Carcassonne - Cathédrale Saint-Michel

The Cathédrale Saint-Michel ("Carcassonne Cathedral") was built within the 13th century, commisioned by Louis IX, as a parish church in the typical style of gothique méridional. The preceding church of the parish had been gotten destroyed during a siege, when Raymond II Trencavel tried to reconquer Carcassonne in 1240.

When English troops led by Edward of Woodstock ("The Black Prince") burnt down Carcassonne 1355, the parish church got severely damaged. When it got rebuilt a strong fortification was added to the construction.

What is now the Basilica of St. Nazaire and St. Celse, located in the citadel of Carcassonne ("Cité"), had been the cathedral for centuries, but in 1802 the "cathedra" was moved to the humble former parish church, that now is the Cathédrale Saint-Michel.