The Grain of Truth

This is my take on the, somewhat traditional, well known view of the famous medieval (?) walls of the city of Carcassonne in Occitania. It is one of the most famous tourist sites in France and its look has influenced the way in which people around the globe imagine medieval ages. The current, impressive form of Carcassonne, however, is largely a result of 19^th C. restoration by famous architect Viollet-le-Duc. It is a palimpsest of various elements in which it is difficult to discern true, medieval fabric from later additions and insertions – even when something is indeed original, its position, setting and look may be a result of later works – in such a beautiful and highly artificial setting, it may be difficult to distinguish between genuine history and 19^th C. spectacle.

In the heart of this spectacle, there is the medieval cathedral – heavily restored, visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists a year. Stripped of colourful frescoes and murals – it may seem just an empty shell of a Gothic building. However, every now and then, not too often but regularly, there is a mass inside – a handful of local parishioners, a small group made of remaining inhabitants of the walled town, gather inside. They sing Occitan psalms and religious songs; tourists, including me, look at them interested, some even take photos. In this moment, at least to me, it becomes clear that the spectacle of modern Carcassonne preserves a genuine element – a grain of truth. That is when I began imagining the fascinating and sometimes tragic history of Carcassonne; a city that was one of the gems of Languedoc; a stronghold guarding the frontier between powerful realms of Provence and Aragon; a city which sent its knights overseas, to fight in the Holy land during the 1^st crusade only to be attacked and seized by crusaders during the so called Albigensian crusade one hundred years later. The 19^th C. restoration is based on genuine foundations and the history of Carcassonne still makes it one of the more fascinating sites of medieval Europe...