Explore Carcassonne

Carcassonne Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Michael, stands in the Bastide Saint-Louis, the lower town. It was begun in 1247 as a parish church in southern Gothic style and, after the town was burned in 1355, was built into the new fortifications. It has been the bishop's seat since 1803; inside are a single wide nave and 14th-century stained glass in the choir.

The Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus stands inside the walled Cité of Carcassonne and was the town's cathedral until 1803. Its Romanesque nave dates from the late 11th and 12th centuries; the transept and choir were rebuilt in Gothic style around 1300 and keep stained glass from about 1280. Viollet-le-Duc restored the church in the 19th century.