Château de Termes

Termes castle above the village

The Termes castle (French Château de Termes, Termes de Castèl Occitan ) is the ruins of a medieval hilltop castle in the mountain massif of the Corbières in the Aude department today in the French region of Languedoc -Roussillon. It stands as a monument historique a historical monument since 25 September 1989.

Location

The small community Termes is located southwest of Narbonne and 50 kilometers southeast of Carcassonne at about 360 meters above sea level and about 57 km ( driving distance ). From the village, it is still a about one kilometer long walk 100 to 130 meters difference in altitude up to the castle ruins.

History

Legally belonged to the territory of Termes viscounts of Carcassonne, but in practice the Seigneurs de Termes were largely independent. For sources of the 11th and 12th centuries can be seen that about 60 villages, of which secured 28 belonged to the sphere of influence of the lords of Termes. In the Corbières was mined ore in the Middle Ages, part of the revenue flowed to the Seigneurs de Termes.

The Termes castle is mentioned in the middle of the 12th century. Towards the end of the century, it offered the many Cathars protection that had a fortified village ( bourg or castrum ) settled at her feet. In 1210, the plant was then besieged during the Albigensian Crusade ( 1209-1229 ) as one of the Cathar castles, both sides possessed catapults. After nearly four months of siege - the water tanks were empty and ill the defenders at the Ruhr - the castle fell in December 1210 to the Crusaders under Simon de Montfort. Raimond de Termes, the father of Olivier de Termes, was captured and died a few years later in the prison of Carcassonne.

In 1228, a royal garrison was quartered in the largely destroyed castle, which should on the one hand preventing a resurgence of Catharism, but on the other hand held a strategically important position in the struggle against the expansionist ambitions of the Crown of Aragon. Louis IX. had the castle from about 1260 rebuild and thus awakened them to new life.

Just seven years before the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 Louis XIV ordered the destruction of the castle, which had become a base for robbers and highwaymen. The blasting and demolition work has been entrusted to a contractor from Limoux, which was still usable transport the stones and sold. Already in 1654 the work was largely completed, the cost to the exchequer amounted to 14,922 livres and 10 Sou.

Architecture

The structural fabric of today's ruins comes largely from the reconstruction phase under Louis IX. From the older Katharerburg can hardly something to be identified.

The highly customized the floor plan to the rocky terrain and only on the south side accessible castle had an outer defensive wall with several round towers. Between these just were not geböschte curtains, which were equipped with battlements.

The actual main castle was again about 15 meters higher and consisted of several rectangular buildings with sunken in the ground cisterns. Whether a Donjon was present, is still not clear beyond doubt. A separate lying and formerly vaulted building with a cross-shaped window is identified by archaeologists as the most probable chapel.

From a former outpost (French Termenet ) of the main castle is hard to get something.

Gallery

Window of the chapel

Northwest side with gate

Postern