 |
|
|
|
|
onjour!
This newsletter is about the Cathar epic, a long forgotten period of French history. This 12th century
tragedy not only left its mark on the time, but also transformed the Languedoc Roussillon, a region up
until then more under Spanish influence than French. Today, you can see the magnificent ruins of a hundred
or so Cathar castles. These ghostly remains, still standing proudly on mountain peaks, were once inhabited
by men and women of deep faith who lived there peacefully in reverential silence. But before we set off to
visit these mysterious castles, we must understand their history and the context in which they were built,
about 800 years ago...
But before continuing, please remember that you can access and read all the newsletters already
published at http://www.francemonthly.com/
|
 |
 |
|
Catharism: Religion or Heresy?
|
The Cathars declared themselves true Christians, bearers of the Gospel’s message. They spread the Word of a
Christ who they claimed had been sent by God to deliver a message of truth, not to atone for man’s sins by
his own death.
|
 |
| |
The Perfects
(Click photo to enlarge)
|
They declared two creations: the Soul, the spiritual creation, timeless and good since the work of God, and the Body,
the material creation, bad since subject to temptation, suffering, and disease. "God is Love, and in his infinite
goodness can not allow evil". Therefore, the mortal coil where the soul was imprisoned could only be the creation
of an evil being, the Devil. The "Perfects", or "Good Friends" as they called each other, spread the Word to the
faithful. Bound by very strict rules of conduct, they had taken a vow of poverty, chastity and obedience. They were
vegans though they did consume fish, which Christ himself had multiplied and offered to the people. Unlike the Roman
Catholic Church, the Perfects did not retreat into monasteries but shared work with their faithful, proclaiming the
Gospel while fully integrated with society. This was yet another ideological difference that gave them power which
was greatly feared by the Catholic Church.
|
|
|
|
The Counts of Toulouse
|
|
Originally from central Europe, the Cathar religion drew many followers from all over 12th century France. The
successive French kings were not about to let this community resistant to the established religious order weaken the
power of their kingdom. They set up such a suppression of their opponents that the Cathar heresy was unable to get
organized in the north, in the Champagne and Burgundy regions. Not so for the Languedoc, though, a prosperous and very
influential region. It wasn’t attached to the Kingdom of France, much to the chagrin of His Majesty, as it was under
the rule of the Counts of Toulouse. These very powerful lords federated a region that spread from west to east, from
Aquitaine to the river Rhône, even extending some into Provence. They disliked the King of France, a threat to their
beloved freedom, as well as the clergy and its loose morals that they condemned. Therefore, they benevolently welcomed
these men and women in search of a new and original spiritual identity. As strong supporters of tolerance and fervent
defenders of religious freedom, they offered the Cathars their protection and in so doing declared their firm intention
to stand up to the King of France.
|
|
|
Recipe for September 2005
|
|
|
|
Nougatine Delicacy
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Crusade
|
|
| |
Pope Innocent III was confronted with the disobedience of a two-party alliance that refused to
recognize his role as an intermediary between Man and the Divine and, of course, refused as well
to pay off the tithe, a tax due the clergy.
He could not allow this heretical belief that stood in opposition to the official dogma to establish
itself as a religion, and become a threat to the Roman Catholic Church and its institutions. So he
 |
|
Quéribus Castle
(Click photo to enlarge)
|
|
decided to wipe out all these heretics. However, the King of France, Philip Augustus, refused to send
his army despite the fact that a victory would have allowed him to attach the counties of Occitany to
the Crown of France. He was actually much more upset to see the pope meddle in his affairs of state.
This rivalry bought the dissidents some time but the respite was short-lived. In 1208, a legate of the
pope was assassinated, and it was suspected the Count of Toulouse was the instigator of this crime.
Such an act was unforgivable, and Philip Augustus could no longer remain passive. The crusade started
in the spring of the following year. The course of Languedoc’s history was about to take a dramatic turn.
|
|
|
|
| |
Béziers: Martyr City
|
|
| |
The army of crusaders arrived at the gates of Béziers in July 1209. Catholics, Jews, and Cathars
were living in perfect harmony in this city where a great spirit of tolerance prevailed. They
remained confident as their citadel was considered tactically impregnable. The Bishop who had
come to negotiate with them,
went back to convey their categorical refusal to hand over the heretics to the besieging army in
|
 |
Peyrepertuse Castle
(Click photo to enlarge)
|
exchange for peace. Meanwhile, the ranks of the assailing army had swelled with the addition of
more than one thousand highwaymen and hostile peasants, who like birds of prey were awaiting an
upcoming massacre. When a few daring inhabitants armed with makeshift weapons tried to break out
of the city to scare off the crusaders, they were violently pushed back by the bandits who, swifter
than the crusaders, rushed in by the gate left ajar. This was a fatal strategic error and Béziers
fell. The citizens fled in disarray as an unbalanced and merciless battle took place. It was by then
too late to make the distinction between Catholics and heretics... all the inhabitants were slaughtered
while the thugs and crusaders fought over the spoils. The famous citadel was set ablaze.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
French Languedoc
|
|
| |
After Béziers, Carcassonne, as so many other citadels in the south, was also taken over and destroyed
by the dreadful army of Simon de Montfort. This cruel and much feared lord continued to hunt down and murder
 |
|
Puivert Castle
(Click photo to enlarge)
|
the "heretics", relentlessly besieging and pillaging the castles that were sheltering them. He was killed
while laying siege to the city of Toulouse in 1218. His son succeeded him but did not share the same military
intelligence and cruelty, and very quickly lost all of his father’s conquests. Five years later, the Cathars
had regrouped. They were only given a short reprieve however, as the Crusade resumed in 1226. This time, it
was led by the King of France, Louis IX, known as St Louis. Military campaigns followed one another, as the
army advanced, devastating crops along the way to starve the resistance. Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse, had
to capitulate. In 1229, he signed the Treaty of Paris, relinquishing a large proportion of his land which was
immediately annexed to the kingdom. His only daughter, Jeanne, was forced to marry one of the king’s brothers.
When her husband and she both died in 1271, the remaining land of the County of Toulouse was turned over to
the Kingdom of France by right, according to the terms of the treaty signed forty two years earlier. And thus,
the Languedoc region became French.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
Montségur |
|
| |
Ironically, even though the Treaty of Paris ended twenty years of relentless war, the fighting wasn’t over. The
Roman Catholic Church put in place the terrible Inquisition: decades of chases, interrogations, tortures and
merciless executions. Hundreds of pilgrims and leaders of the Cathar Church found refuge in a quasi-inaccessible
fortress that stood at the top of a rocky peak, 3,960 ft in elevation. Montségur, as it was known, became the
headquarters for the resistance. In May 1243, the king’s soldiers laid siege to the fortress, confident of an
early victory. But that was underestimating the will and the faith of the inhabitants... as well as their strategic
understanding of the land, which allowed them to sneak out, transmit messages, and most importantly get some food.
Months went by, and the besieged kept resisting, even despite a severe winter. In early 1244, the army of crusaders
was exhausted and called on mountain mercenaries to help them reach the summit and seize the tower located at the
edge of the fortress. The balance of power was unequal, and inevitably, the people surrendered after ten months of
fierce combat. The Perfects knew they would be burned at the stake and were prepared for it. They threw themselves
into the flames without a fight, since the ultimate deliverance awaited them. Montségur was the center of catharism,
and remains today the most prestigious vestige of this tragic Cathar epic.
|
|
|
| |
The Cathars’ Treasure
|
|
| |
The Perfects knew that their kingdom lay in another world, way beyond this corrupted and evil life on earth.
Far from fearing death, they awaited it with serenity. This is why they promised to never hide from the
Inquisition and to never renounce their faith. On March 16, 1244, a blazing stake was set up in Montségur. Two
hundred and twenty five "Friends of God" threw themselves into it without any resistance whatsoever. However,
four of them were missing.
 |
|
Montségur Castle
(Click photo to enlarge)
|
It seemed they hadn’t kept their solemn promise and had given up the honor of dying in the inferno. Actually,
these elite men had been chosen to accomplish a mission which apparently justified the renunciation of their
given word. In the night of March 15th to 16th, they glided along the steep cliffs using ropes, courageously
crossing the mountain to recuperate a treasure hidden several months earlier in a cave. But then all trace of
them got lost, and the treasure became legendary. What could it possibly have contained that was so valuable
it justified forsaking the ultimate sacrifice? Was it gold, or precious stones, or sacred texts? The mystery
remains, and some think that it is still hidden somewhere in the folds of the surrounding mountain.
|
|
|
|
| |
An Invitation to Travel... |
|
| |
After twenty years of war, it took one hundred years of Inquisition to eradicate an impertinent religion and
bring back in line an insolent and rebellious county. The Cathars could well have been forgotten, as they
were so thoroughly exterminated. Fortunately, though, their legacy lives on today. While you travel the roads
of Languedoc-Roussillon, your gaze will be drawn up to the spectacular remains of medieval castles that seem
to be desperately clinging to a cliff, or are proudly perched atop a mountain peak, with names like Quéribus,
Puivert, Peyrepertuse and Minerve... You will no doubt be intrigued by these monuments from the past charged
with such a rich and painful history. Tourists are always attracted to these hundreds of sites where fortress
ruins still stand, ready to give up their secrets to those who make the effort to reach them. It is indeed a
tragic yet fascinating story that we recommend you hear while visiting the most beautiful Cathar castles!
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
