CARCASSONNE, a city of south-western France, capital of the department of Aude, 57 m. S.E. of Toulouse, on the railway to Narbonne. Pop. (1931) 29,047. Carcassonne lies near the eastward bend of the river Aude, which divides it into two distinct towns, the Ville Basse and the ancient Cite, connected by two bridges, one modern, the other 13th century with a chapel at one end of 15th century date. The old town occupies the site of Carcaso, city of Gallia Narbonensis, with pre-Roman origins, on an isolated hillock on the right hank of the river. In its larger relations the position of this historic fortress is interesting : it lies in the gap between the Montagne Noire on the north and the outliers of the Pyrenees (Mouthoumet) on the south. This north ward avenue leads from the Mediterranean coasts round the cen tral plateau to Aquitaine and northern France; and from its loca tion in the transition zone Carcassonne had great human signifi cance. On the disintegration of the Roman empire, it fell into the hands of the Visigoths, who, in spite of the attacks of the Franks, especially in 585, retained possession till 724, when they were expelled by the Arabs, destined in turn to yield before long to Pippin the Short. From about 819 to 1082 Carcassonne formed a separate countship, and later, till 1247, a viscountship. Towards the end of the 11th century the viscounts of Carcassonne assumed the style of viscounts of Beziers, a town which they had domi nated since the fall of the Carolingian empire. The viscounty of Carcassonne, together with that of Beziers, was confiscated to the crown in 1247, as a result of the part played by the viscount Raymond Roger against Simon de Montfort in the Albigensian crusade, during which the city was taken by the Crusaders (see ALBIGENSES). A revolt of the city against the royal author ity was severely punished in 1262 by the expulsion of its princi pal inhabitants, who were, however, permitted to take up their quarters on the other side of the river. This was the origin of the new town, which was fortified in 1347. In 1356 the citadel successfully resisted the Black Prince. During the religious wars, Carcassonne changed hands several times, and did not recognize Henry IV. till 1596. Its importance as a frontier station disap peared in 1659, when Roussillon was annexed to France. The narrow streets are still inhabited. The ramparts are surmounted by towers, and can be entered only by two fortified gates, to the east and west. Recent excavations have shown that the castle occupies the site of the Gallo-Roman Castellum. The foundations of the towers of the inner rampart are mostly Roman or Visi gothic. The rest, including the castle, seem to belong to the 11th or 12th century, while the outer circuit is mainly the work of Louis IX. (126o-7o). The old cathedral of St. Nazaire dates from the 11th to the 14th century. The Romanesque nave was begun in 1096; the transept and choir, which contain magnificent stained glass of the Renaissance period, are Gothic. Both the fortifications and the church were restored between 1850 and 1880 by Viollet-le-Duc, whose work Boeswillwald continued.
Across the Aude lies the well-planned new town, with streets intersecting each other at right angles. The most interesting buildings are the cathedral of St. Michel, dating from the 13th century but restored in modern times, and St. Vincent, a church of the 14th century, with an exceptionally wide nave (66 ft.).
Carcassonne is the seat of a bishop, a prefect and a court of assizes, and has tribunals of first instance and of commerce. The old cloth industry is almost extinct. The town is, however, an important wine-market, and the vineyards of the vicinity are the chief source of its prosperity, which is enhanced by its port on the Canal du Midi. Tanning and leather-dressing, the manufac ture of agricultural implements and corks, cooperage and the prep aration of preserved fruits, are the chief industries.