Christians who believed that perfecting the spirit was the only way to reach God. Their doctrine, which appeared in the mid-11th century, spread like wild fire through the lands of the Count of Toulouse, their fervent protector.
The Cathars had their own clergy, rites and a broad following, quickly becoming a threat to the Papacy, which in 1209 launched the Albigensian Crusade to crush the heretics.
Montségur Castle, perching atop a picturesque spur, recalls that painful page in history.
A symbol of Cathar resistance, the ruins still speak, but they also offer stunning views of the countryside around Toulouse.
Other major sites evoke the Cathars in Foix, Saint-Félix-Lauragais, Mazamet and Cordes-sur-Ciel.