https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ogX3b8mGb4
The fortress castle of Montségur in the south of France, the Languedoc, was the final stand of the Cathar faith. Image of Montségur besieged by northern feudal armies.
This is a profound history that I discovered when I read the book "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", probably in the 1990s. It actually taught me important lessons about how to do historical research and investigation, what questions to ask, how to use intuition.
It is a fascinating story about a country priest, Sauniere, who arrived in a poor parish, in Rennes le Chateau, in the south of France, the region known as the Languedoc.
Bérenger Saunière
(From the web): Bérenger Saunière was the parish priest of Rennes-le-Château at the end of the 19th century, famous for his extravagant works and the unexplained financing of the renovation of his church and the construction of his villa and Magdala tower, fueling rumors of a treasure (Knights Templar, Holy Grail, Visigoths) discovered thanks to mysterious parchments. His story, combining mystery, esotericism, and controversy, attracts thousands of visitors, making him a central figure in the legend of Rennes-le-Château, which is still being explored today.
To give a very short summary, from a poor curate in a very poor southern town, Berenger Sauniere started repairing the church and discovered ancient parchments inside a column. He went to Paris with them and consulted with his superiors. On his return, he seemed to come into immense wealth without any known source.
The mystery of where that wealth came from, whether it was the ancient treasure that the Cathars had spirited away from Montsegur, has remained a mystery.
The novel and film based on "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" is "The Da Vinci Code," written by Dan Brown. It explores themes of conspiracy and alternative religious history, particularly the idea that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalene and had descendants.
The Da Vinci Code is a Hollywood spinoff based on these mysteries, that Jesus did not die on the Cross and he traveled to France with Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail.
The story of the Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade, which was the genocide perpetrated by Pope Innocent III and the northern lords of France is Church history. It is linked to the founding of the Dominican Order by the Spanish fanatic Dominic Guzmán (canonized as Saint Dominic). Guzmán enthusiastically supported the cruzade against the Cathar heresy and his Dominican Order created the Holy Inquisition to destroy the Cathar faith.
More in a bit about why Catharism was such a threat to the Roman Catholic Church. But to whet your curiosity:
The mystical priesthood of Catharism was formed by men and women called "parfaits" or "perfects". They were celibate, vegetarians and practised meditation to have direct contact with Spirit. Thus, the believers in direct contact with the divinity had no need of the Catholic hierarchy and practices. Their church was nature and they did not have to pay anything. The concept of sin was quite different. But more later...
The last parfait of Catharism was Guillaume Bélibaste, who was executed by burning at the stake in 1321 by the Inquisition. He is often regarded as the final representative of the Cathar faith in Languedoc, France.
In 1321 the last Cathar Perfect, Bélibaste, was burned at the stake for heresy.
As he was tied to the stake, he is said to have uttered a final, defiant prophesy:
"In 700 years," he cried to the crowd, "the laurel will be green again".
That year would be 2021.
The immensely rich and highly cultured Languedoc (only Byzantium surpassed its cultural development) was destroyed, laid waste, and the northern lords' spoils and booty were the lands of the southern feudal nobles. Languedoc, which was until then an autonomous kingdom, became part of Roman Catholic France.
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