Les Chateaux des Cathars

Majestic and lonely, these castles still stand proud and strong, a symbol of their fight for freedom and justice. They were built 1100 years ago, high on mountain tops, for defense.

The Cathar religion appeared in France the tenth century. They called themselves christians, but believed in two creators: The physical world created by the evil god, Rex Mundi, and the second God--whom they worshiped--was the god of love, order and peace. 

They believed that the purpose of man on earth was to transcend matter. They believed that Jesus could not become incarnate and still be the son of god, they rejected the crucifixion and believed that Rome's opulent, luxurious church to be a sign that Catholics worshipped Rex Mundi. 

They believed in reincarnation, refused to eat meat and saw men and women as equal. 

It is said that the Cathars held the secret of the Knights of the Temple. A secret that would, even today, utterly discredit the Roman Catholic church.

The Pope Innocent III called a formal crusade against the Cathars to ensure that the secret never got out. He made a deal with the king of France: if allowed to wipe out the French Cathars, the king could, in exchange, have all the land in Langeudoc. 

In 1209, a war of terror began that eventually killed an estimated 500,000 people. Pope Innocent III replaced educated and tolerant Languedoc rulers with barbaric puppets. Dominic Guzmán (later Saint Dominic) founded the Dominican Order and finished off the Pope's genocide against the Cathars with a terrifying Inquisition. 

The last Cathar castle to fall was Queribus, (728 meters high on a mountain top) in 1255.

Who is the keeper of the secret today?

Groses bisous et a demain!

Love, Charley