Family-run gîte complex in the Pyrénées near Carcassonne and Mirepoix
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The Eastern Pyrenees are the 'Land of the Cathars', there are 13 Cathar castles (called 'chateaux') in the area between Narbonne and Andorra, built by the Cathar sect in the 12th and 13th centuries to protect them from the crusading forces of Phillippe II of France and the pope. In the 800 years that have followed, these have all fallen into ruin and are now relics of their previous lives but give an incredible insight into nearly a millenium of history.
At that time, the cities of Carcassonne, Narbonne, Toulouse and others were already built, but they have changed significantly over the years and little of their 13th century history remains so the Cathar chateaux give an insight into the past.
During the centuries since Cathar times, other historic buildings have been constructed in the area and the regional tourist offices have built a fantastic application to guide you through the most notable places to visit. We thoroughly recommend you download the app to your phone as it contains guided walks around 20 of the most famous chateaux, with detailed maps and points to click for explanations, videos and 3d recreations of history.
Click here for Android and here for Apple or search for 'pays cathar, le guide' on the app store - the app is available in multiple languages so if it comes up in french just go into the settings and choose the english version.
The Cathars were Christians, but followed a life of non-violent, vegetarian abstention, and by 1250 the sect and their castles had been decimated. The castles provide a permanent reminder of their rebellion, the best preserved castles are at:
Alongside the tour guide app, there is also a cathar chateaux game suitable for the over 7s that can be downloaded from the app store - search for 'castrum le jeu' or go to #PaysCatharesLesApplis. But, be prepared - the game uses the location of the players phone and encourages the player to visit all 20 of the featured chateau to unlock progress - so if your kids get hooked you may spend your holiday driving around the Pyrenees! There are worse ways to spend a holiday in France, but we just wanted to warn you...
The most famous of the Cathar castles, Montsegur was the last stronghold of the Cathars during their final persecution, falling in March 1244. Montsegur has subsequently become a place of pilgrimage for many studying the cathars, the crusades, and the many succeding religious and civil groups. The chateau is a 20 minute car journey from us and there is a car park at the bottom of the hill above the village.
From the car park there is a reasonably strenuous 40 minute walk up to the stronghold on a polished path that becomes quite slippery in places even in dry weather - trainers are recommended. At the top, the view to the North over the Ariege is superb, and it is incredible to contemplate the effort required to build the castle some 800 years ago. Obviously, this is one of the walks featured in the 'pays cathar, le guide' app we mentioned above, and you really shouldn't do the walk without putting the app on your phone.
On a high rock overlooking Foix, and dominated by its three towers, the chateax is open for visits all year round. It is an excellent example of a castle from the middle ages, built in the 11th century, and containing fine relief murals.
During 2019 and 2020 many millions of euros have been spent completely rebuilding the visitor centre of the chateau which is now a full-day visit with a multi-lingual tablet-based guide exploring life in the middle ages. There is even a themed escape room and special events going on throughout the summer.
Although not inhabited, the chateau at Lagarde has been classed as a historic monument since 1883, and each Summer an international youth team is assembled for four months of restoration work on the chateau under the direction of the official preservation group. Year on year the chateau is improving and is in remarkable condition for an 800 year old ruin!
There are churches and cathedrals of all scales in the local area,
a notable selection are :
