to say about this god and religion stuff but wisdom tells me to exercise some restraint. I understand that certain things are better left unexplained on a public site.
One thing I can say though—there has been so much blood shed in the name of god, especially the gods from the middle eastern countries—Allah, Jehovah and Jesus, and I think this is just not right.
Anyway, allow me to give you a little tour of the chateau through my pictures below. There is really not much to see inside the chateau other than the views from the ramparts and the short film discussing about its history.
Travel Period: November 2013
Destination: Carcassonne (Languedoc-Rossillon), France
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