Saturday 29 June 2013

Cinderella does not belong here after all




Having taken all our visitors over the last 2 years, to la cité, I admit to having become bored with it. I had got to the stage of thinking that if any more of our family or friends wanted to see it, they should go alone.

I had become sick of the crowded streets, the plastic swords and shields on sale everywhere , the poor quality food and even poorer quality service in restaurants that know they are unlikely to see their clients again…so why bother to make any effort at all.
The touristy show put on twice a day over the summer......attracting hundreds to each performance
I had read some of the tourist information and had thought that the 19th century re-building of much of the city had turned it into a Disneyesque travesty of what it had originally been.
I was wrong.

The plastic swords are still there, the cassoulet quality does vary between establishments, as does the service. However……it is unfair to accuse the 19th century architect Viollet-le-Duc with the Disney sin.
 Just delving a little deeper than the immediately available tourist brochures, I discovered that apart from anything else, Viollet-le-Duc’s work only affected about 20% of the buildings. I discovered that there is much remaining evidence of building from Roman times, through to the 5th century Visigoth phase, the brief Saracen occupation in the 8th century, and considerable proof of what was built when and how from the 11th century Trencavel period, through the Albigesian Crusade, the foundation of the bastide town, now the modern Carcassonne, and on into the 19th century when Napoleon influenced things, removing its' military significance and finally restoration work and recognition of the historical importance of the fortifications over the previous 2 centuries.
12th century detail of a mural in the round room at the castle, depicting a battle between the Franks and the Saracens

Roman items within the archeological museum inside the castle


12th century ablution fountain, again in the museum. Fractal flower image from a wonderful current exhibition where such images are put alongside antiquities.

I knew I loved the basilica St Nazaire, and not just because of the Russian singers I have heard performing there on several of my visits. Now I know about the original medieval glass, and the 12th century elements…I am thrilled, and already looking forward to my next visit.
St Nazaire, from the ramparts 
just a glimpse of some of  that glass
I became interested in the Trencavels last year when I learned about the Albigensian crusade, the Beziers massacre of the Cathars in 1209 and the siege of Carcassonne in August of the same year.
Apart from playing such an important part in the crusade called by Innocent III to seize lands held by Occitan Lords ( like Trencavel) who tolerated heresy ( in other words…those who followed the “good men”, who preached equality, chastity, humility, forbade murder, theft and lying, abstained from eating meat, accepted death as deliverance and rejected symbols such as the cross ), Carcassonne has been the fortress marking the border between Aragon and France. It was the 17th century before the modern border between France and Spain was established, removing this strategic role for Carcassonne.
 
During the 19th century restoration, various pieces of stonework were discovered where it was unclear where they had originally been used. Many of these pieces are preserved in the archeological museum.

The existing buildings are much more authentic than I had realised. Little documentary evidence about the various stages of building exist, but the actual stonework of the different building phases, over 2 thousand years provides the evidence of its continued development and importance over the centuries.
 
another image from the archeological museum
 
The Disney look is deceptive…..some of it has been re built, hoping to capture some of what it might have looked like, but much of it is the result of change upon change as different architectural styles developed and the needs of the fortress city changed.
more fractal flowers.....especially for Annie.
My next visitors will be encouraged to see la cité, and I will love taking them there, plastic armour and all.
Recognition of Carcassonne as a potential tourist destination, included using it as a backdrop for fireworks on Bastille day, way back in 1898. This photo is of the display in 2012.
 

 












26 comments:

  1. I hadn't realised that Carcassonne had this slightly dingy image, Janice - with the plastic swords and all - but neither did I know it was the border between Aragon and France until the 17thC! Sounds fascinating - and of course, I spotted that first fractal with great pleasure! I think before very long, I shall be lined up for one of your 'guided tours' around la cite.
    Most informative.
    Axxx

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    1. The fractals were great, and of course, I would have had no idea what they were without you. They were beautifully placed amongst the architectural pieces...I loved it. My only concern about our walk around the ramparts was that the wind was howling and I had to hold onto my wig ! Jxxx

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  2. I'm really glad that you looked beyond the plastic swords....it was one of the first places I visited when touring France as a student - and it was touristy then - but its place in history fascinated me and, as you say, there is so much more than the works of Viollet-le-Duc.

    But without him I wonder how much of the old city would have survived at all.

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    1. It seems strange to have loved the place so much when I first saw it, then to have fallen out of love with it a little due to the several dozen visits made accompanying friends and family...and then to have almost rediscovered it again. I'm pretty sure without Viollet-le-Duc, it would not be such an interestingly preserved place, and may have even been lost completely. J.

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  3. from a distance it has always looked a beautiful place and we certainly enjoyed our one short visit, en route for Castelnaudary - but that's another story!

    I suppose when we visited our children were young so the 'Disney' nature would have appealed to them.

    Your information puts another spin on the place and we will all now look at it with different eyes.

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    1. I'm looking forward to my next visit....and I never thought I'd be saying that. It is a fascinating place. J

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  4. I've only visited once and I thought it was fantastic, but after opening and shutting 54 locks on the Midi Canal, I thought everything on dry land was fantastic.

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    1. I can understand that... only ever done a day trip on a canal ( in Yorkshire)......one lock was interesting....54 would be deadly. Mind you the canal du Midi is gorgeous. J

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  5. I'm glad you saw through the tat! I'm not a huge fan of Carcassonne as a town. But it is fair to say that if it wasn't for Viollet le Duc there'd probably be nothing left at all by now -- much of the Cité was in ruins when he started his restoration.

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    1. I'm sure you are right....and now I know what I'm looking at, it is possible to see beyond rubbish cassoulet and plastic swords.

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  6. Brilliant - it's a good idea to seek out the wonderful everywhere - it's usually there.(I suspect you already know this!)

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    1. Now that is a motto for life...seek out the wonderful....I think most of us...who read each others' blogs are probably quite good at it. J.

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  7. The ablution fountain is just gorgeous! I am glad you looked beyond the Disney and found all these lovely antiquities to show us. Unsure where the Cite is, but would love to see it all.xx

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    1. It is in the Languedoc, in the south of France....and most people call it Carcassonne...although technically, the "modern" city of Carcassonne is just across the river. It is actually the second most visited tourist site in France, after that tall pointy metal thing in Paris. Jx

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  8. We loved it when we stayed there a couple of years ago. We turned up on the bikes, exhausted, and got a room across the river with a view looking right at the cité. They had fireworks one evening and it was magical.
    I do know what you mean about the plastic swords. There were coachloads of what we call crimplene tourists piling in by 11am each day, so I suppose the shops and restaurants give them what they think they want. We avoided the rush by visiting early and going to the cité for breakfast! When we ate dinner in downtown Carcassonne we were not impressed there either, but we will go back some day, for a longer look.

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    1. I'm sure the view from across the river must have been magical...and fireworks at le cite are always stunning. It does get very crowded, and I suspect the best visits are in the winter, when the crimplene tourists ( I love that phrase) have gone.

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  9. After reading this post Janice i am sure you will discover so much more of valuable interest about your city.Your visitors will enjoy seeing places through your eyes.I love all the photos --the ablution fountain is wonderful--i tried to imagine how it would look peopled over the years.

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    1. No doubt.... we have chosen a good place to be... and now I realise I can put up with the tat, just by looking a bit further. Jx

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  10. It's all too easy to ignore somewhere like this because of the tacky side of tourism, but sometimes we have to Look beneath the surface to find what we are searching for. Great pictures once again Janice x

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    1. Thanks Ayak.... it is a great place to visit, and I've only had to buy 3 plastic swords so far ! Jx

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  11. As a great lover of archaeology and architectural history I really enjoyed this post, Janice. I recognised with a smile the way you found your mind being changed almost despite yourself. We don't let go of our prejudices easily, do we? but I'm glad you did.

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    1. It is so easy to be a bit snobbish about the touristy stuff, but in a way, the money that brings in does enable the place to be maintained...and it would be a tragedy to lose it. So....I guess I will escort the next lot of visitors around, but with a much less heavy heart ! Jx

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  12. Once, when visiting friend in Oklahoma City, they insisted we go to the Cowboy Hall of Fame. Ugh, thought I; it would be chintzy and plastic and . . . surprise! The most magnificent galleries of southwestern artwork to be found! I understand your hesitation, Janice, and your delight. How wonderful that you carried through and saw this - and shared it here.

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    1. I remember being thrilled by the art at the CHoF......it was brilliant. I visited it with a friend when we did our route 66 trip back from California to Chicago....all those years ago. yes, it is very sensible to put prejudices on one side and be open to everything !

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  13. Thanks for all this interesting information. I have been to Carcassonne only once, when we stayed in the Minervois about 20 years ago, and I found it too touristy for my taste (hardly a surprise). We now live near a number of 'plus beaux villages' and the attraction does tend to pall once you've seen them all 25 times with guests! However, if you scratch beneath the surface you often find things that restore your faith in these places. I find that taking a guided tour of a place - even if you think you know it well - is a good way to find the things you would normally just walk past.

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    1. You are right about the guided tour...sometimes they are just what you need to make you recognise your own prejudices. I'm looking forward to going back to Carcassonne with my next set of visitors, but determined they will get a chance to see beyond the tat.

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