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If you would like to see a google map of theis area click here, Montségur is in the centre of the map just to the south of Lavelanet

Following the death of Simon de Montfort, the leader of the Albigensian Crusade, during the siege of Toulouse in 1218, his son Amaury took command of the army. Amaury asked King Phillip II of France for help to crush the Cathars and their supporters from the aristocracy in the Languedoc. Phillip's son Prince Louis arrived with 20 bishops, 30 counts, 600 knights and 10,000 archers. A formidable force against such peace loving people whose only crime was to be Christians who believed in Jesus' teaching as it was taught by him rather than as it was changed by the Roman church over 1200 years.

For the next twenty two years this army killed Cathars and their supporters using the most horrific barbarism and cruelty, killing men, women and children in towns and out in the country throughout Languedoc. A lesser punishment than being burnt at the stake involved the most horrific torture and mutilation, often those accused of speaking heresy had their tongues cut out.

Finally in 1243 the army surrounded the castle of Montségur in the foothills of the Pyrenees where most of the remaining Cathars had been given shelter. On March 1st 1244 after a siege lasting for nine months the Cathars surrendered. They were given 15 days to renounce their heretical beliefs; those who did not recant would be burnt at the stake, a terrible end for such gentle people. On March 16th over two hundred Cathars came down to the foot of the mountain where an enormous fire had been built which they were all thrown into.

I visited Montségur in November 2001 the day after I had seen Carcassonne. I parked my motorbike in the car park at the foot of the mountain of Montségur and then walked up to the castle. It took me about forty minutes, it is a steep winding path and the last 100 meters was very steep. Once inside I was surprised by the small area in which more than 200 people had lived for so long without any contact with the outside world. Although it has been said a few of the Cathars did climb down the steeper part of the mountain in the dark on several occasions during the night to make contact with supporters on the outside and on one occasion to remove the Cathar 'treasure' which has not been seen since.

Only the outer walls are left now, it has been said that this is not the original castle but that the castle was re-built later in the 13th century, if that is so it must be identical to the original as it uses every bit of the available space on the top of the mountain. I tried to walk around the eastern end of the castle on the outside, but the steep mountain side was too much for me so I gave up.

I walked back down the mountain, passing a memorial that showed where the fire had been, feeling extremely sad as I reflected on what had happened here on March 16th 1244. My next destination was Ax les Thermes on the way to Andorra where I found a campsite in a beautiful location alongside a river, pitched my tent for the night and then enjoyed an excellent dinner in the town. The next day I rode through Andorra, taking the photograph to the left of my bike and the view from what seemed to be the highest point. I spent the next night just outside Madrid and was back at home in the Algarve the following day by mid afternoon.

For more information about the Cathars and the origins of their beliefs click here