he streets which are at the foot of the fortifications form a little village with a strong personality.
The two main streets are the Rue de la Barbacane (Barbican Street) and the Rue de la Trivalle, we often call "la Trivalle". Restaurants, cafés, antiques, exhibition houses, this "village" also has much to offer.

Every year in september takes place on "la Trivalle" a big flea market. All the inhabitants gather in the street, eat, drink, sing, dance, buy and sell all kind of stuff in a very friendly atmosphere.

But there are other reasons to saunter along la Trivalle. Mansions, chapels are scattered along this street, which is moreover one of the oldest in Carcassonne.

The bell tower of the ancient Ste Marie du Sauveur Chapel dominates the roofs of la Trivalle. It was reconstructed in the 16th century on the site of Carcassonne's very first cathedral. Pope Urbanus II preached here in 1096 !
A little bit further don't miss Montmorency's House. This nice house with wooden framings was recently renovated and very well highlighted. Its name comes from the Wars of Religions, when the Cité was catholic and the Lower Town was protestant.
Montmorency's House is away from the main touristic sites, so you could walk near it without even seeing it. But it is really worth walking a few metres more and discover this beautiful 16th century house with its circular turret.
On the way up to the Cité a very long fresco unwinds the medieval history of the Cathar Country and the Crusade. It was made by artists coming from Lyon and who are specialized in painted walls. All those beautiful designs help understand the events that took place here in the 13th century and changed the destiny of the Languedoc.

Finally, the Hôtel de Pelletier du Claux is a nice mansion situated in the middle of la Trivalle. During the Middle Ages this house belonged to businessmen who enriched thanks to textile industry and trade and who were even ennobled. La Trivalle sheltered woollen fabrics for centuries.

The mansion was rebuilt after the Wars of Religions, la Trivalle had to suffer from these wars, being plundered several times.

Carcassonne > Visit > La Trivalle