Secrets of Montsegur Castle. Montsegur: the final resting place of the Holy Grail of Katara Montsegur

“A cursed place on the holy mountain,” as folk legends say about the pentagonal Montsegur castle. The south-west of France, where it is located, is generally a wonderland, replete with majestic ruins, legends and tales of the “knight of honor” Parsifal, the Holy Grail Cup and, of course, the magical Montsegur. In their mysticism and mystery, these places are comparable only to German Brocken. To what tragic events does Montsegur owe its fame?

“Then I will open it for you,” said the hermit. “The one who is appointed to sit in this place has not yet been conceived or born, but not even a year will pass before the one who will occupy the Perilous Seat will be conceived, and he will obtain the Holy Grail.”
Thomas Malory. Death of Arthur

In 1944, during stubborn and bloody battles, the Allies occupied positions recaptured from the Germans. Especially many French and English soldiers died at the strategically important height of Monte Cassino, trying to take possession of the Mosegur castle, where the remnants of the 10th settled German army. The siege of the castle lasted 4 months. Finally, after massive bombing and landings, the Allies launched a decisive assault.

The castle was destroyed almost to the ground. However, the Germans continued to resist, although their fate had already been decided. When the Allied soldiers approached the walls of Montsegur, something inexplicable happened. A large flag with an ancient pagan symbol - the Celtic cross - hoisted on one of the towers.

This ancient Germanic ritual was usually resorted to only when the help of higher powers was needed. But everything was in vain, and nothing could help the invaders.

This incident was far from the only one in the long and mystical history of the castle. And it began in the 6th century, when a monastery was founded by Saint Benedict in 1529 on Mount Cassino, considered a sacred place since pre-Christian times. Cassino was not very high and was more like a hill, but its slopes were steep - it was on such mountains that in the old days impregnable castles were built. It is not for nothing that in the classical French dialect Montsegur sounds like Mont-sur - Reliable Mountain.

850 years ago, one of the most dramatic episodes took place at Montsegur Castle European history. Inquisition of the Holy See and the army French king Louis IX was under siege of the castle for almost a year. But they were never able to cope with the two hundred Cathar heretics who had settled in it. The defenders of the castle could have repented and left in peace, but instead they chose to voluntarily go to the stake, thereby keeping their mysterious faith pure.

And to this day there is no clear answer to the question: where did it penetrate into southern France? Qatari heresy? Its first traces appeared in these parts in the 11th century. In those times South part the country, part of the Languedoc county, stretching from Aquitaine to Provence and from the Pyrenees to Crecy, was practically independent.

This vast territory was ruled by Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse. Nominally he was considered a vassal of the French and Aragonese kings, as well as the Holy Roman Emperor, but in nobility, wealth and power he was not inferior to any of his overlords.

While Catholicism dominated in the north of France, the dangerous Cathar heresy was spreading more and more widely in the possessions of the counts of Toulouse. According to some historians, it penetrated there from Italy, which, in turn, borrowed this religious teaching from the Bulgarian Bogomils, and they from the Manichaeans of Asia Minor and Syria. The number of those who were later called Cathars (in Greek - “pure”) multiplied like mushrooms after rain.

“There is not one god, there are two who dispute dominance over the world. This is the god of good and the god of evil. The immortal spirit of humanity is directed towards the god of good, but its mortal shell reaches out to the dark god,” this is what the Cathars taught. At the same time, they considered our earthly world to be the kingdom of Evil, and the heavenly world, where the souls of people live, as a space in which Good triumphs. Therefore, the Cathars easily parted with their lives, rejoicing at the transition of their souls to the domains of Good and Light.

Strange people in the pointed caps of Chaldean astrologers, in clothes belted with rope, traveled along the dusty roads of France - the Cathars preached their teachings everywhere. The so-called “perfects”—ascetics of the faith who took a vow of asceticism—took on such an honorable mission. They completely broke with their previous life, renounced property, and adhered to food and ritual prohibitions. But all the secrets of the teaching were revealed to them.

Another group of Cathars included the so-called “laymen”, that is, ordinary followers. They lived an ordinary life, cheerful and noisy, they sinned like all people, but at the same time they reverently kept the few commandments that the “perfect” ones taught them.

The knights and nobility especially readily accepted the new faith. Most of the noble families in Toulouse, Languedoc, Gascony, and Rousillon became its adherents. They did not recognize the Catholic Church, considering it the spawn of the devil. Such a confrontation could only end in bloodshed...

The first clash between Catholics and heretics took place on January 14, 1208 on the banks of the Rhone, when, during the crossing, one of the squires of Raymond VI mortally wounded the papal nuncio with a spear. Dying, the priest whispered to his killer: “May the Lord forgive you, as I forgive.” But the Catholic Church did not forgive anything. In addition, French monarchs had long had their sights on the rich County of Toulouse: both Philip II and Louis VIII dreamed of annexing the richest lands to their possessions.

The Count of Toulouse was declared a heretic and a follower of Satan. The Catholic bishops shouted: “The Cathars are vile heretics! It is necessary to burn them out with fire, so that no seed remains...” For this purpose, the Holy Inquisition was created, which the Pope subordinated to the Dominican Order - these “dogs of the Lord” (Dominicanus - domini canus - the Lord's dogs).

So it was announced crusade, which for the first time was directed not so much against Gentiles as against Christian lands. It is interesting that when asked by a soldier how to distinguish the Cathars from good Catholics, the papal legate Arnold da Sato replied: “Kill everyone: God will recognize his own!”

The crusaders devastated the flourishing southern region. In the city of Beziers alone, having driven the inhabitants to the Church of St. Nazarius, they killed 20 thousand people. The Cathars were slaughtered in entire cities. The lands of Raymond VI of Toulouse were taken from him.

In 1243, the only stronghold of the Cathars remained only the ancient Montsegur - their sanctuary, turned into a military citadel. Almost all the surviving “perfects” gathered here. They did not have the right to carry weapons, since, in accordance with their teachings, they were considered a direct symbol of evil.

However, this small (two hundred people) unarmed garrison fought off attacks by a 10,000-strong crusader army for almost 11 months! What happened on a tiny spot on the top of the mountain became known thanks to the surviving recordings of interrogations of the surviving defenders of the castle. They conceal within themselves amazing story the courage and resilience of the Cathars, which still amazes the imagination of historians. Yes, and there is enough mysticism in it.

Bishop Bertrand Marty, who organized the defense of the castle, was well aware that its surrender was inevitable. Therefore, even before Christmas 1243, he sent two faithful servants from the fortress, who carried with them a certain treasure of the Cathars. They say that it is still hidden in one of the many grottoes in the county of Foix.

On March 2, 1244, when the situation of the besieged became unbearable, the bishop began to negotiate with the crusaders. He had no intention of surrendering the fortress, but he really needed a reprieve. And he got it. During two weeks of respite, the besieged manage to drag a heavy catapult onto a tiny rocky platform. And the day before the castle is handed over, an almost incredible event occurs.

At night, four “perfect ones” descend on a rope from a mountain 1200 meters high and take with them a certain package. The crusaders hastily set out in pursuit, but the fugitives seemed to disappear into thin air. Soon two of them showed up in Cremona. They proudly talked about the successful outcome of their mission, but what they managed to save is still unknown.
Only the Cathars, fanatics and mystics, doomed to death, would hardly risk their lives for the sake of gold and silver. And what kind of load could four desperate “perfects” carry? This means that the “treasure” of the Cathars was of a different nature.

Montsegur has always been a holy place for the “perfect”. It was they who erected a pentagonal castle on the top of the mountain, asking the former owner, their co-religionist Ramon de Pirella, for permission to rebuild the fortress according to their drawings. Here, in deep secrecy, the Cathars performed their rituals and kept sacred relics.

The walls and embrasures of Montsegur were strictly oriented according to the cardinal points, like Stonehenge, so the “perfect” could calculate the days of the solstice. The architecture of the castle makes a strange impression. Inside the fortress you feel like you are on a ship: a low, square tower at one end, long walls enclosing a narrow space in the middle, and a blunt prow reminiscent of the stem of a caravel.

In August 1964, speleologists discovered some icons, notches and a drawing on one of the walls. It turned out to be a plan for an underground passage running from the foot of the wall to the gorge. Then the passage itself was opened, in which skeletons with halberds were found. New riddle: Who were these people who died in the dungeon? Under the foundation of the wall, researchers discovered several interesting objects with Qatari symbols printed on them.

The buckles and buttons featured a bee. For the “perfect” it symbolized the mystery of fertilization without physical contact. A strange lead plate 40 centimeters long was also found, folded into a pentagon, which was considered the distinctive sign of the “perfect” apostles. The Cathars did not recognize the Latin cross and deified the pentagon - a symbol of dispersion, dispersion of matter, the human body (this, apparently, is where the strange architecture of Montsegur comes from).

Analyzing it, a prominent specialist on the Cathars, Fernand Niel, emphasized that it was in the castle itself that “the key to the rituals was laid - a secret that the “perfect” took with them to the grave.”

There are still many enthusiasts who are looking for buried treasures, gold and jewelry of the Cathars in the surrounding area and on Mount Cassino itself. But most of all, researchers are interested in the shrine that was saved from desecration by four brave men. Some suggest that the “perfect ones” were in possession of the famous Grail. It’s not without reason that even now in the Pyrenees you can hear the following legend:

“When the walls of Montsegur still stood, the Cathars guarded the Holy Grail. But Montsegur was in danger. The armies of Lucifer settled under its walls. They needed the Grail to re-enclose it in the crown of their lord, from which it had fallen when the fallen angel was cast from heaven to earth. At the moment of greatest danger for Montsegur, a dove appeared from the sky and split Mount Tabor with its beak. The Guardian of the Grail threw a valuable relic into the depths of the mountain. The mountain closed and the Grail was saved."

For some, the Grail is the vessel in which Joseph of Arimathea collected the blood of Christ, for others it is the dish of the Last Supper, for others it is something like a cornucopia. And in the legend of Montsegur he appears in the form of a golden image of Noah's Ark. According to legend, the Grail had magical properties: it could heal people from serious illnesses and reveal secret knowledge to them. The Holy Grail could only be seen by those who were pure in soul and heart, and it brought down great misfortunes on the wicked.

Story

IN ancient times Montsegur was the sanctuary of the goddess Belissena, the Celtiberian counterpart of Astarte-Artemis-Diana. Astarte in Phoenician mythology was the female counterpart, or paredra, of the god Baal, in Greek mythology she was known as Artemis, sister of Apollo, and in Celtiberian theogony as Belissena, the goddess of Abellion.

In the summer of 1243, an army of crusaders under the leadership of the royal seneschal of Carcassonne took Montsegur under siege. Montsegur defended him geographical position and steep slopes. Fifteen knights and fifty soldiers were able to resist an army of several thousand well-armed men for almost a year, being cut off from the outside world. The siege of the fortress was intertwined with heroism and fanaticism: this fortress was for the Cathars something like Masada for the Zealots. Montsegur fell on March 16, 1244. Qatari monks and nuns (more than 200 people in total), who did not renounce their religious beliefs, were burned that same day at the stake at the foot of the mountain. Now this place is called "Prat dels Cremats", or Field of the Burnt. 25 defenders of the fortress committed suicide.

Although this stronghold fell, separate groups of Cathars still survived until the 1320s in southern France and northern Italy. There is practically no trace left of the former fortress of Montsegur, called “Montsegur II” by French historians. The Pope ordered the destruction of its walls to the rocky foundation after its capture in 1244; only on the northern slope can you see small fragments of masonry belonging to the buildings of “Montsegur II”. The fortress was subsequently gradually restored and modernized over the next three centuries by royal architects. The modern fortress, called "Montsegur III", is an architectural and historical monument typical of post-medieval royal French defensive architecture of the 1600s.

Legends

The Protestant pastor Napoleon Peyra is the author of the legend that Montségur was a Cathar temple of the Spirit with the tomb of Esclarmonde. Under late XIX- at the beginning of the 20th century, during the heyday of occultism and spiritualism, felibrists, Occitan poets, and esotericists complemented this myth, turning the temple of the Spirit into the temple of the Grail, and then the temple of the Sun. At the beginning of the 20th century, some Gnostic sects fabricated fake parchments for this purpose. The Nazis heard about the Montsegur myths from a man calling himself Otto Rahn in 1929, a year after the probable formation of the Ahnenerbe, an institution for the study of German racial and cultural ancestry. Rahn wrote two best-selling Grail novels linking Montsegur and the Cathars to the Holy Grail: The Grail Crusade in 1933 and Luzifers Hofgesind (Lucifer's Court) in 1937. Rahn joined the Ahnenerbe as a junior non-commissioned officer in 1936, the same year in which Heinrich Himmler took full control of the organization, declaring himself its curator. Himmler's desire was to try again, in a different way, to look at the roots of German culture. On March 13, 1939, Otto Rahn froze to death on a Tyrolean mountain peak.

Some sources report that in 1944, on the 700th anniversary of the fall of Montsegur, German aircraft were spotted in the Montsegur area. They flew in strange formations, similar to Celtic crosses. Some claim that Alfred Rosenberg, Nazi ideologist and author of The Myth of the Twentieth Century, was on board one of the planes. It is unknown why the planes were near this area and what their mission was, if any.

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Notes

Literature

Otto Rahn. Crusade against the Grail = Kreuzzug gegen den Gral / translation from German by I. Ivanov and others - AST. - 2002. - 229 p. - (Historical Library). - ISBN 5-17-011582-2.

Excerpt characterizing Montsegur

“At least you can take back your words.” A? If you want me to fulfill your wishes. A?
“I’ll take it back,” said Pierre, and I ask you to excuse me. Pierre glanced involuntarily at the torn button. - And money, if you need it for the trip. – Anatole smiled.
This expression of a timid and mean smile, familiar to him from his wife, exploded Pierre.
- Oh, vile, heartless breed! – he said and left the room.
The next day Anatole left for St. Petersburg.

Pierre went to Marya Dmitrievna to report the fulfillment of her wish - the expulsion of Kuragin from Moscow. The whole house was in fear and excitement. Natasha was very ill, and, as Marya Dmitrievna told him in secret, on the same night it was announced to her that Anatole was married, she poisoned herself with arsenic, which she quietly obtained. Having swallowed a little of it, she was so frightened that she woke up Sonya and told her what she had done. In time, the necessary measures were taken against the poison, and now she was out of danger; but still she was so weak that it was impossible to think of taking her to the village and they sent for the countess. Pierre saw the confused count and the tear-stained Sonya, but could not see Natasha.
Pierre had lunch at the club that day and heard talk from all sides about an attempt to kidnap Rostova and stubbornly refuted this talk, assuring everyone that nothing more happened than that his brother-in-law proposed to Rostova and was refused. It seemed to Pierre that it was his responsibility to hide the whole matter and restore Rostova’s reputation.
He fearfully awaited the return of Prince Andrei and every day he came to see the old prince about him.
Prince Nikolai Andreich knew through M lle Bourienne all the rumors circulating around the city, and read that note to Princess Marya, which Natasha refused to her fiancé. He seemed more cheerful than usual and was looking forward to his son with great impatience.
A few days after Anatole's departure, Pierre received a note from Prince Andrei, notifying him of his arrival and asking Pierre to come see him.
Prince Andrei, having arrived in Moscow, at the very first minute of his arrival received from his father a note from Natasha to Princess Marya, in which she refused the groom (she stole this note from Princess Marya and gave it to Prince m lle Bourienne) and heard from his father, with additions, stories about the abduction Natasha.
Prince Andrei arrived the evening before. Pierre came to him the next morning. Pierre expected to find Prince Andrei in almost the same position in which Natasha was, and therefore he was surprised when, entering the living room, he heard from the office the loud voice of Prince Andrei, animatedly saying something about some kind of St. Petersburg intrigue. The old prince and another voice occasionally interrupted him. Princess Marya came out to meet Pierre. She sighed, pointing her eyes at the door where Prince Andrei was, apparently wanting to express her sympathy for his grief; but Pierre saw from Princess Marya’s face that she was glad both about what happened and about how her brother accepted the news of his bride’s betrayal.
“He said he expected it,” she said. “I know that his pride will not allow him to express his feelings, but still better, much better, he endured it than I expected.” Apparently it had to be this way...
– But is it really all over? - said Pierre.
Princess Marya looked at him in surprise. She didn’t even understand how she could ask about this. Pierre entered the office. Prince Andrei, very changed, obviously healthier, but with a new, transverse wrinkle between his eyebrows, in civilian dress, stood opposite his father and Prince Meshchersky and argued heatedly, making energetic gestures. It was about Speransky, news of whose sudden exile and alleged betrayal had just reached Moscow.
“Now he (Speransky) is being judged and accused by all those who admired him a month ago,” said Prince Andrei, “and those who were not able to understand his goals.” It is very easy to judge a person in disgrace and blame him for all the mistakes of another; and I will say that if anything good has been done during the current reign, then everything good has been done by him - by him alone. “He stopped when he saw Pierre. His face trembled and immediately took on an angry expression. “And posterity will give him justice,” he finished, and immediately turned to Pierre.
- How are you? “You’re getting fatter,” he said animatedly, but the newly appeared wrinkle was carved even deeper on his forehead. “Yes, I’m healthy,” he answered Pierre’s question and grinned. It was clear to Pierre that his smile said: “I’m healthy, but no one needs my health.” Having said a few words with Pierre about the terrible road from the borders of Poland, about how he met people in Switzerland who knew Pierre, and about Mr. Desalles, whom he brought from abroad as his son’s teacher, Prince Andrei again heatedly intervened in the conversation about Speransky , which continued between two old men.
“If there had been treason and there had been evidence of his secret relations with Napoleon, then they would have been publicly announced,” he said with vehemence and haste. – I personally do not like and did not like Speransky, but I love justice. - Pierre now recognized in his friend the all-too-familiar need to worry and argue about a matter alien to himself, only in order to drown out too heavy spiritual thoughts.
When Prince Meshchersky left, Prince Andrei took Pierre's arm and invited him into the room that was reserved for him. The room had a broken bed and open suitcases and chests. Prince Andrei went up to one of them and took out a box. From the box he took out a bundle in paper. He did everything silently and very quickly. He stood up and cleared his throat. His face was frowning and his lips were pursed.
“Forgive me if I’m bothering you...” Pierre realized that Prince Andrei wanted to talk about Natasha, and his broad face expressed regret and sympathy. This expression on Pierre's face angered Prince Andrei; he continued decisively, loudly and unpleasantly: “I received a refusal from Countess Rostova, and I heard rumors about your brother-in-law seeking her hand, or the like.” Is it true?

The Riddle of the Pentagonal Castle

THE APPEARANCE OF THE PERFECT

In the XII-XIII centuries, Languedoc was an independent state, stretching from Aquitaine to Provence, from Quercy, to the Pyrenees, with possessions in the east to Tripoli. The rulers of Languedoc - the dynasty of the Counts of Raymond - are so powerful that they are sometimes called the “kings of the South”, in contrast to the “kings of the North”, the Plantagenet dynasty reigning in France. In every respect the Languedoc civilization differs from the north, and the north pales in comparison. In the capital of the Languedoc, Toulouse, ideas, philosophies, teachings and religions that come from all over the Mediterranean intersect.

The “Southern French” - in other words, Provençal - nation not only made “valuable development” during the Middle Ages, but even stood at the head of European development. She developed, the first of all new nations, literary language. Her poetry served as an unattainable model for all Romance peoples, and even for the Germans and English... in industry and trade she was in no way inferior to the Italians. It not only developed “one phase of medieval life” in the most “brilliant form”, but also resurrected even in the deepest Middle Ages a reflection of ancient Hellenism,” Engels wrote at one time, assessing the significance of Provençal culture.

But the South differs most from the North in the field of religion - all the inhabitants of Languedoc joined the new faith. Her followers are called Cathars(in Greek "pure", "perfect") or Albigensians(at the traffic center, the city of Albi)*

“There is not one god, there are two who dispute dominance over the world. God of Good and God of Evil. In spirit, which constitutes his greatness, man belongs to the first, in his mortal body he submits to the second...”

This philosophy, strange at that time, penetrated through mysterious paths from the distant East to France, but it is similar to the south, where, as in the arena, sun and shadow are clearly opposed...

Social barriers in Languedoc are less impenetrable. In the bustling and prosperous cities of the South, trading with the Arab East, the lords share power with the townspeople elected to the municipalities. Women are free and respected, ballads and songs are composed in their honor, and the famous poetry of the troubadours blossoms. High development of school and university education, flourishing of medicine, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, spread Arabic and acquaintance with Greek and Roman authors, poetry of the troubadours and literature in the national Provençal language " OK“- all this contributes to the formation in the south of France of a unique and high culture, the like of which cannot be found anywhere in Europe.

Researchers of Albigensian scientific thought claim that the ruler of their thoughts was the legendary Persian named Mani. “This Persian prophet,” explains the French historian Carmen Enesh, “tried to fuse Christian doctrines, the Zoroaster religion and Buddhism into one whole. Raising dualism into a principle, he recognized the eternal existence of two principles: Good, symbolized by light, and Evil, embodied in darkness and inert matter. This religious movement - Manichaeism - became widespread in the Roman Empire at the beginning of the 3rd century new era, it was brutally persecuted by the early Christian church and existed until the 10th century.”

And in X-XII centuries almost all of Europe finds itself engulfed by dozens of new heresies: the Cathars, Waldensians, and Bogomils appeared. The doctrine of Manichaeism had the greatest influence on them. In southern France, the Cathars appeared in the 10th century.

Currently, historians have only three sources on the Albigensian heresy, which have escaped both the watchful eye of the Holy Inquisition and the Vatican archives. These few surviving sources tell only sparingly about the history of the Cathars, their worldview, organization, and mysterious rituals.

“The world exists forever, it has neither beginning nor end... The earth could not have been created by God, for this would mean that God created something vicious... Christ was never born, lived or died on earth, since The Gospel story about Christ is an invention of Catholic priests... Baptism is useless, because it is carried out on infants who do not have reason, and does not in any way protect a person from future sins... The cross is not a symbol of faith, but an instrument of torture; in Rome people were crucified on it ..."

This is what people teach, belted with rope, dressed in black, wearing tall oriental conical caps, tirelessly plowing the roads of Languedoc. The Cathars were divided into two categories: Perfect and Believers. The perfect led an ascetic life, full of hardships and adversity, spending time in prayer and fasting. As for the Believers, they lived an ordinary life, got married, gave birth to children, ate any food, but listened to and kept the commandments that the Perfect Ones taught them.

And the Perfect Ones - the apostles of the Cathars - were real scholars: astronomers and astrologers, philosophers and doctors, mathematicians and builders. They told seniors striving for knowledge about Plato and Aristotle, about the philosophy and history of Ancient Egypt, Persia, Palestine; They taught poor children to read and write in schools they themselves created; They helped peasants in field work, and after that they gave lectures at the University of Toulouse. Under the auspices of the enlightened counts of Toulouse, a city more ancient than Rome, these people dreamed of creating an island of civilization among the sea of barbarism and the Middle Ages.

The conscientious are full of zeal, but stingy with frankness. What are their rituals? Where do they perform their services and do they perform them? Nobody knows this... Their rule is: “Jura, perjura, secretum prodere noli!” “Swear and bear false witness, but do not reveal the secret!”

“The Cathars are vile heretics,” thunder the Catholic bishops. The voices sound so loud because the sermons are heard in almost half-empty churches.

- Not at all! - the Perfect object. - We are genuine Christians. We remain faithful to the law of love and goodness, while the Roman Church is mired in luxury and debauchery!

TO LAGEDOK, FOR WOMEN AND MANDOLINS!

The law of love reigns throughout the South, and the Cathars who preach holy love, echo the troubadours, singing the praises of worldly love. From the Count of Toulouse to the simple villager, everyone is devoted to the new faith. But a spy for the pope appears in Languedoc - the Spanish monk Dominic, who later became “Saint Dominic”. He tries to defeat the Perfect Ones with their own weapons - purity of morals and the power of arguments. Alas, the word of God is no longer believed in Languedoc! Having failed to achieve success, he left convinced that the Perfects would only succumb to force. Thus, on the personal order of the pope, the Order of the Dominicans emerged, which headed the new brainchild of the Roman Church - the Holy Inquisition.

Pope Innocent III and King Philip II Augustus of France are two iron characters; they decide to act together: one needs to root out the dangerous heresy that has engulfed half of Europe, the other needs to annex the rich Languedoc to the royal domain. A crusade against heretics has been declared! In July 1209, the “robber ford of scoundrels” - an army of believers of approximately 50,000 people - rushes to Languedoc.

This is one of the most terrible and desperately brutal wars in the history of France. Two popes and three kings, succeeding each other, lose their powers in turn. Heaping curses on the damned heretics, they almost announce a “total mobilization” of the entire Christian army, as was the case in the campaigns to the East. Languedoc, conquered, rebels again and again, he is defeated again, but again he raises the banner of rebellion. Finally, after 60 years of struggle, the country is supposedly being brought to its knees. Led by the cruel Simon de Montfort and the equally cruel papal legate Arnold of Citeaux, the army of crusaders robs and rapes, burns and kills. The chronicle says that after the capture of one of the Qatari fortresses, one of the leaders of the crusaders, horrified by the bloody massacre committed by Montfort’s soldiers, turned to the pope’s envoy with the question:

Holy Father, how can one distinguish the Cathars from the good Catholics?

The response of the papal legate went down in history:

Kill everyone: God will recognize his own!

700 residents, including women and children, were killed in the streets. The city burned for three days. At night, one could see the famous walls of ancient Carcassonne, illuminated by fires, where the second battle took place.

Cathars...Cathars retreat into the mountains. Here they decide to give last fight, in their hands there was only one nest of resistance left, an eagle's nest that challenged the entire huge army of interventionists. Montsegur!

FIELD OF THE BURNED

Montsegur has always been a holy place for the Perfect...

It was they who erected a pentagonal castle on the top of the mountain, asking its former owner, fellow believer Ramon Pirella, to rebuild the fortress according to their drawings. Here, in deep secrecy, the Cathars performed their rituals (at least that’s what scientists believed at one time). Now they clung hopelessly to him.

In May 1243, the crusaders besieged Montsegur, where the last Perfects, led by the old Cathar bishop Bertrand d'An Marty, had taken refuge. Among the defenders of the fortress there were only 100 professional warriors. The rest - philosophers, philologists, doctors and astronomers - could not even wield weapons properly. Moreover, the Perfect Apostles did not have the right to wear it, since the weapon, the Cathars believed, was a direct symbol of evil... And yet 10 thousand crusaders are trampling in the plain, and, despite their numerical superiority, all their attacks are successfully repulsed . Montsegur lasts for a whole year...

One day, under the cover of darkness, the crusaders manage to install a heavy catapult, captured in the battle near Carcassonne, on a small rock ledge. Huge stones cover the fortress... In March 1244, Montsegur fell. The remaining defenders of the fortress were promised life if they renounced their faith. And so that the Cathars could not deceive the crusaders, true to their principle “Swear and bear false witness, but do not reveal the secret!”, they offered the Cathars to go through a test. Each of them had to cut the dog's throat in order to violate the basic principle of the Cathar faith - the non-shedding of the blood of an innocent creature. The prisoners unanimously refused: it was better to be burned than to renounce!

On the evening of March 16, 1244, a long procession descended into a small valley at the foot of the mountain, where a huge fire had been prepared for the heretics. Two hundred and fifty-seven people, men and women, old people and children, who had survived the siege, calmly and solemnly ascended the fire. This place is still called the Fields of the Burnt.

A huge fire, an auto-da-fe for apostates, burns out crackling in the night. A huge square of “soldiers of Christ” stands in silence. They have won: the last stronghold of the heretics has fallen!

Behind them, unnoticed by anyone, four silent shadows slid down the rope from the cliffs of Montsegur. They fled from the castle, taking with them a heavy package. This is genuine historical fact. The commandant of the fortress, Arnaud-Roger de Mirepoix, reported this to the Holy Tribunal under torture. Records have been preserved... He said: “The names of those who fled were Hugo, Amiel, Ecard and Clamin. These were the four Perfect Ones. I myself organized their escape, they took our treasures with them. All the secrets of the Cathars were contained in this package.”

OPENING OF THE “SOLAR CASTLE”

Since 1956, says Fernand Costa, head of the Arièges Speleological Society, we began to explore Montsegur. We recovered nails, pottery, various utensils, and fragments of weapons from excavations. But this is not what we needed. We were not looking for treasures, although the local peasants considered us treasure hunters.

In August 1964, Ariezh speleologists discovered six natural faults at the foot of the fortress walls. In one of them, located 80 meters from the fortress, the remains of a throwing machine and piles of stones brought to the mountain from the valley were found. While clearing the rubble, the researchers were amazed to find icons, notches and some kind of drawing on the outside of the wall. It turned out to be a rough plan... of an underground passage running from the foot of the wall to the gorge. Apparently, when rebuilding the castle, the builders were guided by this drawing. And then followed the discovery of an underground passage, skeletons with halberds and a new mystery: who are these people who died when leaving the dungeon?..

One of the fortress researchers, rummaging under the foundation of the wall, recovered a number of interesting objects with Qatari symbols applied to them. Thus, a bee was engraved on buckles and buttons; for the Perfect, it symbolized fertilization without physical contact. Among the finds was a lead plate 40 centimeters long, folded into a pentagon. The pentagon - the main symbol of Manichaeism - was the distinctive sign of the Perfect Apostles. It is known that the Cathars rejected the Latin cross and deified the five-pointed figure, which was for them a symbol of eternal diffusion - dispersion, atomization of matter, the human body. These finds once again confirmed the continuity of the ideas and philosophy of Manichaeism by the Cathars and pointed to the now understandable oddity in the design of the pentagonal castle.

But the ruins of Montsegur found their true Schliemann in the person of Fernand Niel, a retired French engineer and mathematician. Niel knew the history of the region, was familiar with sources on the Qatari problem, with special literature (Now Fernand Niel is considered in France one of the most knowledgeable historians of Catharism.)

The unusual layout of the castle caught Niel's attention. Why did the Perfect Ones ask the owner of the castle to rebuild it according to their own plans? Is it only in order to express in the design of the fortress the symbol of his strange faith - the pentagon?

In Montségur, says Fernand Niel, there is mystery everywhere, above all in the very design of the castle - it is the strangest structure that has ever existed. Undoubtedly, he himself contained the key to the rituals - a secret that the Perfect took with them to the grave.

However, Niel agrees, let’s climb Montsegur Peak on June 21 or 22, the summer solstice. What do we notice when we reach the top? First of all, the pentagon of the castle is very elongated: diagonally - 54 meters, width - 13 meters. It seems that its builders deliberately did not care about strengthening the castle, since the site on which the fortress is located is worthy of a better citadel. Judging by the construction technique and design, these were experienced architects, and they could not help but notice the miscalculation in the protective qualities of the fortress. This means that something else came to the fore here...

Now let's go down to the citadel, cross the courtyard and go up to the tower. Don't forget that today is the summer solstice! Here is one of the stands for the archer - you can sit on any of them. Whatever embrasure we choose, it exactly corresponds to the same one in the opposite wall. The sun rises... The edge of a fiery luminary appears in the narrow opening of the embrasure. You might think that it comes here on a date at a strictly defined hour... The same can be observed through the embrasure of the northern façade of the tower; To do this, just sit on the supports of the opposite stands for the shooters...

Thus, while studying the tower, continues Fernand Niel, I discovered an ensemble of four points for observing the sunrise on the day of the summer solstice. Naturally, this can only happen once a year... It is known that for the Cathars the sun was a symbol of Good, and I affirm: Montsegur is a solar temple! Otherwise, why are its walls, doors, windows and embrasures oriented towards the sunrise?

On the north-eastern wall of the castle, Niel noticed one curious detail. The 53-meter-long wall forms an angle of 176 degrees, although nothing prevents it from being perfectly straight. On the outside of the corner, on the stonework, the scientist saw a deep vertical notch. A clear straight line descended from the top to a third of the wall and ended. For what? What role did she perform? And here the researcher was helped by his previous specialty - a mathematical engineer. He was interested in architectural proportions, numerical values, sizes, degrees contained in the design of the castle. Calculations carried out by Fernand Niel allowed him to draw a sensational conclusion: the castle of Montsegur concealed interesting properties in its design - by just observing the sunrise on the day of the summer solstice, it was possible to establish the month and day of any season here. In a word, it was a kind of calendar and astronomical instrument, unique in its kind. Over the course of seven and a half centuries, it has not lost its enormous scientific value and has opened up unknown pages in the history of human knowledge and thought for researchers.

"UNEARTHLY TREASURE"

As for the mysterious guardians of the land, whose halberds blocked the path of the speleologists, the following can be said about them. Most likely, these were one of the Perfects who fled from the castle on the March night of 1244. Fernand Niel comments on the chronicle's message:

I think that the treasure saved on that tragic night cannot be either gold or precious stones, that is, treasure in the usual sense of the word. It is known from the chronicles that all the valuables of the besieged, even before the arrival of the Crusaders, were transferred to the castle of Usson near the Spanish border. Undoubtedly, this was the religious treasure of the Paragons. Holy books? Precious relics? Symbols? Unknown. Only one thing is known: IT was hidden in one of the grottoes of the mountain, and there are thousands of grottoes in this area...

According to other scientists, the Cathar treasure is nothing more than a fabulous “unearthly relic” dreamed of in the Middle Ages. This is the Holy Grail.

The legendary Holy Grail! Medieval chroniclers claimed that this relic was supposedly endowed with many magical properties. Carved from solid emerald, it emitted a magical light and endowed its keepers with immortality and eternal youth. Allegedly, she was hidden in the Monsalvat fortress under the guard of the most impeccable and pure knight - Parsifal, Lohengrin's father. Allegedly, after the death of Parsifal, the “unearthly relic” ascended to heaven...

Experts in medieval literature have established what genuine facts could have given rise to this legend. As a result of a careful analysis of the materials of the chronicles, they came to the conclusion that the legend of the magical Grail arose, apparently, from a mixture of eastern and Christian elements somewhere in Spain or in the south of France in beginning of XII centuries (in the language of “ok”, a cup, a vessel sounds like “grail”). And it is quite possible that the magical castle of Montsalvat (which means “sunny”, “immersed in rays of light”) and Montsegur are one and the same. By the way, the composer Wagner once came to Montsegur when he wrote music for his “Parsifal”...

Perhaps, in the ancient dungeon, French speleologists actually encountered the remains of the guards of the legendary Grail, who covered the retreat of their comrades. And perhaps the “unearthly relic” did not “ascend” to heaven, but still lies somewhere on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, safely hidden from the greedy hands of the crusaders? Without being absolutely sure of this, we cannot but admit it. that these are exciting coincidences. As the poet said, here “legend is woven into history...” But in today’s Languedoc no one is surprised anymore by either secrets or coincidences, and this is perhaps one of the greatest victories of the Perfect.

Name

The name Montsegur, meaning “saving mountain” (in Occitan Mount Segur, lat. Mons Securus), superimposed on the early, prehistoric name of the mountain: Muno Egu, which in the Iberian language meant Mountain of the Sun.

The basis of the plot of the novel by Eremey Parnov “The Casket of Marie de Medici” and feature film Rudolf Fruntov’s “The Casket of Marie de’ Medici,” based on the novel, is based on the fact of the capture of the Montsegur fortress by Catholics. The novel and film take place in the second half of the 20th century, but the plot contains repeated references to the times of the destruction of the Cathars.
The band Iron Maiden composed and played a song called Montse'gur about the war of the Catholic Church against the Cathars. The track can be found on their 2003 album Dance of Death.
Chancellor Guy composed and played the song “Montsegur Romance”.
The Tol Miriam group composed and played the song “Courtly Correspondence” with an annotation "Courtly correspondence between Madame Esclarmonde de Foix and Messire Hugh des Arcys from 1243 to 1244 A.D. during the latter's siege of the castle of Montsegur."
Laura Bocharova’s album “The Ashes of Montsegur” contains several songs on this topic.
In Paulo Coelho's novel "Brida" (1990; translated into Russian, 2008), the fall of Montsegur and the teachings of the Cathars play important role in the story.

“A cursed place on the holy mountain,” this is what folk legends say about the pentagonal castle of Montsegur. The southwest of France, where it is located, is generally a wonderland, replete with majestic ruins, legends and tales of the “knight of honor” Parsifal, the Holy Grail Cup and, of course, the magical Montsegur. In their mysticism and mystery, these places are comparable only to the German Brocken. To what tragic events does Montsegur owe its fame?

“Then I will open it for you,” said the hermit. “The one who is appointed to sit in this place has not yet been conceived or born, but not even a year will pass before the one who will occupy the Perilous Seat will be conceived, and he will obtain the Holy Grail.”

In 1944, during stubborn and bloody battles, the Allies occupied positions recaptured from the Germans. Especially many French and English soldiers died at the strategically important height of Monte Cassino, trying to take possession of the Mosegur castle, where the remnants of the 10th German army settled. The siege of the castle lasted 4 months. Finally, after massive bombing and landings, the Allies launched a decisive assault.

This ancient Germanic ritual was usually resorted to only when the help of higher powers was needed. But everything was in vain, and nothing could help the invaders.

This incident was far from the only one in the long and mystical history of the castle. And it began in the 6th century, when a monastery was founded by Saint Benedict in 1529 on Mount Cassino, considered a sacred place since pre-Christian times. Cassino was not very high and was more like a hill, but its slopes were steep - it was on such mountains that impregnable castles were built in the old days. It is not for nothing that in the classical French dialect Montsegur sounds like Mont-sur - Reliable Mountain.

850 years ago, one of the most dramatic episodes in European history took place at Montsegur Castle. The Inquisition of the Holy See and the army of the French king Louis IX waged a siege of the castle for almost a year. But they were never able to cope with the two hundred Cathar heretics who had settled in it. The defenders of the castle could have repented and left in peace, but instead they chose to voluntarily go to the stake, thereby keeping their mysterious faith pure.

And to this day there is no clear answer to the question: where did the Cathar heresy penetrate into southern France? Its first traces appeared in these parts in the 11th century. At that time, the southern part of the country, which was part of the Languedoc county, stretching from Aquitaine to Provence and from the Pyrenees to Crecy, was practically independent.

While Catholicism dominated in the north of France, the dangerous Cathar heresy was spreading more and more widely in the possessions of the counts of Toulouse. According to some historians, it penetrated there from Italy, which, in turn, borrowed this religious teaching from the Bulgarian Bogomils, and those from the Manichaeans of Asia Minor and Syria. The number of those who were later called Cathars (in Greek - “pure”) multiplied like mushrooms after rain.

Strange people in the pointed caps of Chaldean astrologers, in clothes belted with rope, traveled along the dusty roads of France - the Cathars preached their teachings everywhere. The so-called “perfects” - devotees of faith who took a vow of asceticism - took on such an honorable mission. They completely broke with their previous life, renounced property, and adhered to food and ritual prohibitions. But all the secrets of the teaching were revealed to them.

The Count of Toulouse was declared a heretic and a follower of Satan. Catholic bishops shouted: “The Cathars are vile heretics! It is necessary to burn them out with fire, so that no seed remains...” For this purpose, the Holy Inquisition was created, which the Pope subordinated to the Dominican Order - these “dogs of the Lord” (Dominicanus - domini canus - the Lord's dogs).

Thus a crusade was declared, which for the first time was directed not so much against infidels as against Christian lands. It is interesting that when asked by a soldier how to distinguish the Cathars from good Catholics, the papal legate Arnold da Sato replied: “Kill everyone: God will recognize his own!”

However, this small (two hundred people) unarmed garrison fought off attacks by a 10,000-strong crusader army for almost 11 months! What happened on a tiny spot on the top of the mountain became known thanks to the surviving recordings of interrogations of the surviving defenders of the castle. They conceal an amazing story of courage and perseverance of the Cathars, which still amazes the imagination of historians. Yes, and there is enough mysticism in it.

At night, four “perfect ones” descend on a rope from a mountain 1200 meters high and take with them a certain package. The crusaders hastily set out in pursuit, but the fugitives seemed to disappear into thin air. Soon two of them showed up in Cremona. They proudly talked about the successful outcome of their mission, but what they managed to save is still unknown.
Only it is unlikely that the Cathars, fanatics and mystics, doomed to death, would risk their lives for the sake of gold and silver. And what kind of load could four desperate “perfects” carry? This means that the “treasure” of the Cathars was of a different nature.

In August 1964, speleologists discovered some icons, notches and a drawing on one of the walls. It turned out to be a plan for an underground passage running from the foot of the wall to the gorge. Then the passage itself was opened, in which skeletons with halberds were found. New mystery: who were these people who died in the dungeon? Under the foundation of the wall, researchers discovered several interesting objects with Qatari symbols printed on them.

“When the walls of Montsegur still stood, the Cathars guarded the Holy Grail. But Montsegur was in danger. The armies of Lucifer settled under its walls. They needed the Grail to re-enclose it in the crown of their lord, from which it had fallen when the fallen angel was cast from heaven to earth. At the moment of greatest danger for Montsegur, a dove appeared from the sky and split Mount Tabor with its beak. The Guardian of the Grail threw a valuable relic into the depths of the mountain. The mountain closed and the Grail was saved."

Some scientists believe that the secret of the Cathars lay in the knowledge of hidden facts from the earthly life of Jesus Christ. They allegedly had information about his earthly wife and children, who, after the crucifixion of the Savior, were secretly transported to the south of Gaul. According to legend, the blood of Jesus was collected in the Holy Grail.

The Gospel Magdalene, a mysterious person who was probably his wife, took part in this. It is known that she reached Europe, from which it follows that the descendants of the Savior founded the Merovingian dynasty, that is, the family of the Holy Grail.

According to legend, after Montsegur the Holy Grail was taken to the castle of Montreal de Saux. From there he migrated to one of the cathedrals of Aragon. He was then allegedly taken to the Vatican. But there is no documentary evidence of this. Or maybe the sacred relic has returned to its sanctuary - Montsegur?

It was not for nothing that Hitler, who dreamed of world domination, so stubbornly and purposefully organized the search for the Holy Grail in the Pyrenees. German agents explored all the abandoned castles, monasteries and temples there, as well as mountain caves. But everything was to no avail...

Hitler hoped to use this sacred relic to turn the tide of the war. But even if the Fuhrer had managed to take possession of it, it is unlikely that this would have saved him from defeat, as well as those German soldiers who tried to defend themselves within the walls of Montsegur with the help of an ancient Celtic cross. After all, according to legend, the unrighteous keepers of the Holy Grail and those who sow Evil and death on earth are overtaken by God's wrath.