Château de Quéribus

The castle Quéribus ( Occitan: Castèl de Querbús ) is widely regarded to the Cathar castles and was in later years a stronghold of France in the former border area of the Kingdom of Aragon and Spain. Already in 1907 the castle was recognized as a monument historique.

Location

Set in a commanding location castle is situated on a 728 meters above sea level. inst high mountain peak in the southern highlands of the Corbières near the village of Cucugnan, about 42 km ( driving distance ) north-west of Perpignan.

History

First mentioned in the year 1020 the castle belonged to the county of Besalu, then to the county of Barcelona, so the later kingdom of Aragon. A family ' Cucugnan ' is called at the end of the 12th century as the owner of the castle; these sympathized with the religious ideas of the Cathars or Albigensians, as they were called in the south of France.

Albigensian Crusade

During the Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229) many Cathars took refuge in the remote and almost impregnable fortress. Among them was the bishop of the county Razès, Benoît de Termes, who died in 1233 or 1241 in the fortress. In 1239, she was then the ruler of Aragon to the French king Louis IX. sold. But in 1242, the Catalan Xacbert de Barbaira, an outstanding figure of the southern French Resistance, Commander of Quéribus was; he was able to hold until 1255, the castle, she had then but after a long siege by his former friend and comrade Olivier de Termes finally ceded to the French king. This Quéribus had but eleven years longer stood as the castle Montsegur. As the new commander of the Seneschal of Carcassonne was used.

Border fortress

The Quéribus castle with the Treaty of Corbeil in 1258 part of the Kingdom of France under Louis IX. , The sacred and moves into the visible near the border of France to Aragon. The fortress, together with the castle Aguilar, Peyrepertuse, Puilaurens and Termes one of the so-called five sons of Carcassonne; During this time parts of the castle were rebuilt and adapted to technical progress (guns ) and the contemporary taste. Their strategic importance lost the fort with the Treaty of the Pyrenees of the year 1659; nevertheless remained in the period that followed a small garrison in the castle.

Architecture

The castle stands on a steep crag in the southern Corbières and has several atria and the side of the partially winding Aufgangs located building, from which intruders at bay could be held. At the highest point of the castle stands the imposing residential tower ( donjon ), which forms the representative peak of the weir; he has a polygonal floor plan. In its interior there is the Gothic ' pillared hall '; the architecture of the room with the pillars, and his resting -ribbed vault in its center appears to have been inspired by the chapter houses of Gothic abbeys. Very nice is also a great renaissance cross windows. In the adjacent walls are still the apertures to see which. 14-15 for the Century newly arrived cannons were broken up into the thick walls.

Pictures

Donjon

Pillared hall

Renaissance window