Église Saint-Gimer & the Jardin du Calvaire
Tucked against the outer wall of the Cité just below the Porte d'Aude, the neo-Gothic Église Saint-Gimer and its terraced Jardin du Calvaire offer a serene escape from the tourist bustle 200 metres away. Few visitors ever find this shaded hillside garden with its stone Stations of the Cross and sweeping views over the Aude valley.
The Garden & Its Views
The Jardin du Calvaire climbs the slope in a series of stone terraces planted with lavender, rosemary and old roses. Fourteen small stone chapels marking the Stations of the Cross lead you uphill to a panoramic terrace where the view stretches west over the Bastide and south toward the Pyrenees on clear days.
The garden is almost always empty even in August, making it the best place in Carcassonne for a quiet picnic. There are wooden benches at the top terrace and the shade from the ancient plane trees is welcome in summer heat.
The descent back through the garden brings you out beside the Porte d'Aude, one of the least-visited gates of the Cité and a beautiful piece of medieval military architecture in its own right.
Église Saint-Gimer
The church itself was designed by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's son-in-law Maurice Ouradou in the 1850s as part of the broader restoration of the Cité. The interior is cool, dark and surprisingly ornate, with polychrome tile floors and delicate ironwork screens.
Mass is still celebrated here on Sundays, giving the building a living quality that the more famous Basilique Saint-Nazaire sometimes lacks. Visiting during or after a Sunday service, when the organ plays, is a genuinely moving experience.
More of Carcassonne
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Carcassonne →
