On the Route of the Cathars - The heretics who shook the Church

By Luis Pellegrini Photos: Lamberto Scipioni, from Languedoc-Roussillon, France

Cover caption: Detail of the medieval center of Carcassonne.

In the cities of Languedoc-Roussillon, in southern France, every stone seems to be linked to some important event in history. Virtually all the main centers of the region—Montpellier, Albi, Narbonne, Carcassonne, and Béziers—already existed in Roman times. In the Middle Ages, between the 12th and 13th centuries, they were vital centers of an important medieval heretical movement known as Catharism.

To this day a destination for religious and cultural pilgrimages, Languedoc-Roussillon offers a wide variety of itineraries for those wishing to visit its castles, cathedrals, fortresses, and museums within the spirit that characterized the Cathar tradition. Local tour guides are usually very well-prepared and become true history professors when asked to talk about the Cathars. The entire region has excellent infrastructure for tourism, whether in transport, hotels, or gastronomy. The latter, in fact, is considered one of the best and most refined in all of France. Several restaurants in Languedoc-Roussillon have been awarded stars by the Michelin Guide, the bible of gastronomes.

Main entrance to Narbonne Cathedral

In the region, no one needs to worry about hotel infrastructure and transportation when traveling the "Route of the Cathar Castles" and discovering what Catharism was – one of the most important heresies that shook the Christian world in the Middle Ages.

Catharism, the principal heretical movement of medieval Catholicism, found fertile ground to germinate and grow in the institutional decadence of the Catholic Church. Eight hundred years ago, at the beginning of the 13th century, Pope Innocent III lamented the state of his pontificate: churches were deserted, the crisis of vocations reduced the number of priests, the faithful showed distrust and little interest in the sacred scriptures and the affairs of Holy Mother Church. The clergy were given over to luxury, political corruption, influence peddling, and, in many cases, lust and debauchery.

Quéribus Castle, perched atop the rocky outcrop, like an eagle's nest.

This had been going on for a long time, since three or four centuries ago, within the Church, spiritual power began to be confused with temporal power, and many popes and high prelates were no longer chosen for their vocation and virtues, but rather for belonging to noble families that held power. A few decades earlier, Pope Benedict IX (1032-1048) had inherited the title because he was the nephew of Pope John XIX. Accused of rape and murder, he was described by Saint Peter Damian as "a banquet of immorality, a demon from hell in the guise of a priest" who organized orgies sponsored by the church. In his last act of corruption as pope, Benedict IX decided he wanted to get married and sold his title to his godfather for 680 kilograms of gold.

Innocent III, for his part, attempted to moralize the Church. On May 30, 1203, he wrote a forceful letter to the scandalous Archbishop of Narbonne, in southern France, in which he stated unequivocally that his lifestyle made him cursed in the eyes of God. The high prelate, head of one of the richest and largest archdioceses in France, had almost completely abandoned his priestly duties to live in the splendid Abbey of Mont Aragon, where he resided with his brother's widow, with whom he had two children. All this openly, before everyone, without concern for the scandal. Although, in those times, the criteria that defined an ecclesiastical scandal were quite different. In fact, a large part of the high clergy at the time lived like this, with the exception of a few bishops and abbots who stubbornly maintained their faith in the vows they had made.

News of the Church's excesses spread everywhere, while, at the same time, heretical movements were springing up in various parts of Europe. Much like the proliferation of evangelical churches and pastors today, these movements were almost always characterized by bizarre and divergent interpretations of the Gospels and led by charismatic and miracle-working leaders who openly opposed papal authority.

Narbonne Cathedral. Only the front part was built. The rest of the project never left the drawing board due to lack of funds.

It was in this climate that, in southern France, in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, then known as Occitania, a truly autonomous Church spread, organized into dioceses, inspired by the creeds of an ancient Christian sect from the 2nd century, Gnosticism (from the Greek gnosis, meaning knowledge). This alternative version of Christianity, different from that of Peter and the Gospels, had survived in the East and, around the 10th century, had also spread to Europe. These heretics called themselves "Cathars," from the Greek katharòs, "pure ones."

The Cathars, like the ancient Gnostics, believed that Jesus was never a true man of flesh and blood, but rather an angel, a spiritual being who came to Earth to teach humanity the path to salvation. For them, the world and the flesh of men were the creation of an evil angel who wanted to imprison souls within a heavy material burden, full of vices and sins: the body. Christ, messenger of God, could not have a real body because he was free from sin. Therefore, according to the Cathars, he never suffered the Passion nor died.

The Cathars gathered in groups of ascetics (called "perfects") who truly sought to live according to the ideals of evangelical poverty, practicing absolute chastity and long fasts to mortify the flesh. They dedicated themselves entirely to preaching, teaching, and spiritual counseling of the faithful. When a Cathar wished to consecrate himself to the service of God, he made very strict vows that were summarized in... consolamentumThe only sacrament they recognized was baptism. The Cathars, in fact, did not practice baptism, communion, or the other sacraments, including marriage.

Portico of the Faculty of Medicine of Montpellier, one of the oldest in the world.

Since the flesh was seen as a receptacle of all evils, procreation was considered wrong, as was having sexual relations. Marriage, seen as the seat of stable sexual relations, was forbidden. Italian historian Barbara Frale states that “this concept created many problems in the social sphere: women and husbands abandoned their families to join the Cathar communities. Furthermore, (since absolute chastity was a commitment that very few managed to maintain), in daily life people ended up living in temporary and unofficial relationships, which could be broken at any moment to give way to different couples. More than marriage, concubinage and free love were tolerated much more.”

Another major social problem created by Catharism was the absolute prohibition against swearing oaths: in 12th and 13th century society, the power system was based on oaths of allegiance (from bishop to pope, from nobleman to sovereign, from peasant to landowner). The oath pledged personal honor and constituted an absolute bond. Refusing to swear meant being rebellious. And, indeed, the Cathar creed was greatly instrumentalized by ambitions for political autonomy. Many large feudal lords in southern France took advantage of Catharism to free themselves from obedience to King Philip II Augustus; the bishops, to free themselves from the authority of the pope and become autonomous; and the lower clergy, following the example of the bishops and Cathar leaders, to preach openly in Catholic churches, provided they paid the parish priest handsomely…

The liberation from feudal ties was also very useful for the authorities to seize bequests and inheritances, using the excuse of Catharism. It was also possible, by analogous criteria, to exchange an old wife for a new one upon joining this alternative church; and then, tired of her as well, exchange her for another…

Through this inversion of the traditional values ​​that governed the balance of society, a climate of anarchy increasingly took hold, and the official Church decided to intervene before the situation spiraled completely out of control – which had practically already happened in several places. In these places, opportunistic bishops who had converted to Catharism had changed their doctrine, but without renouncing their lands, power, horses, castles, and all the other riches inherent in their former status as Catholic bishops. The new creed seemed excellent to them, as it freed them from the long liturgies prescribed by Catholicism, the burden of visiting dioceses, fasting, practicing the healing of souls, and everything else. And if a bishop began to live with a woman and have children with her, as had happened with the Archbishop of Narbonne, the Cathar religious leaders considered it a lesser evil.

At the same time, signs of obscure pathologies – linked as always to extremist fanaticism – began to emerge within some Cathar communities. Their denial of Christ's humanity and their view of the body as an absolute evil led some believers to encourage suicide. It frequently happened that the sick would starve to death; other times, although this was not a general rule, patients who refused to commit suicide were killed by others who believed they were saving them from damnation. It could also happen that some children from Catholic families, considered more likely to become Cathar saints, were kidnapped and taken away to be raised far from their parents. Charity towards the poor and sick, the number one duty of Christians, was not practiced by the Cathars. Similarly, a pregnant woman provoked a certain disgust and contempt: she was, obviously, guilty of having fornicated and thus having given birth to a new being imprisoned by the incurable evil of the flesh.

It became increasingly difficult for the Catholic Church to tolerate the existence of the Cathars. The cup finally overflowed in 1209, when a papal envoy was assassinated. “Let us exterminate these succubi of Satan!” exclaimed Innocent III furiously. He organized a true crusade – the first to operate on European soil – and unleashed a vast military operation that acquired significant political dimensions. As a reward, the crusader knights could seize the lands and possessions of the Cathar followers. It was in this way, thanks to the successive massacres of Cathar communities, that the Kingdom of France annexed the large region of Occitania, which had been independent until then.

For 20 years, the crusade that began in the city of Béziers (where 20 died in the infamous "Massacre of Béziers"!) ravaged southern France with fire and sword. Simon de Montfort, Baron of the Île-de-France province, was the commander. However, despite the advance of the conquests, Catharism still resisted. In 1226, a second crusade was launched, under the command of King Louis VIII. The Inquisition, for its part, rolled up its sleeves and established itself in the city of Toulouse and in several other points in the region.

The era of interrogations under torture and burning stakes began. The seat of the Cathar church, Montségur, capitulated in 1244. But several small communities still survived, mostly sheltered in castles with very difficult access, such as those of Quéribus, Peyrepertuse, Puivert, and Puylaurens, built on the almost inaccessible mountain peaks of the Pyrenees. Only in 1325 was the last known Cathar leader, Guillaume Balibaste, burned alive in the town of Villerouge-Termenes. More than a century was needed for the extermination of the Cathar religion.

Extermination? In reality, the spirituality of the Cathars (the true Cathars, those ascetics driven solely by religious demands) possessed a fascinating aspect: the idea of ​​living Christianity by practicing a simple, austere lifestyle based on the precepts of the Gospel.

Saint Dominic of Guzman and Saint Francis of Assisi were able to identify this luminous aspect, so important for the Church of their time, and chose to inaugurate a new type of monastic life based on ideals of austerity, simplicity, and poverty. The work of these saints clearly demonstrates that essential seeds of Cathar ideology had been planted within the Catholic Church and were bearing fruit.

Cloister of Fontfroide Abbey, an important monastic center during the Cathar period.

Fruits of a tree that, time and again, blossoms and bears fruit once more. Or aren't these the same values ​​that, a few decades ago, nourished the philosophy of contemporary hippies?

Five fortresses full of history.

The Hautes-Corbières region, crossed by the Cathar Castles Route, still preserves many vestiges of two centuries of persecution of the Cathars. It invites us to discover a collection of castles/fortresses situated on the border of the former kingdoms of France and Aragon. The "Cathar Country" and its wild landscapes are today a delight for lovers of Occitan culture and nature enthusiasts.

The Cathar castles were actually a series of fortresses erected by the kings of France to protect the southern borders of their kingdom. Several of these citadels, all of which were extremely difficult to access, were occupied by the Cathars. They took refuge there to escape persecution during the Pope's crusades.

Peyrepertuse Castle, high in the Pyrenees, was one of the strongholds of Catharism.

In the Cathar region, the main city was Carcassonne, one of the most beautiful and expressive medieval cities in France. Nearby, five castles/fortresses, known as "The Five Sons of Carcassonne," can be visited: Aguilar Castle, Peyrepertuse Castle, Puylaurens Castle, Quéribus Castle, and Thermes Castle. 

Due to its imposing beauty and historical importance, Carcassonne is a must-see and an excellent starting point for exploring the region. It is a modern city, an important cultural and gastronomic center, set in a medieval landscape that is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Behind its walls, the castle and several Roman-era structures remain intact.

The Cathar castles were watchtowers, built on the crest of mountains, in a strategic position that allowed them to withstand all assaults by the Aragonese army. Their construction, in these vertiginous sites, constitutes a true architectural feat. From up there, extraordinary landscapes unfold. They can be reached by car, and the final stretch, generally a few hundred meters, is done on foot, without great difficulty.

Peyrepertuse Castle, whose name means "pierced stone" in the Occitan language, seems to hover 800 meters above the small town of Corbières and the region's vineyards.
This vast complex of ruins is located in the Department of Aude, in the municipality of Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse. It offers some very well-preserved rooms (notably the fortified chapel) and a beautiful panorama. 

Further south, Puylaurens Castle is worth a visit for its very well-preserved walls, full of loopholes and arrow slits. It seems perched on a rocky outcrop, dominating the Boulzane River valley at an altitude of 697 meters. 

The fortresses of Thermes and Aguilar have suffered greatly from the passage of time. In contrast, the Castle of Quéribus, located in the municipality of Cucugnan, on the border of the Department of Aude with the Department of Pyrénées-Orientales, rises on a rocky outcrop at a height of 728 meters. Completely restored, it is once again open to visitors. Quéribus was the last Cathar refuge.

TO KNOW MORE:

www.sunfrance.com

http://www.cathares.org