Most visitors that come to Carcassonne come for a look at the life back in medieval times. This is possible with the fortified walls and ramparts that bring the millions of visitors here each year. We were equally impressed with this medieval village, but for the sake of my stained glass theme, I will skip the traditional pictures of this UNESCO site and show you another view of equally beautiful stained glass that Carcassonne provides. I will show you the stained glass in the church inside the fortified walls and then a counterpart, one from outside the fortified walls.
This is St. Nazaire Church inside the medieval city of Carcassonne. It is almost impossible to get a picture of the whole church from ground view, as the small streets crowd every building tightly. The outside of this church has an amazing feature that I have never seen before on a church. There are faces built into the walls that surround the entire outside of church. The detail that was put into them is amazing. You can see the differences in each and every one and you can feel their realistic eyes casting down judgmental looks as you walk into the church. I am not clear exactly whose faces are looking down at everyone, but they were definitely a focal point for me to admire before heading into the church.
Once inside, your eyes are pulled toward the choir directly behind the altar to search the beautiful colors and pictures on these stained glass windows. There are five stained glass windows from the 16th century that are absolutely stunning.
Here are a few close ups of some of the stained glass inside. This was very dark church, with hardly any illumination, except the light coming in from the windows. The picture on the left shows the most famous stained glass in this church. This was commissioned in the early 14th century and is called "The Tree of Life." The glass has a focal point of Jesus on a cross intertwined with the vines of a tree that is continually growing. It was restored in the 1800s and a few additions were made then by the artist that restored it. It has a lot of bible stories depicted behind the tree and is truly a work of art.
The picture on the right shows that not all of the stained glass in the church have depictions of scenes. This one, and several others in the church, have continual designs flowing through the length of the window. These different patterns are a common site in churches in southern France.
Here are the two rosés that are in St. Nazaire. One would not know that these are part of the church until you walk up to the apse of the church and turn both directions. They are both quite stunning and extremely colorful.
The one on the right represents the coat of arms for Bishop Pierre de Rochefort, who is buried in the church.
St. Nazarine not only provided a glimpse at some of the medieval faces of Carcassonne, but also an array of colorful and memorable stained glass.
Next stop: St. Michael's Cathedral. This cathedral is only a five to ten minute walk from the medieval village, yet very different from St. Nazarine. The outside area has a peaceful place with a garden, a war memorial, and a statue of Joan of Arc, the famous heroine of France.
This church was commissioned in the 1200s to be built along with another church we also visited in Carcassonne, St. Vincent. It has had major destruction by wars and fires, but yet it is a splendid cathedral to visit.
The main focus for this cathedral is the intricate and colorful paint on the walls that is shown here. But the stained glass did not go unseen, it is beautiful as well.
As you can see from this rosé, the designs that were seen in St. Nazarine are closely resembled. The color along with the shapes draw your eyes heavenward and to the beauty of this stained glass.
I left Carcassonne feeling like my counterpart tourists, like I relived the steps of people from the medieval times, but I also found another side of Carcassonne that many do not find, an appreciation of the stained glass from an older era as well.
Chaque objet est le miroir de tous les autres.
Maurice MERLEAU-PONTY, Phénoménologie de la perception, première partie, Le corps
Each object is the mirror of all the others.
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