Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus

The tradition is that the foundation of the first cathedral of Carcassonne dedicated to saints Nazarius and Celsus, martyred in Milan under Nero, bringing us around 1500 years back, under the reign of Theodoric the Great, King of the Ostrogoths.

It was in 589 that King Reccared I converted to Catholicism. Therefore, it is very likely that the constitution of a church in Carcassonne dates to that time.

The Basilica's Bell Tower

Let yourself be pierced by its stained-glass windows, including the Tree of Jessee and the Tree of Life, dating from 1315. When you get there, you discover the sculpture of an animal on the North Rosace. Then, at the peak of the roof, there is an unparalleled panorama. As Jules de Lahondès wrote in 1906, “The City’s jewel is its church”.

Between the sky and gargoyles, visiting Saint Nazarius' bell turrets also means discovering gardens and hidden towers all around.

We don't know what happened to this cathedral during the occupation of Septimania and after the Muslims' takeover of Carcassonne in 725.

The building stone was blessed by Pope Urban II in June 1096. This stone corresponds to the first campaign to build the apse and the choir.

12th Century

In the middle of the 12th century, the current nave is added, consisting of three sections, six bays with pointed barrel vaults on rib arches for the central section, and a barrel vault for the side apses.

All that remains of the original building are the first two pillars on the east side of the nave and the crypt discovered in 1857, of which the degraded condition suggests that it was a prior work.

Two pillars achieved in the first phase of work are still standing. You can see that it was intended to have barrel vaults not as high as the central section.

The buildings suffered from the siege of Carcassonne in 1209 because, to repair and reinforce the ramparts, it was necessary to find stones that were taken while demolishing the refectory, the cellar, and the stables of the chapter.

In 1215, Bishop Guy des Vaux-de-Cernay undertook the reparation of the damage using episcopal tithes owed by the churches to rebuild the refectory and the cellar of the chapter. The donations are confirmed in writings from 1228 and 1232 that mention that this work was not done yet.

In 1259, Bishop Guillaume Radulphe enlarged the capitular enclosure to the street leading to the Razès door. He had an infirmary built with a chapel where he was buried.

Intact Nave

The nave was kept intact during the expansion of the cathedral in the Gothic period.