The Black Madonna

On 29th September 2007, Notre-Dame-de-Marceille in Limoux near Carcassonne was broken into and the famous Black Madonna, made of hard black wood, was decapitated and the cloak that covered her was stolen.

Until recently, visitors who came to the church could only see a photograph of the 12th Century Madonna and Child. Realising that the statue could not be repaired, the Communauté des Sœurs Bethléem near Pézenas appointed a sculpture to make an identical copy.

It is now possible to see the statue in the church, though for security reasons, is behind a heavy grille. The new Black Madonna has been made out of chestnut. Possibly the statue will be dressed in a replacement cloak at a later time.

What a Cracking Game!

What a cracking game!

This was the first match we had been to this season as most of the home games don’t start until 7:30 and we prefer to settle down for dinner at that time. This match began at 5:00 against the local rivals, Limoux. Carcassonne finished the first half just behind 6-8. They had obviously had had a good talking to during the break because they all came out fighting (not literally). There were tries for both teams and with 2 minutes to go Limoux were ahead 32-28. Carcassonne then scored a try to tie the scores 32-32. Could Banquet convert it? It was a hard kick. The spectators stood with bated breath. IT WENT OVER!! The whistle went.

Carcassonne had won 34-32.