Carcassonne changed and grew in its defenses over the centuries. A turning point occurred with the Siege of Carcassonne when the fortress was attacked during the War of the Cathars by the Albigensian crusaders in 1209. At the end of the siege, Raymond Roger Trencavel surrendered to the crusaders, who took possession of his castle comprising two buildings and a chapel that no longer exist. In 1226, Carcassonne was annexed to the royal estate, and the following year the defenses were strengthened on the town side by the construction of a fortified wall:

1. •The first addition to the castle under Louis IX’s reign was the addition of a        guard house, bridge over a moat, and a semi-circular barbican that provided an open space in the grounds before the castle to allow the defenders to assemble troops  in preparation for an attack. The top of the gatehouse was not closed off on the inside, so that if taken, it could not provide protection for the attackers from crossbows fired from the castle.
   

2. • The castle’s entrance on this side has an effective defense system with two portcullises, a massive door and a machicolation. The machicolation, an opening between two corbels, were used to drop stones or burning objects on the enemies attacking from below.  The Portcullises were operated from control rooms on different floors with no communication between them, to guard against possible treachery by the soldiers. The first portcullis passed through an opening in the floor where projectiles were dropped on an advancing enemy. The second portcullis was operated from a lower level. The entrance was also defended by two projecting towers with loopholes suitable for the following of bows and crossbows.
   

3. •The north part of the inner rampart still has several 4th century Roman towers identified by their “U” shape, with rounded walls toward the outside and the flat side toward the city. The bases are solid making the towers very sturdy. The towers are reached from the Rampart walk. Three windows in the towers could be used for defenses. During the siege of the city during the Crusades of 1209, this was the only curtain wall.
   

4. •The ramparts overlook the lower city below. The strong winds that can be felt when walking on the ramparts are named the Cers and Atlantus. The Cers wind blows off the mountains bringing freezing temperatures, while the warm, wet wind, Atlantus, blows from the sea bringing warming temperatures. On a clear day the Pyrénées can be seen in the distance, a reminder of Carcasonne’s close proximity to Spain.
   

PHOTOS: Left Column: 1. Le donjon, or fortification built by the Trencavels in the early part of the 13th century during the Crusade against the Cathares. 2. The  Tour Pinte, or watchtower is the tallest and  one of the few square towers in Carcassonne. It is a symbol of feudal power allowing watch over the surrounding countryside. 3. Schematic drawing of the castle known as Le Château Comtal. The colored arrows and dots correspond to photographs taken on our tour of the royal estate area of Carcassonne. Center, Top: The massive circular towers that defend the Château Comtal. These two towers contain the two portcullis and face toward the semicircular wall, or barbican that further defended the royal estates, an area within the double fortress walls of Carcassonne.  Center, Middle: Interior courtyard of the royal estate, Le Châteru Comtal.  Right Column: 1. Tower of the Chapel. The castle chapel, which disappeared in the 18th century, leaned against the wall of this tower.  When it was built in the 13th century, the curtain wall had to be built around the chapel to link up to the tower, which is why this tower stands in the corner of the courtyard. 2. The interior courtyard of the royal estate, Le Château Comtal. 3. The wooden roofed walkway between the towers and near the entrance towers, used for defense. 4. Interior of the wooden walkway that links the circular entrance towers with two additional towers facing inward to la Cité.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                        BACK TO MAP  PAGE