Languedoc - Cathars & Crusaders

This morning we leave the hotel and head into the historic centre of Albi which is dominated by the fortress-like St Cecilia cathedral, built shortly after the Albigensian Crusade. This gothic structure is the largest brick-built cathedral in the world, designed to be a tribute to the triumph of the Catholic church. Inside, Italian Renaissance paintings dating from the 15^th Century decorate the walls and vaulted ceilings. We will also visit the Toulouse - Lautrec museum, set inside the 13^th Century Berbie Palace, which used to house the Bishops of Albi. Amongst the great artworks hanging here some of the stunning original palace interiors have been uncovered in recent years. After lunch in Albi we will drive to Cordes-sur-Ciel, a fortified 13^th Century town that perches high on a hilltop. Built by Count Raymond VII of Toulouse as a refuge for people who had lost their homes in the Albigensian Crusade, notably those from Saint-Marcel, which had been burnt to the ground, its fine gothic town houses show how the settlement prospered in the later Middle Ages. Having spent the afternoon in its winding cobbled streets and its upmarket main square, surrounded by gothic architecture that has stood the test of time, we descend from the town and travel on to Carcassonne.

This morning starts with an exploration of Lastours, a cluster of four Cathar strongholds spread over a rocky spur above the modern village. Besieged many times, they held out for twenty years before falling in 1229. Rather than undertake the strenuous hike necessary to reach these ruins, we shall have a short lecture from a viewpoint that affords a spectacular view of all four monuments in their landscape setting. We then return to Carcassonne, to explore the heart of the medieval cité, where we can explore its imposing ramparts and enjoy lunch. This afternoon we visit the Château Comtal, which also houses many fine museum exhibits, and the grand basilica of St. Nazaire. Showcasing harmony between the Romanesque and Gothic, this is a truly beautiful church and one that houses some of the most famous stained glass in France’s southern regions. After these visits we can continue exploring or enjoy some free time before returning to the hotel on foot by the medieval bridge over the River Aude. Dinner tonight is independent.

Today, we drive to Narbonne, originally an important Roman port, to visit the fine but unfinished cathedral. The ambition of its founder, Pope Clement IV, was thwarted by the unwillingness of the town to demolish the city wall to accommodate the new church. We will also visit the Bishop’s palace.

Next, we make our way to Béziers, where the Albigensian crusade began in 1209. The invaders pillaged and burnt the town amidst a terrible massacre of the inhabitants. We visit the Gothic Cathédrale St-Nazaire which, like other the churches where terrified inhabitants took shelter, was set on fire. The now peaceful garden of the cathedral offers fabulous panoramic views. After lunch we move on to Minerve, a town set dramatically in a natural canyon where, despite its formidable defences, citizens were forced to surrender to Simon de Montfort after his siege of 1210 and were burnt as heretics.

Today we visit two castles that started out as Cathar strongholds, each playing a significant role in the final throes of Cathar resistance against French royal power, and both rebuilt or radically altered under the royal regime that followed. Both are set in wild and stunning landscapes. Our first destination today is the spectacular Château de Peyrepertuse, almost impossibly perched on a knife-edged ridge. We will spend the morning here, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the history and views.

After lunch, we will visit Château de Quéribus, equally precariously clinging to a cone of rock. After the final stand at Montségur, it is thought that the last surviving Cathars hid here until 1255, when a French army was sent to remove them and that they fled to Piedmont or Aragon, where Catharism was still accepted.  We will finally head to our hotel in Couiza, a 16th-century chateau of the Ducs de Joyeuse.

As a complete contrast with yesterday, we begin our day in the peacefulness and gardens of the Cistercian abbey of Fontfroide, close to the Spanish border. A major power in the fight against the heretics during the 13th century, the abbey has been producing its own wines for over 900 years. After lunch, we drive to Lagrasse to pay a visit to the Abbey of St Marie d’Orbieu. We then head to Arques, a castle given to one of Simon de Montfort lieutenants, Pierre de Voisins, in 1231.

On our last full day in Languedoc we follow the trail of other characters in the sort of the crusade, making our way to Foix to visit the imposing castle of the Count of Foix, a castle that actually survived the crusade, largely due to the political dexterity of its owner despite his deep involvement with Catharism.

We then move on to lunch at the bastide of Montségur, set in the mountains and scene of the last stand of the Cathars against the Albigensian crusaders in 1244. Here more than 200 Cathar martyrs were burned after a protracted siege of its castle. We shall visit the Field of the Martyrs, traditionally thought to be the place where this act took place and also the museum, where finds from excavations at the castle powerfully evoke the day-to-day lives of the last Cathar resisters.

This morning we drive to Toulouse where we shall get a brief feel for the historic centre of this vibrant city and visit the 11th-century Basilica of St. Sernin and its crypt. This Romanesque church was one of the starting points for the famed medieval pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela and is internationally recognised as an outstanding example of its type. Then we will drive to the airport for our flight home.