T. E. Lawrence to his mother

Carcassonne

Thursday, 6 August 1908 

Dear Mother,

Today has turned out most wet, so I will spend some time in beginning a letter to you. Paper is precious you see, so I will write very small, and Frank or Arnie must read it to you. I wrote last from Aigues-Mortes. I rode thence to Nimes where the amphitheatre proved fair, no more: the "maison Carée" was a little gem of a temple, in time stained marble, of pure Greek style. I never saw a handsomer little place; it makes one marvel what the Parthenon must be. From Nimes I rode to Agde (Àγαθη πολις it was) with a wonderful church spared by Andrea Doria when he sacked the town. The building is all fortified, with wonderful machicoulis all round. It has a front seat in my thesis. All this part of France was sown with Greek colonies, and the women of Arles still retain the type. They look very splendid in little Phrygian caps of black cloth. I have post cards of a couple for your collection. It is interesting to find local influence still so lasting. Agde to Béziers was my next stage. This was the headquarters of the vine troubles last year, and was celebrated for the massacre it witnessed in the wars of the Albigenses under De Montfort. The town had been taken, and the Crusaders wanted to kill the heretics, but there were many Catholics in the town as well. What shall we do? they asked the Legate, Peter of Castelnau. "Kill them all," said he, "God will recognise his own," and some 8,000 were butchered in cold blood. Pleasant people those 13th cent. Crusaders!

From Béziers I rode to Narbonne, and so to Carcassonne. This place is absolutely indescribable. It is of all dates: much Roman work: much Visigothic, a splendid Saracenic tower, some Carolivingian work, and mediaeval of all sorts to the end of the 14th century: nothing later except a very little modern restoration. This makes it the most interesting and most valuable object-lesson in military architecture (for at all periods it was a first-class fortress) and it happens also to be wonderfully picturesque. An artist in black and white could obtain most marvellous effects (there is no colour in the building, and no creepers or plants) and there are some fine photographs to be bought. I have 24 postcards, and some of those giant p.c.'s. They should be framed when I get back. Also I have a superb plan, showing the different periods of the buildings. In fact I spent 5 francs on getting about the place, and getting views. When it clears today I'll go up there again. It is quite small, (about a mile round) but every inch has two lines of defence, with a fine castle in the inside of all. This, they say, is early twelfth century, but that's all rubbish. It is late in the century, or else early thirteenth. All the same there is much of the twelfth for me: so much that I cannot satisfy myself upon it: in fact could only do so by carting it back to Oxford and fixing it on Brill hill. From it there are glorious views both over Cevennnes and Pyrenees, but I do not intend to go over either. It looks as though it has cleared up, so I'll go off and see, merely remarking that the water-jugs here are superb: large green pitchers, shape of Jersey milk-cans with two handles, one of which contains a spout. A special joy in Carcassonne is that one does not need a guide with one, all is free and open except some of the towers: there are guides, but no fees. Photography is allowed, but there is not much to do; I have got them all I think.