The castle of Peyrepertuse

A visit to the greatest of the Cathar castles: Peyrepertuse

The castle of Peyrepertuse is a magnificent ruined castle built on a rocky spur. The name Cathar castle is a tourist invention, the castle never belonged to the Cathars, the term "Cathar" is supposed to attract more visitors. The Cathars retain public sympathy because they were persecuted by the Catholic Church and were completely wiped out. The last Cathars were burned in 1244 at the castle of Montségur. It is not the most sympathetic religion in the world. The Cathars considered the world to be the kingdom of evil, only life after death mattered, they inflicted severe periods of youth, they were forbidden to touch a person of the opposite sex, the woman who died during pregnancy could not save her soul ...

For a long time the castle served as a border between France and Spain. In 1659 the border moved and the castle gradually became useless.

The official website

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Difficulty: difficulty
Duration: 2 h.
Departure point (Google Maps)

The dungeon

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The dungeon
The entrance to the castle is not free : 9 euros

View of the castle of Peyrepertuse

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View of the castle of Peyrepertuse
It is necessary to walk 20 minutes from the parking lot to reach the castle, the access road is quite steep.

Citadel of Vertigo

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Citadel of Vertigo
The castle has never suffered a siege. In 1217 during the Albigensian Crusade the defenders surrendered without a fight.

Panorama on the region

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Panorama on the region
The panorama is magnificent on the surrounding area.

A castle in ruins

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A castle in ruins
The castle kept a garrison until the French Revolution. The visit is quite fast because they are only ruins. You can see everything in 30 minutes.

The enclosure

The enclosure

View of the castle from the Sant Jòrdi keep

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View of the castle from the Sant Jòrdi keep
To reach the highest part of the castle, you have to climb a steep staircase called "Saint Louis" staircase.

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