Carcassonne and Cathar Castles
I put off visiting Carcassonne for as long as possible. My impression of the town was of one, big Medieval-themed Disneyland with castle for a
tourist trap. I was wrong. The day I went, it was overcast, windy and drizzling. If I had stayed in Montpellier, rowing would be out of the question, and I’d exhausted all other day trip destinations within my budget.
The SNCF online app offered first class TGV tickets for the same price as second class, so I sprang for the upgrade. When you arrive at Carcassonne train station, you exit and
immediately cross over the Canal du Midi, which amazingly connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. The canal is navigable by boat through a series of locks. Many people tour the canal by bicycle, or they do a combination of boat and bicycle.
The wind picked up, and clouds played tag with clear sky. It was about a mile and a half walk from the train station to La Cité, the Carcassonne castle. The only tourists I saw were those whose buses drove them up the hill to the Porte Narbonnaise castle entrance, and most of the groups were school children.
Entering La Cité is free, but it cost 9 euros to enter the castle ramparts, and, as much as I hate being a cog in the tourist machinery, I paid the entrance fee. I even paid an additional 3 euros for the audio guide, which is a small, black box that looks like an outdated cell phone. I connected my iPhone earbuds to the audio guide and listened to a British person explain the castle’s history with background musical accompaniment. It was a little cheesy, but I was committed to the full cheese at that point. Touring the ramparts was fun because I was able to go at my own pace and discover tiny staircases and hidden alcoves. While inside the castle walls, make sure to visit the Basilique des Saints Nazaire. It began as a Visigoth church built in the 6th century and was added onto. On the day I went, the Doros Choir from Moscow was performing (see video clip at the end of this post)
I left La Cité through the other entrance, Porte Aude, named because it faces the Aude River.
When you visit Carcassonne, it's hard not hear about the Cathars. The Carcassonne Tourist Office plays up the Cathars in their promotional material. They were a persecuted religious group of heretics slaughtered during the
Albigensian Crusade, between 1209-1229 for their dualistic Christian beliefs. The Albigensian Crusade came more than a century after the first crusade to Jerusalem ordered by Pope Urban II in 1095. Pope Innocent III was responsible for the Albigensian Crusade. In 1209, Crusaders sacked the seaside city of Béziers. In a single morning, they killed 15,000-20,000 people.
Why is the Albigensian Crusade important? It resulted in Rome claiming control over French nobles in Languedoc, and it marked northern French dominance over the south. Languedoc and its language, Occitan, would never be the same after that. Nor would religious tolerance.
According to Stephen O'Shea, author of "The Perfect Heresy: The Life and Death of the Cathars," the word "Cathar" was a pejorative from early German, meaning "cat worshipper." In fact, cats had
nothing to do with their version of Christianity, but detractors claimed the Cathars kissed cats' bottoms. Cathars described their flock as credentes for "believers" or followers, and their holy practitioners as "Perfect." Unlike the Catholics, Cathars allowed both men and women into holy leadership roles.
The Cathars were pacifists. They believed people living on earth were tempted out of heaven and exiled to earth to be reborn over and over. The only way to end the vicious cycle was to renounce material objects and live a monastic life of purity. Hell wasn't where we were sent in the afterlife, it was here and now. It sounds a lot like Buddhism.
One can imagine why this scared the Pope. No need for hierarchy. Popes and priests were irrelevant, and Cathars rejected the notion that Christ died for our sins. Second, there was the economic
threat: no need to pay tithes to the church. Finally, there was the loss of social control: Cathars believed it was okay to live with Jews and Muslims. Women could be holy. What you did in bed and with whom didn't matter, because if you chose to have sex, you were simply prolonging your time on earth.
The threat was not only to the church, but to the church's claim of sovereignty over all of France's nobles. The Albigensian Crusade was as much a political power play as it was a religious war, and what followed was the Inquisition.
"The fate of the Cathars became wedded to the destiny of Languedoc, for it was there where Cathars prospered most and won
disciples...from mountain shepherd and hillside yeoman to lowland noble and urban merchant. [Catharism] was suited to the tolerant feudalism of Languedoc."
How did Catharism grow? First, there was the social environment. The church was thoroughly corrupt, and many nobles were chafing at attempts by Rome to claim authority over them. Languedoc had a thriving economy with traders coming from Africa and Spain and Italy. In this environment, robed Cathars walked into a town and set up shop doing manual labor. They spread their message discreetly at first and grew their audiences. They didn't ask for money. Female Cathar leaders opened homes to
help daughters and mothers and spread their teachings through them. Between Toulouse, Albi, and Carcassonne, between one-third and one-half of the population held Cathar beliefs, so it was not so easy to rid Languedoc of this un-Catholic religion.
"To be always with a woman and not to have intercourse with her is more dificult than to raise the dead." That was what Bernard of Clairvaux said about women in man's pursuit of holiness (Mike Pence anyone?). The Cathars disagreed and allowed women in the clergy. Another point of discord with the Catholic Church was the Languedocien system of inheritance where women and men inherited equally instead of everything going to the first-born son.
Following the sacking of Béziers, the Crusaders went on to
Carcassonne. There, the townsfolk ran for shelter behind the castle walls. The attackers poisoned the wells, and people started dying. When emissaries managed to gain entrance to the castle, it smelled awful.
With no option left, the city's leader, Raymond-Roger de Trencavel exited the castle to negotiate with the attacking forces. As one might guess, they arrested him on the spot in exchange for letting the surviving residents inside the catstle to leave with just the clothes on their back. They included Cathars, but there were also Jews and other groups despised by the
Pope. A massacre was avoided, and Raymond-Roger died months later in his own prison.
The Cathars didn't build the castle in Carcassonne, nor did they build any castle, contrary to what the tourist industry says when they suggest you visit "Cathar castles" of Occitanie. Some castles housed Cathars for a time, but more importantly the castles were overrun because they housed Cathars.
Timbres-poste - postage stamps. I had three oversized postcards to send, one for each kid. For fun, I lined up all three and wrote a
message across the top that would be legible only if you had all three cards lined up in order. How Dan Brown of me, I thought.
My oldest daughter was studying abroad at Waseda University in Japan, so I had to write her Japanese address backward in English so it could be read by westerners. My second daughter's was addressed to her dormitory post office box at UC Santa Cruz. My son's was the only one addressed to home, and I hoped it would arrive before I did a week later.
The Carcassonne post office wasn’t far from the station, and when I
walked in, I got behind the longer line of people and stood there for ten minutes before deciphering the sign, which said “Deposits for Accounts.” The shorter line was directly in front of me, and, even though it appeared to be exclusively for express mail, I surmised the postal worker behind that counter was also selling stamps.
“Le B Sandwicherie” was a fresh bagel shop on rue Gamelin rue Antoine-Armagnac, a block from the main thoroughfare and two blocks from the large street you cross after you leave the station. The owner spoke English, and when I asked him what he
recommended, he told me he smoked his salmon with Chinese tea leaves instead of wood, and, wherever possible, he sourced his produce locally. The salmon came with sliced apple, watercress on a fresh, soft bagel. The carrot soup was like dessert. After I left, I couldn't find his place on Trip Advisor, so I created an account for myself and submitted his bagel joint to be listed. Two weeks later, it had 30 rave reviews.
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| Carcassonne train station |
The SNCF online app offered first class TGV tickets for the same price as second class, so I sprang for the upgrade. When you arrive at Carcassonne train station, you exit and
 |
| Canal du Midi |
The wind picked up, and clouds played tag with clear sky. It was about a mile and a half walk from the train station to La Cité, the Carcassonne castle. The only tourists I saw were those whose buses drove them up the hill to the Porte Narbonnaise castle entrance, and most of the groups were school children.
 |
| Approaching La Cité by foot from the train station, crossing the River Aube |
Entering La Cité is free, but it cost 9 euros to enter the castle ramparts, and, as much as I hate being a cog in the tourist machinery, I paid the entrance fee. I even paid an additional 3 euros for the audio guide, which is a small, black box that looks like an outdated cell phone. I connected my iPhone earbuds to the audio guide and listened to a British person explain the castle’s history with background musical accompaniment. It was a little cheesy, but I was committed to the full cheese at that point. Touring the ramparts was fun because I was able to go at my own pace and discover tiny staircases and hidden alcoves. While inside the castle walls, make sure to visit the Basilique des Saints Nazaire. It began as a Visigoth church built in the 6th century and was added onto. On the day I went, the Doros Choir from Moscow was performing (see video clip at the end of this post)
I left La Cité through the other entrance, Porte Aude, named because it faces the Aude River.
When you visit Carcassonne, it's hard not hear about the Cathars. The Carcassonne Tourist Office plays up the Cathars in their promotional material. They were a persecuted religious group of heretics slaughtered during the
Why is the Albigensian Crusade important? It resulted in Rome claiming control over French nobles in Languedoc, and it marked northern French dominance over the south. Languedoc and its language, Occitan, would never be the same after that. Nor would religious tolerance.
According to Stephen O'Shea, author of "The Perfect Heresy: The Life and Death of the Cathars," the word "Cathar" was a pejorative from early German, meaning "cat worshipper." In fact, cats had
The Cathars were pacifists. They believed people living on earth were tempted out of heaven and exiled to earth to be reborn over and over. The only way to end the vicious cycle was to renounce material objects and live a monastic life of purity. Hell wasn't where we were sent in the afterlife, it was here and now. It sounds a lot like Buddhism.
One can imagine why this scared the Pope. No need for hierarchy. Popes and priests were irrelevant, and Cathars rejected the notion that Christ died for our sins. Second, there was the economic
The threat was not only to the church, but to the church's claim of sovereignty over all of France's nobles. The Albigensian Crusade was as much a political power play as it was a religious war, and what followed was the Inquisition.
"The fate of the Cathars became wedded to the destiny of Languedoc, for it was there where Cathars prospered most and won
How did Catharism grow? First, there was the social environment. The church was thoroughly corrupt, and many nobles were chafing at attempts by Rome to claim authority over them. Languedoc had a thriving economy with traders coming from Africa and Spain and Italy. In this environment, robed Cathars walked into a town and set up shop doing manual labor. They spread their message discreetly at first and grew their audiences. They didn't ask for money. Female Cathar leaders opened homes to
 |
| Route from train station to La Cité |
"To be always with a woman and not to have intercourse with her is more dificult than to raise the dead." That was what Bernard of Clairvaux said about women in man's pursuit of holiness (Mike Pence anyone?). The Cathars disagreed and allowed women in the clergy. Another point of discord with the Catholic Church was the Languedocien system of inheritance where women and men inherited equally instead of everything going to the first-born son.
Following the sacking of Béziers, the Crusaders went on to
With no option left, the city's leader, Raymond-Roger de Trencavel exited the castle to negotiate with the attacking forces. As one might guess, they arrested him on the spot in exchange for letting the surviving residents inside the catstle to leave with just the clothes on their back. They included Cathars, but there were also Jews and other groups despised by the
 |
| Inside the castle ramparts of La Cité |
The Cathars didn't build the castle in Carcassonne, nor did they build any castle, contrary to what the tourist industry says when they suggest you visit "Cathar castles" of Occitanie. Some castles housed Cathars for a time, but more importantly the castles were overrun because they housed Cathars.
Timbres-poste - postage stamps. I had three oversized postcards to send, one for each kid. For fun, I lined up all three and wrote a
My oldest daughter was studying abroad at Waseda University in Japan, so I had to write her Japanese address backward in English so it could be read by westerners. My second daughter's was addressed to her dormitory post office box at UC Santa Cruz. My son's was the only one addressed to home, and I hoped it would arrive before I did a week later.
The Carcassonne post office wasn’t far from the station, and when I
“Le B Sandwicherie” was a fresh bagel shop on rue Gamelin rue Antoine-Armagnac, a block from the main thoroughfare and two blocks from the large street you cross after you leave the station. The owner spoke English, and when I asked him what he
 |
| Le B Sandwicherie |
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