Presentation of the site

Already occupied in Neolithic times the “pog” (mountain) of Montségur remains the emblematic site of Catharism. From 1204 to 1244, from the top of the pog, the Cathar Church and the Occitan knights who had taken refuge there, defied the two greatest powers of the 13th century, the Church of Rome and the French Crown. In 1232, the Cathar bishop, Guilhabert de Castres, made Montségur "the seat and head" of the outlawed church. In the beginning of May 1243 the crusaders laid siege to the pog. Finally, after a fierce struggle and a siege lasting ten months, the castle’s garrison laid down their arms in the beginning of March 1244. On 16 March, more than 250 Cathars were burnt alive at the foot of the mountain. The castle was then given to a new lord, Guy III de Lévis Mirepoix. Montségur remained this family’s property until the French Revolution, but the castle was abandoned in the 16th century.

Guided tour

The guided tour of Montségur Castle is conducted by a lecturer-guide who has the Artistic and Historical Towns and Country qualification (granted by the Ministry of Culture). It will allow you to seize the memory and emotion of this stupendous place. In an hour and a quarter you will hear all about the dramatic history of Montségur, conjuring up the lives of the Cathars on this mountain, the episodes of the siege through until their horrendous end, burnt at the stake in 1244.

"You never come out of the guided tour of Montségur unmoved...", "here the stones talk and...cry...", "I managed to get away but I already want to go back there...", "without the guide you would never understand the power of the place..."

(extracts from the Montségur guided tour visitors’ book)

Presentation of the village today

At an altitude of more than 700m, the village of Montségur was built in the 17th century at the foot of the pog. In an unspoilt natural environment, surrounded by forests, protected by the nearby mountains and cliffs and overlooking the River Lasset, the village of Montségur has kept its original appearance from the days when its houses were occupied by shepherds, peasants and weavers.

Presentation of the museum

The Montségur Museum – listed as a Museum of France – presents a remarkable archaeological collection and provides a moving account of the life of the men and women who lived at the summit of this famous mountain for half a century.    

These objects provide a veritable link between past and present. They bear witness to the fighting in 1243-44.

Mock-ups, plans, historical display boards, reproductions of archive texts complete the exhibition. Lastly, there is a video presenting a digital reconstruction of a Cathar house in the Montségur castrum allowing the visitor to understand the living conditions of the Cathars on the pog in the 13th century.