The new “royal fortresses of Languedoc”

Aude, Ariège. Castles of the Cathar country, citadels of vertigo…, there are multiple names to designate the impressive fortresses perched on the rocky spurs of the Occitan territory, between Aude and Ariège. However, these are not Cathar constructions, but castles fortified a posteriori by the royal power in the 13th century and at the beginning of the 14th century. While eight of them are in the running to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage in 2026, the decision was made to restore these sites to their historical truth by renaming them “royal fortresses of Languedoc”. A choice approved by some, decried by others who see it as a form of abandonment of identity.

“It was very complicated to find a name, it was done after a very long reflection. We could no longer speak of “Cathar castles” since Cathar history is immaterial, it has left no traces except in texts. But UNESCO wants a clear, defined, identifiable object. explains archaeologist David Maso, architecture and archeology project manager within the World Heritage Mission Association (AMPM), which has been supporting the candidacy since 2019. When the file was submitted in January of this year to the World Heritage Center, the “Cathar” name was therefore officially abandoned in favor of “system of fortresses of the Seneschal of Carcassonne”. Under this term are grouped the castle and the ramparts of Carcassonne – whose medieval city has already been listed as World Heritage since 1997 – as well as seven other mountain fortresses: Montségur, Quéribus, Aguilar, Termes, Lastours, Puilaurens, Peyrepertuse. The most remarkable, the best preserved among around twenty defensive castles rebuilt by the kings of France around the city, in order to establish their authority and protect the territory against the rival kingdom of Aragon. To more easily remember the name of this group, all communication now favors the more evocative term of “royal fortresses of Languedoc”.

Controversial Cathar memory

It is precisely in this semantic choice that the problem lies. “The Departmental Council practices what we must define as “revisionism” by forgetting the suffering, the advanced civilization of the Occitan area stifled by the barbarity of the king”, says Jean-Pierre Laval, Occitan activist and president of the Païs Nostre association. If the new name touches the pride of identity, it is because these fortresses nevertheless remain linked to Cathar history, that of religious dissidence violently repressed by the Church. In 1209, Pope Innocent III launched the crusade against the Albigensians (name given to the Occitan Cathars). And if this dark episode certainly precedes the construction of the royal castles, the latter were built on the remains of ancient fortified towns which would have sheltered persecuted Cathars. “But what we see are walls built by royal contractors. Researchers have demonstrated this for years, even if their words have been drowned out by the enthusiasm aroused by “Catharism”. So maybe the term “Cathar” attracts people, maybe we are killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, but it was still intellectual dishonesty. believes David Maso.

An explanation difficult to accept for those who have heard about “Cathar Country” for decades, the term being used abundantly in the local development program carried out by the Department of Aude since the end of the 1980s: sites of the Cathar country, agri-food products from the Cathar Country… If the name remains unchanged on the brand side, the tourist destination “Aude, Cathar Country” transforms into “Aude, the southern soul”, always with the aim of giving more weight to the Unesco application. “Around this candidacy, there is a whole territorial development program which has already been in place for years, underlines David Maso. We need to give this destination a facelift, give it a second wind. » The result is expected economic benefits in the wine and tourism sectors, etc., for small towns ranging from 45 to 700 inhabitants, where attendance at the sites varies between 5,000 and 50,000-60,000 visitors per year, depending on their reputation. “Since the 1990s, there has been less interest in these sites, which are starting to lose a little visibility,” regrets David Maso. Aiming for registration, the Region and the two Departments are planning a budget of more than 20 million euros to promote all of these sites, which are both scattered and difficult to access. “One of the big aspects of the file is the conservation of monuments. The castles are on rocks, exposed to lightning and wind. They have to be maintained, which is very expensive and requires a coordinated public policy,” summarizes David Maso.