The recent Google Doodle celebrating the 200th anniversary of the architect who renovated the walled city of Carcassonne brought back happy memories of my visit there in 2012.

From the Telegraph regarding the man and his anniversary:

Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, the architect known for his distinctive restoration work on medieval buildings, has been celebrated with a Google doodle.

The doodle depicts one of Viollet-le-Duc’s designs and celebrates what would have been his 200th birthday today.

Born in France, Viollet-le-Duc was involved in the July Revolution of 1830 and embraced republicanism and anti-clericalism.

The French theorist started restoring medieval buildings in 1835 and achieved national fame with his work at Notre Dame de Paris.

Viollet-le-Duc became known for the gothic elements of his designs and for combining historical fact with creative modifications, which led to criticism from his contemporaries and John Ruskin.

His works also included Basilica of St Denis near Paris, Carcassonne and Chateau de Pierrefonds.

As well as his work on restorations he was considered a theorist on modern architecture, making numerous drawings.

He had a second career in the military, defending Paris during the Franco-Prussian war from 1870 to 1871 and developing theories of defence that were to influence the engineers behind fortifications for both the first and second world wars.

Viollet-le-Duc later relocated to Switzerland where he built a villa, and remained there until his death in 1879.

From my archives:

The walled city (La Cite) of Carcassonne was built on the site of a former Roman fortress.  The city is protected by two heavily fortified walls and has no less than 52 towers and barbicans. In medieval times Simon de Montfort led crusades against the Albigensians (Cathars) whom the Catholic Church had branded as heretics due to their beliefs.

At that time that city and its inhabitants were under the protection of Raymond Trencavel, “Vicomte de Carcassonne”. The town surrounding the city was destroyed during these crusades and King Louis IV authorised the building of the Bastide on the left bank of the river Aude as a replacement.

When the Roussillon region became part of France in 1659 the city’s strategic importance as a border fortress declined, the inhabitants moved to the lower town and the city fell into disrepair. In 1844 the architect Viollet-le-Duc was put in charge of the restoration of Saint-Nazaire and Saint-Celse basilica and subsequently he undertook a study of all the city fortifications. This study was used as a basis for the restoration of the city and its fortifications.

The Basilique Saint-Nazaire-et-Saint-Celse de Carcassonne was formerly the cathedral of Carcassonne. In 1801 it was replaced by the present Carcassonne Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Michel de Carcassonne).

The present church is in origin a Romanesque of the 11th century, consecrated by Pope Urban II in 1096. It was built on the site of a Carolingian cathedral, of which no traces now remain. The crypt too, despite its ancient appearance, dates from the new construction. The church was enlarged between 1269 and 1330 in the Gothic style then predominant in France, largely at the expense of the Bishop of Carcassonne, Pierre de Rochefort.

The exterior was largely renewed by Viollet-le-Duc, while the interior has largely remained the Gothic original.

The walled city (La Cite) of Carcassonne was built on the site of a former Roman fortress.  The city is protected by two heavily fortified walls and has no less than 52 towers and barbicans. In medieval times Simon de Montfort led crusades against the Albigensians (Cathars) whom the Catholic Church had branded as heretics due to their beliefs.

At that time that city and its inhabitants were under the protection of Raymond Trencavel, “Vicomte de Carcassonne”. The town surrounding the city was destroyed during these crusades and King Louis IV authorised the building of the Bastide on the left bank of the river Aude as a replacement.

When the Roussillon region became part of France in 1659 the city’s strategic importance as a border fortress declined, the inhabitants moved to the lower town and the city fell into disrepair. In 1844 the architect Viollet-le-Duc was put in charge of the restoration of Saint-Nazaire and Saint-Celse basilica and subsequently he undertook a study of all the city fortifications. This study was used as a basis for the restoration of the city and its fortifications.

The city then slightly came back to life: “I created, wrote Viollet-le-Duc, a construction with workers mostly chosen among the locals… Here, I have builders, stone-cutters, blacksmiths, carpenters, sculptors, all men are used to difficult tasks, all work near their homes, all are under my guidance.” Some of the Carcassonne workers, such as the sculptor Perrin or the architect Cals, were truly talented. From 1855 onwards, the restoration of the fortifications began. In 1879, at the death of Viollet-le-Duc, they were far from finished. His pupil, Boeswillwald, then the architect Nodet would complete the masters enterprise.*

In the past the work was often criticised as a romantic rather than entirely accurate restoration, although in recent times the work is looked on much more favourably and is listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

*Excerpt from Carcassonne History and Architecture by Jean-Pierre PANOUILLE