Discover a high place in the history of Catharism, labeled Grand Site Occitanie, in the running for a Grand Site de France classification and for inclusion as a serial property on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Standing at an altitude of 1207m, on the highest part of a rocky spur called pog, the castle of Montségur is cited in texts from the end of the 12th century. However, it should be noted that the first witnesses of human occupation on this mountain date back to around four thousand years BC.
At the beginning of the 13th century, the Cathars, followers of a dualistic religion declared heretical by the Pope, settled in these places. In 1232, the castle became the seat of the Cathar church and the refuge of the faidits, local lords dispossessed of their property by the crusade. While Languedoc was set ablaze, Montségur lived in relative peace for more than 40 years.
Finally, the Pope and the King of France decided in 1243 to put an end to Montségur. At the end of a terrible 11-month siege, on March 16, 1244, the Cathars were burned at the stake. More than 200 of them were burned alive.
Catharism never recovered from the loss of Montségur and completely disappeared at the beginning of the 14th century.
Ranking & labels
GTAP-VTT
Location
Cathar Pyrenees
Located to the east of Ariège, on the border of the Aude, this territory, labeled "Country of Art and History", revolves around [...]
