Montségur, France
Posted by: 
arby101ca
N 42° 52.543 E 001° 49.946
31T E 404641 N 4747675
The Montségur fortress was the last holdout of the Cathars. It fell in 1244 and the remaining Cathars were burned, martyred for their faith.
Waymark Code: WM8QM8
Location: France
Date Posted: 05/03/2010
Views: 23
Montségur is a very significant fortress in the medieval history of France. This is a symbolic a last stand as the Alamo in the US or Masada in Israel This was the last holdout ot the Cathars resisting the domination of the Roman Catholic religion and French kings.
The crusade against the Cathar heretics in the 12th century is an important episode in the history of France. The cause was religious but the results political. The ruthless persecution of heretics in the Albigensian Crusade also destroyed the independence of the Occitania, the ancient provinces of Provence and Languedoc, the language and culture described by the medieval troubadours. It brought the south into submission to the Capet Kings of France, Louis VII etc. Read up on the history and take a tour Cathar country and visit the ruins of the Cathar castles. After reading "Massacre at Montségur", we made sure to include Montségur in our 2005 trip to France, This describes the tragic history of the Albigensian Crusade.
The initial view of the fortress on top of the hill is evocative. Then climb the hill and tour through the ruins. The Cathar castle was totally destroyed. These ruin as the remnants of a later reconstruction.
Besides the real history, there are many myths concerning this ancient fortress holy grail, solar temple alignments, ancient treasures etc..
Accessibility: Partial access
Condition: Completely ruined
Admission Charge?: yes
Website: [Web Link]
|