1. The view from the “Cathar” chateau of Montségur looks out over the Pyrenees Mountains. While touristically these chateaux are referred to as Cathar, the truth is that these were built by Catholic lords and later used to protect the Cathars, deemed heretics during the Spanish Inquisition.
2. The chateau of Montségur overlooks the small town of the same name, which boasts brightly colored shutters and a view of the eponymous mount. I’ve been spending my summers in this region for almost a decade, and Montségur is one of the most beautiful local towns I’ve visited.
3. Like most small towns in the region, Montségur has a small church with a skeleton bell tower.
4. The road leading to the castle itself is often inundated with fog, making it tough to see the over 1000 meters to the top of the mount.
5. The view from the top of the castle, now in ruins, is extraordinary. Montségur was the last stronghold of the Cathar protectors, sieged for over a year before it was taken over. It was also the only site of all of the local chateaux that had “last-minute” Cathars who converted from Catholicism before being executed as heretics.