I spent 6 hours getting to Carcassonne, just to see this medieval walled city, La Cité.
The first wall was built by the Romans, and it has been built upon many times since. Before the Treaty of the Pyrenees passed in 1659 the La Cité used to be on the border of France and Spain, and along an important trading route, so for centuries it was an important stronghold, serving to defend against such forces as Charlemagne and Edward the Black Prince.
A bust of Madame Carcas' bust.
The drawbridge is curved strategically, to slow down attackers as they reach the front gate.
The lines of red brick in the middle of the inner wall are characteristic of Roman architecture.
The earliest record of Basilique St. Nazaire is 925. It was used until the 18th century, when the bishop moved services to a lower part of town.
France set out to destroy all Romanesque churches (including this one) to replace them with Gothic style churches but after the Hundred Years' War started the project was abandoned. It was in progress however so the church is part Romanesque and part Gothic.
After reading this post, I watched the video of the cathedral and then played the music and re-looked at all the photos. ALL your posts should have a soundtrack. This was amazing.
ReplyDeleteI laughed at "A bust of Madame Carcas' bust." Funny stuff. The gargoyle was awesome. Exceptional photos.
You look cold. Aren't you glad you brought some pants! Love it all.