Montsegur

I'm beginning to gather information about possible places to visit/things to do while I'm in France in September. My brother, Jim, gave me a really cool suggestion...a visit to Montsegur. Don't let the picture scare you. Montsegur is accessible via a footpath that rises to the top of the 3,000 ft pog, or peak. Montsegur was a Cathar stronghold that was held in siege by French troops in 1243-44. The Cathars were a religious sect held to be heretics by the Catholic French rulers. Their castle finally fell in March of 1244. 220 Cathars were burned at the stake when they refused to renounce their religious beliefs. Woven into this story are legends that the Cathars smuggled a valuable treasure through French lines during the siege. It's even been suggested that this treasure was the Holy Grail. The tiny village of Montsegur and its perched stronghold are not too far from the route I'd like to travel to visit the Mediterranean at Collioure. It may be worth the little detour to explore this fascinating place.