A new building was started in the eleventh century in the time of Pope Urbain II , in a style called Romance here corresponding to the Romanesque in Britain. When Carcassonne became a French royal possession in the thirteenth century during the Cathars Wars , the Romance cathedral was largely destroyed and replaced by one in the new Gothic style, though because of lack of funds, the old nave was preserved.
It was therefore necessary to improvise a junction between the Romance nave with restricted dimensions and the Gothic transept idesigned for a larger building.
The two styles combine relatively well, providing one of the interesting characteristics of this monument. The basilica was of course, a Cathedral, but the Bishop now keeps his cathedra in a church in the modern city The Bastide St-Louis , so this is now just an ordinary church.
The term basilica generally refers to a very different architectural style, but at least the term suits the antiquity of the site and size of the building. Total length: Length of the transepts: 34 m.
Width of the nave and aisles together: 16 m. Points to note:. Saint-Pierre Vault. In this 14th century vault is the cenotaph empty tomb of Pierre de Rochefort, bishop of Carcassonne from to , who was responsible for practically all the Gothic work of the basilica.
