Carcassonne

The fortified medieval town of Carcassonne, southwest France. It stands on the right bank of the Aude River.

An exterior view of the medieval fortified city of Carcassonne, southwest France.

City in southwest France, administrative centre of Aude département, 100 km/62 mi southeast of Toulouse on the Canal du Midi and the River Aude, which divides it into the ancient and modern town; population (1999) 43,900. The medieval fortification, restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century, crowns a hill on the right bank of the river. Surrounded by two ramparts and 53 towers, it is the finest in France and one of the most impressive medieval fortified towns surviving.

Carcasonne is situated in a wine-producing region, and is a popular tourist centre.

History Known to the Romans as Carcaso, Carcasonne first became important under Julius Caesar. The medieval town was fortified by the Visigoths and occupied by the Arabs from 728 to 750. Later it became a stronghold of the Albigenses (or Cathars, a heretical Christian sect), but suffered enormously in the 13th century when the elder Simon de Montfort made it his base for launching the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars. It was united with France in 1208, but the inhabitants rebelled until Louis IX expelled them from the town. The lower part of the town, on the left bank of the river, was founded by Louis XI in 1247. The 13th-century cathedral of St Michel and church of St Vincent have both survived. Carcassonne is the seat of a bishopric.