Château de Montaillou

This small village, located on the border between the Ariège and Aude departments at an altitude of 1,300 metres, has a population of just 20 in winter. Yet it is world-famous, mainly for its Cathar past in the 13th and 14th centuries. Château de Montaillou is a former 13th-century fortified castle, the ruins of which were listed as a historic monument by decree on December 21, 1984. The remains of the keep and bailey sit on a mound overlooking the upper Hers valley, on the border between...