At the heart of the legend

Between the surrender of the stronghold of Montségur and the execution of the men and women who had taken refuge there, there was a 15-day truce. During these 15 days, a few people were able to leave. Legend has it that they left with the Cathar treasure. And many still wonder about this treasure today.

Was it a cash prize? The “good men” and “good women” stripped themselves of their wealth and possessions, but the community had to survive. So it would seem that this pecuniary treasure went with the survivors.

Other legends speak of a spiritual treasure. They are based on the theses of German archaeologist Otto Rahn, who refers to Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival and a place called “Montsalvat” where the Grail is said to be kept. It’s only a short step from Montsalvat to Mont sûr (Montségur in Occitan). On this basis, excavations were carried out on site by the Nazi Ahnenerbe Institute (founded by Himmler in 1939). All that was missing was Indiana Jones!

Others link the Cathar treasure to the last Templars or to Rennes-le-Château, much to the delight of treasure seekers. But to date, neither gold coins nor jewels have been found!

Every castle has its white lady! Dame Esclarmonde (clarity of the world) is said to haunt the citadel ramparts on stormy evenings.

Two possible candidates are likely to walk their white silhouettes around the citadel:

• Esclarmonde de Foix: she turned to the Cathar Church and received consolation in 1204. She was an ardent promoter of Catharism and lived in Pamiers.
• Esclarmonde de Péreille, daughter of seigneur Raymond de Péreille, lord of Montségur castle. Born after 1224, she perished as a Cathar woman on the stake at Montségur on March 16, 1244.

The white lady of Montségur is said to mourn the Cathars, victims of the Albigensian crusade, and to warn the inhabitants of Montségur of impending doom.

The occult legend of Montségur was born in the 19th century, in particular with the work of Napoléon Peyrat, who put forward three theories that appealed to many esoteric mystery enthusiasts.

• a “sanctuary castle”,
• a network of underground passages in which the Cathars would have retreated,
• a prodigious treasure, theoretically sheltered in these caverns.

Many others fueled the legend, far from the historical reality, and made Montségur and its citadel the target of treasure seekers: Josephin Péladan, the novel Montsalvat by Pierre-Barthélémy Gheusi, the German Otto Rahn, Antonin Gadal… In the late 1940s, Déodat Roché founded the “neo-Catharist” movement. In 1950, he founded the “Société du souvenir et des études cathares” (Society for Cathar Remembrance and Studies), rekindling interest in the study of this period and the spirituality of the Cathars. At the same time, Fernand Niel turned the site into a temple of the sun.

It’s true that, during the summer solstice, a golden ray passes through the two archways of the lower room and seems to split the chateau in two. Although this is quite common, as the sun was a landmark for builders who used it in their constructions, the spectacle is no less magnificent. And it helps to fire the imagination.