Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus

Inside the walls of the Cité, the Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus combines two distinct medieval styles in one building: a Romanesque nave built between 1096 and 1130, and a Gothic transept and choir added in the 13th and 14th centuries after the Albigensian Crusade. The transition between the two styles is visible as you walk from the door toward the altar — the thick round columns and low barrel vault of the Romanesque give way suddenly to soaring Gothic ribbing and tracery.

The building is famous for its stained glass, particularly the two rose windows. The southern rose dates from around 1280 and depicts the Albigensian Crusade; the northern rose dates from the 14th century. The tomb of Bishop Pierre de Rochefort, carved in the 14th century, is considered the finest sculpture in the building. The basilica is included in the Carcassonne UNESCO World Heritage listing and is one of the best-preserved examples of Romanesque-Gothic transition architecture in France.

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A story
The basilica's rose window — a masterpiece of 13th-century Gothic stained glass — depicts the Albigensian Crusade, the brutal campaign launched in 1209 to exterminate the Cathar heresy in Languedoc. The windows show both sides: crusaders and Cathars, victors and victims. The irony is that this window, commemorating a crusade launched partly against Carcassonne, sits inside the walls the crusaders fought to take.