Visiting Castles and Fortified Chateau

Of the many things that make the Pyrenees region of France so fascinating the ‘Cathar Castles’ would have to be the undisputed main attraction.  Few regions boast so many largely still intact structures that date back so far, in fact, some of the structures are well over a thousand years old, and even by today’s standards are exceptional feats of engineering.

The Cathar Castles were not built by the Cathars, but rather were made available to them for shelter from Roman Catholic crusaders during the Albigensian Crusade.   Some of the structures that we associate as being Cathar Castles were actually built after the Albigensian Crusade by the victorious Generals who assumed the title of Lord of the local area. They would often build the new Castle on the site of the old one, which at least ensured that some of the original structure survived.

It is fair to assume that the structures that we today refer to as ‘Cathar Castles’ are named as an homage to the Cathars, who were all but genocided by the French Crown under orders from the Vatican.

The most well known and popular ‘Cathar Castle’ is Cité de Carcassonne which is just over the River Aude from the modern day City of Carcassonne. There are hotels and B&Bs within the walls of Cité de Carcassonne which make it possible to actually sleep within the walls of this medieval walled City. There are guided tours available (during the summer months), which will take you through the various chambers, and offer a glimpse of what everyday life might have been like in this medieval citadel.  Cité de Carcassonne was restored in the late 19^th century and in 1997 was made a UNESCO World Heritage site. Today it is estimated approximately three million tourists visit Cite de Carcassonne each year. This amazing medieval citadel still has full time residents living on site, which considering it was built approximately 2500 years ago makes Cité de Carcassonne very unique.

There are many amazing Castles and fortified chateau in Cathar Country, whilst a majority are in the Aude department they are spread a little further afield, a short trip into the neighbouring departments of Ariege and Pyrenees Orientales will allow you to explore the full collection of Cathar Castles and Fortified Chateaux.

The majority of Cathar Castles require a certain minimum fitness level in order to visit as they were predominantly built on top of mountains within the Pyrenees. Although most have a tourism office beneath the ascent and reasonably well-maintained paths leading to the structures, it still requires a decent amount of effort to view them properly. The steep nature of the paths to these Chateau are not suitable for people with mobility issues, or a low level of fitness, smokers over the age of 80 are advised to bring their own oxygen masks, or a note from a parent. It is fair to suggest that to visit the majority of Cathar Castles good sturdy footwear is a must, as is a bottle of water, especially in the summer.

Whilst many Cathar Castles are to some degree still in-tact there are several that only have reminders of their heyday still visible; in many instances these structures can be found as a wall here or a gate there within a formerly fortified village. For example, Laurac has ancient structures which were at one time part of the huge fortifications that surrounded the village, though today you have to use your imagination (and guides from the local tourism office) to imagine what life was like within the walls of this historic location.

Some historic Cathar points of interest do not have a castle or fortification to display, but rather they are included as places of interest due to playing an integral role in attempting to preserve Cathars and their beliefs from the invading armies.

The main function of the Chateaux known as Cathar Castles was to protect the southern parts of France from the Spanish and to this point they served their purpose, until the border with Spain was moved in 1659. Once the border had been moved and the Treaty of the Pyrenees signed the old, fortified castles were no longer required and to the most part they fell into ruin.

Carcassonne was the main seat of power in the region, but it couldn’t hold off the Spanish and Aragon armies from the south all on its own. Carcassonne was supported by what are known as the ‘Five Sons of Carcassonne’, which is possibly the best place to start when looking for ancient fortifications to explore. The Five Sons of Carcassonne are/were.

Chateau Queribus is regarded as the last of the Cathar strongholds. After the fall of Montsegur in 1244 any surviving Cathars were believed to have sought shelter at Chateau Queribus, where they stayed until 1255 when a French army was sent to finish off the Cathars once and for all. There was to be no siege at Queribus however as the remaining Cathars had gotten word of their impending destiny and had fled to either Aragon/Spain or Piedmont in Northern Italy where Cathars beliefs were practised, and the Occitan language was in use.

Chateau Aguilar lies approximately 20km inland from the Mediterranean in the commune of Tuchan. It was seized and occupied by Simon de Montfort, whose soldiers then imprisoned the owner, Raymond de Termes. Thirty years later Raymond’s Son Olivier de Termes would win back the Chateau with the help of a young Viscount Trencavel during his brief revolt. Aguilar would then become a refuge for Faidits (Faidits were Lords and landowners who had their own property confiscated due to their opposition to the crusaders). It would go on to become one of the most attacked of the fortified Chateau, due to its location it was under constant attack from the Aragonese and the Spanish until the Treaty of the Pyrenees was signed in 1659.

Chateau Peyrepertuse was built by the King of Aragon in the 11^th century and extended some 200 years later by Louis IX. It is long and slender and is said to resemble a large ship sitting high atop mountains overlooking the Corbieres region. Peyrepertuse was never subjected to attack during the Crusade, it’s surrender to the crusaders in 1217 played no small part in this fact. A few years later it was reclaimed by those sympathetic to the Cathars as powers ebbed and flowed, and under the guidance of Guilhem de Peyrepertuse and many Knights Faidits the resistance to the crusaders continued. Guilhem was excommunicated by the Church in 1224 for refusing to submit to the crusaders, but he did not lose control of the Chateau until 1240 after the siege of Carcassonne.

Chateau Puilaurens had originally belonged to the Abbey of Saint-Michel de Cuxa before it was acquired by the King of Aragon in 1162, as it was Aragon property it was largely ignored by the crusaders. It became a very popular refuge from the crusaders for the Cathars and many Faidits. It is an impressive sight to this day and was quite revolutionary in its time for its innovation in architecture which helped in no small part to its success and the extended survival of its inhabitants. The standout innovative feature of Chateau Puilaurens was in the south west tower where a speaking tube was built into the stonework allowing communication between one floor to another, the same technology that would be used later by ship builders for the same purpose. Like Chateau Queibus Chateau Puilaurens was defended by Chabert de Barbaria, A Cathar military commander who was the last surviving commander to defend the Occitan cause.

Chateau de Termes is first mentioned in history books in 1110, it is assumed to have been built by Pierre-Olivier who became the lord de Termes in 1084. Following the fall of Minerve and Carcassonne in 1209 and Minerve and Bram a year later Simon de Montfort was then unsuccessful in his attempts to take Lastours. He then decided to turn his attentions to the Chateau de Termes, then ruled by Raymond de Termes, where he lay siege to the Chateau for seven months with little success. He then successfully took Chateau de Termes’ forward defense, the smaller defenses known as Termenet. From here it was a battle of catapults which continued with neither side gaining an advantage. The summer had been without rain and the defenders were by November without water and bewildered by thirst had agreed to surrender the Chateau. The night before they were to surrender though, the heavens opened and a torrential downpour raised the defenders’ spirits, this was short lived however as dead animals in the water storage cisterns quickly spread disease throughout the Chateau. The defenders decided to escape in the dark of night, which was partially successful, except Raymond de Termes was captured and imprisoned.

After a distinguished military career Oliver de Termes was offered his family’s legacy and returned from fighting abroad, he went on to become a very wealthy and powerful man and the King’s liege in the Languedoc.

The chateaux mentioned above all played their parts in the building of the Cathar Legacy, and indeed in the preservation of Carcassonne, but they are/were not the only fortified chateau in the region, and certainly were not the only fortifications in the region to have significance to the Cathar legacy.

Chateau de Montsegur is possibly one of the most visited Cathar Castles beside Carcassonne. Sitting in the foothills of the Pyrenees in the Ariege department is Chateau Montsegur, which was the site of perhaps the last Cathar resistance, falling to the inquisitors after a 10 month siege in 1244.

Legend has it that there were a few Cathars that managed to escape Montsegur before it fell to the invaders, the accuracy of this and the numbers of the escapees is unknown, but what is known is once the Chateau fell the remaining Cathars were given the option of denouncing their faith in exchange for their lives. They chose not to denounce their faith and were burnt at the stake, at the foot of the Chateau there is a memorial for the 225 Cathars that perished here. There is parking for approximately 150 cars and your 7 euro entrance fee includes free entry to the Montsegur museum in the village, which houses artifacts and shows short documentaries of the history of the Chateau. The museum has a souvenir shop with all of the usual stuff, but just 10 metres from the museum is another souvenir shop selling handmade items, check this out if you are looking for something a little different.

Mentioned above is another Cathar Castle that is well worth a visit; Chateau de Lastours. Just a short drive north of Carcassonne Chateau Lastours is today made up of four independent chateau. During the times of the Albigensian crusade there were only three chateau which although independent of each other structurally they formed a significant stronghold due to their positioning on the top of a rocky hill crest. Cathars were well known to have sheltered here during the crusade, the village of Lastours, beneath the chateau was (like so many) also known to have been one that was sympathetic to the Cathars. There is some parking just outside of the tourist office, and your entrance fee of 7 euro’s include access to a lookout spot just across the valley from the Chateau.

There are amazing historical sites throughout the region, some directly linked to the Cathars, others not. What stands out is the grandeur of some of the structures, they may lack finesse, but they do not lack in size, and when we consider the technology available at the time, some of these structures are truly remarkable.