The city of Carcassonne is dominated by the feudal castle of the Trencavel family. It was built on the Roman wall in the early 12th century. The watchtower was raised and the defences were strengthened with crenelations before the crusades against the Cathars took place. In 1266, Carcassonne was annexed to the domain of the king of France and in the 13th/14th centuries, the fortress was was transformed into a lordly residence.
I particularly like the wooden hording at the top of the castle walls, because I had not seen anything like them before. The hording is built overhanging the castle wall to strengthen the defence of the castle in times of siege. Due to its design it was possible to shoot vertically downwards from it. These hoardings were widely used in the 12th and 13th century, but they later replaced by stone machicolations which posed less danger from fire.
Tags: Carcassonne, Castle, France, Hordings, Le Chateau Comtal, Ramparts, The Counts Castle, Vacation
All that you send into the lives of others comes back into your own.
Edwin Markham (1852- 1940)
Tags: France, Mountains, Poppies, Rennes-Le- Chateau, Vacation
I invite you to join me at Vision & Verb where I talk about the Museum of Torture that I visited whilst I was in Carcassonne. It displayed the instruments of torture that were used in the middle ages. The museum focused in detail on the Albigensian crusades and the Inquisition and left visitors with a chilling reminder that these things and worse still continue to this day.
Tags: France, Injustice, Languedoc, Life, Middle Ages, Prejudice, Religion, Torture, Vision & Verb
It was rather dark inside the Basilique Saint-Nazaire-et-Saint-Celse which meant that the only photos I managed to take were of the two magnificent rose windows.
As I entered the church I heard some beautiful choral music from a male quartet. It was all too brief but it has left a lasting memory…
Tags: Basilique Saint-Nazaire-et-Saint-Celse, Carcassonne, Cathedral, Church, Stained Glass Window, Stained Glass Windows, Vacation
I did a double take when I arrived back at the car after stopping off for a refreshing cup of tea on a long journey home. The ram had mysteriously buckled his seat belt!!!
For more of this weeks PhotoHunt pictures check out Whistlestop PhotoHunt.
Tags: Car, Corel Painter Essentials, Doorstop, Mainsgill Farm, PhotoHunt, Ram, Seat belt, Vacation, Yorkshire
