Cathar country
The Languedoc is also called Cathar country (le pays Cathares). The
department of Aude is named after the river Aude. The river winds its
way through the Pyrenees until it reaches the Mediterranean Sea. A lot
of places in this region are worth seeing because the Aude has a very
interesting history.
The most famous story of the Languedoc is the crusade against the Cathars.
No chapter in the Roman Catholic Church is bloodier than the battle
against the Cathars. Catharism developed during the 12th century in
the south of France and in the north of Italy where they attracted followers
from all walks of life. They posed a direct threat to traditional Christianity.
The most famous story of the Languedoc is the crusade against the Cathars.
No chapter in the Roman Catholic Church is bloodier than the battle
against the Cathars. Catharism developed during the 12th century in
the south of France and in the north of Italy where they attracted followers
from all walks of life. They posed a direct threat to traditional Christianity.
Under the authority of the Pope there finally came a halt to the rise
of Catharism. It still fires one’s imagination the way the Cathars accepted
their cruel fate and convinced of their faith were burnt to death at
the stake.
The massacre in Montségur in 1244, where 225 Cathars were burnt to death
at the stake, meant the end of Catharism.
Montségur
In the wake of the fall of Montségur in 1244, the castle Queribuscame to house a number of dispassessed knights and cathars who found themselves overwhelmed by he catholic presence in the region.
It was only in 1255 that this castle fell in to Frenche Catholic hands.
Queribus
After that people in and around Montaillou held on to Catharism but
in 1320 the inquisition drove the Cathars away. The records of the interrogations
of the inhabitants formed the basis of the books: “Montaillou: The Promised
Land of Error” (Emmanuel le Roy Ladurie) and “The Yellow Cross: The
Story of the Last Cathars 1290-1329” (René Weis)