South of France

Lovely view of one of the lesser known cathar castles of Languedoc – actually three castles strung out along the top of a rocky ridge, at Chateau Lastours.

The current fascination that people have with the cathar castles is perhaps because of the simple pure life that the cathars pursued; or perhaps because of the terrible persecution the cathars suffered at the hands of the Albigensian Inquisition. Equally, whispered suggestions that there might be a connection between the cathars, their castles, and the hiding place of the Holy Grail have done little to dispel interest. The book ‘The Da Vinci code’ has doubtless played a role. Of course, [...]