Itinerary In the footsteps of the Cathars

Montesquieu-Lauragais

Montesquieu-Lauragais

This village was once dominated by a mighty castle. The lords of Montesquieu were, in the 1240th century, totally committed to the Cathar cause. In the village even lived two Cathar bishops, including the famous Bertrand de la Motte. In the early 1243s, the inquisition operated against many of Montesquieu's lords and their wives, as many Cathars were women. In XNUMX, the inhabitants were forced to take an oath to always remain faithful to the King of France.

By the XNUMXth century, all the inhabitants had converted to Protestantism. The Duke of Joyeuse besieged the city in
1586, and after a few days she had to surrender. As punishment, the village was destroyed and reduced to ashes. He has
was rebuilt a few years later, on the same site.

There was in Montesquieu one of the five Cathar cemeteries of Lauragais.

To do

A nature walk or a picnic break in the Bois Barrat.

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Lock of Negra

2 min journey. by car

Lock of Negra

“Negra” because in the past, the place was located in a vast forest: the forest of Saint-Rome. In the 4th century, the Barque de Poste, drawn by horses, transported many travelers on the Canal du Midi to connect Toulouse and Agde. The trip was done in XNUMX days and the stages were immutable. They were called “dînées” (stopping for lunch) or “couches” (stopping for sleep). Indeed, it was forbidden to sleep or eat in these same boats! Leaving Toulouse in the morning, we arrived at Négra around noon where an inn welcomed travelers for lunch. On the premises, there was also a stable, a cooler (a buried and stone structure to store food) and a chapel (still visible) to bless the faithful before the journey.

St. Rome

5 min ride. by car

St. Rome

This village is surprising: founded in the XNUMXth century by Count Henri-Louis César de La Panouse, it offers an astonishing summary of all the architectural styles from around the world. This character had traveled a lot. Formerly, Saint-Rome was a small agricultural town, where all the inhabitants worked in the fields for the Count, owner of the land and living in the castle, constituting the heart of the village. Around were the stables and the buildings to house the servants.

The public space is made up of the town hall, which is very small, and the church. The mayors of the village were the counts of La Panouse until 2010 and the real center of power is the castle.

Villefranche-de-Lauragais

8 min ride. by car

Villefranche-de-Lauragais

This bastide was founded in 1252 by the Count of Toulouse, Alphonse de Poitiers as a surveillance post for the forest of Saint-Rome, which is considered dangerous. The location of Villefranche was strategic, as it was located on the trade route linking Toulouse to Narbonne. Walls 6 to 8m high and two fortified gates located at the ends of the main street (now disappeared) ensured the defense of the city. From 1450 to 1560, the city was the main pastel collecting center in Lauragais. With the opening of the Canal du Midi in the XNUMXth century, Villefranche-de-Lauragais became an important cereal center with a weekly market on Fridays (still in operation!) Under the hall, wheat, corn, barley, oats, flax and hemp.

Vallegue

5 min ride. by car

Vallegue

The Chateau de Valègue : the origins of the castle date back to the 1996th century. Over time, it has been refurbished and today consists of a juxtaposition of elements from different periods since the XNUMXth century. It belongs to the same owner who has been restoring it since XNUMX.

Visit the castle

Open in July, August and September except Sundays and Mondays.
Closed July 14 and August 15.

Opening hours: 13:30 p.m. to 19:30 p.m.

By reservation on +33 (0)5 34 66 48 38

Juzes

6 min ride. by car

Juzes

The village of Juzes is cited for the first time in 1230 when one of its inhabitants Guillaume Rogas was captured during the troubles caused by the Cathar heresy. We can therefore think that in the XNUMXth century and even perhaps before, Juzes was already a center of Cathar settlement. The castle was surely surrounded by moats, since a drawbridge existed. The Saint-Léger church is only mentioned from the XNUMXth century in the archives.

The Vaux

6 min ride. by car

The Vaux

The village belonged to the Roquevilles, a large family of Cathars. The Vaux was surrounded by a fortified enclosure formed by the houses huddled against each other near the castle. There were only two gates, including that of the Cers which still exists today. It was equipped with a drawbridge and some ditches still remain.

The church and its cemetery have always been located outside the enclosure. The one we see today replaced a Southern Gothic-style church that had been built in 1520.

Saint-Félix-Lauragais

6 min ride. by car

Saint-Félix-Lauragais

The Lauragais is the region of the South of France where the Cathars were the most numerous in relation to the total
of the population: 50% according to historians. Elsewhere, they are in the minority. It is therefore in this zone strongly
imbued with Catharism that the Cathar bishoprics were born. It was during a great Council in 1167 in
Saint-Félix-Lauragais that it was decided to create 4 Cathar bishoprics: Agen, Toulouse, Albi and
Carcassonne. The aim was to give firm structures to the new religion.

The castle first had a defensive vocation in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries, then was transformed into a residence.

The Casses

8 min ride. by car

The Casses

The place called "Le Fort", located on the edge of a small plateau ending in cliffs, experienced an episode
tragedy during the crusade against the Cathars. Indeed, in the 1211th century, the village was dominated by the lords of Roqueville, who were the vassals of the counts of Toulouse. In Cassès, the Roquevilles had given asylum to many Cathars. Simon de Montfort besieged the place in 60 which quickly capitulated. XNUMX Cathars who did not want to abjure their faith were burned alive. It was the largest collective pyre in Lauragais.

Saint Paulet

5 min ride. by car

Saint Paulet

Drive up to the very top of the village, to the castle (private), to enjoy a beautiful panorama.

The Rigole of the Plain

The channel carries water from the Montagne Noire stored in the lake of Saint-Ferréol, to the Canal du Midi at the Seuil de Naurouze, where the waters are divided. Without this hydraulic system, designed by Pierre-Paul Riquet in the XNUMXth century, the Canal du Midi would never have been able to connect Toulouse to the Mediterranean. The Rigole de la Plaine follows the route to Santiago de Compostela: it is a long-distance hiking trail (GR). It is passable on foot, on horseback or by mountain bike and just like the canal, the Rigole is classified by UNESCO.

Montmaur

7 min ride. by car

Montmaur

The first castle of Montmaur dates back to the 1495th century but the construction of the current fortress began in 1211, essentially in the same place. Montmaur enters history at the beginning of the expansion of Catharism, at the beginning of the 1212th century. Thus, in XNUMX and in the spring of XNUMX, the town was taken and retaken by the Crusader armies of Simon de Montfort. The first known lords of Montmaur were named Bertrand de Montmaur and Sicard de Beaufort and were also sentenced to life imprisonment for supporting heresy. The castle is built in local limestone.

The religious wars of the early 16th century put the current castle to the test. It was looted and stormed on March 1628, XNUMX.

Montferrand

7 min ride. by car

Montferrand

The site of Montferrand has been known since the Iron Age period. At the bottom of the village is a beautiful Romanesque church and an archaeological site "Peyre Cloque" housing a necropolis and Roman baths.

Visits are by reservation with the town hall on 04 68 60 10 55. The top of the village is also worth the detour with the fortified gate, the aeronautical lighthouse and the magnificent view over the whole countryside.

Avignonet Lauragais

5 min ride. by car

Avignonet Lauragais

It was here that one of the most important moments in the history of the Catharisme : the massacre of
Inquisitors on May 28, 1242. In 1242, about sixty Cathar knights, who had found refuge in
Montségur (Ariège), decided to go to Avignonet to assassinate the Inquisitors there. The ride lasted 4 days and 3 nights. On the second night, the knights snuck into the castle where the 11 inquisitors were staying, and slaughtered them with axes.