The Cathars' Last Stand - Montsegur

Over the course of my month Chez Smith, I had some wonderful drives in and around the department of the Ariege and finally visited the Cathar (a Christian sect which was essentially wiped out in France through  Inquisition by the Catholic Church in the 1200s) bastion in which the last remaining believers were wiped out in 1244.  Montsegur is a well-known tourist site on the currently popular "Cathar Tourist Trail" and it provided a nice stop with great views, a cute town and a little museum with Cathar relics and history books in French, Dutch and English.

Views of the Fortress/Bastion

   

   

Views from Montsegur

   

Views of Montsegur from the town and parking area below