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Origin and history

The Basilica Saint-Nazaire-et-Saint-Celse de Carcassonne, located in the medieval city, is an ancient cathedral built between the 9th and 14th centuries, although its oldest parts date back to the 12th century. Dedicated to the Saints Nazaire and Celsus, martyred under Nero, its foundation may date back to the sixth century under Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths, although the first authentic mention dates from 925, under Bishop Gimer. The original Romanesque building, blessed by Pope Urban II in 1096, was enlarged under the Trencavel, Viscounts of Carcassonne, with a three-vessel nave and characteristic capitals.

In the 13th century, after the damage of the siege of 1209 during the Albigois Crusade, the cathedral was restored and enlarged in a radiant Gothic style. Between 1269 and 1330, under the impetus of the bishops Bernard de Capendu and Pierre de Roquefort, the choir and the transept were rebuilt, with stained glass and sculptures inspired by the Sainte-Chapelle of Paris. The roses of the facades and the lateral chapels, like that of Pierre Rodier (1321), illustrate this stylistic transition. The cathedral lost its status in 1801 to the church of St Michael, but was elevated to the rank of minor basilica in 1898.

The 19th-century restorations, led by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, altered the exterior while preserving the interior, where coexist Romanesque and Gothic elements. The windows of the 13th and 14th centuries, such as those of the Tree of Jesse or of the Passion of Christ, are among the most beautiful in southern France. The basilica, listed as a Historic Monument in 1840, also preserves a historic organ, restored in the 20th century. Today, it dominates the City, witness to the religious and political upheavals of medieval Occitanie.

Life around the cathedral was rhythmized by the chapter of the Canons, abolished in 1790, and by ceremonies such as the feasts of Saints Nazaire and Celsus. The painted decorations of the abside, rediscovered by Viollet-le-Duc, and the coat of arms of the bishops (Pierre de Rochefort, Pierre Rodier) recall its central role. The cloister and the capitular buildings, demolished in 1792, left room for an open-air theatre. The latest restorations (2018–2020) aim to preserve this jewel of the Audian heritage.

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