Minerve

During our month in France last Autumn, an interesting day trip in the Languedoc area of Southwestern France took us to another Cathar village, MINERVE.
The road winds up the valley from the Carcassonne highway, heading toward Minerve, an isolated historic village perched on an island of rock over the meeting of two rivers, the Briant and the Cesse, which tunnel through deep gorges.

The village turned Cathar at the beginning of the thirteenth century, which made it a target for Simon de Montfort's crusade. On July 22, 1210, after a seven week siege, he took the castle and 140 "parfaits" (purified souls) were burnt at the stake because they refused to deny their faith. Little is left of the fortress, except for the candela, a single slender octagonal tower. The village is a hodge-podge of narrow alleys, topped by a simple 12th century church.

Local ladies of the village enjoying Autumn sunshine.

Walking through the river tunnels is possible when the water is low.

Great restaurant where the Sunday luncheon was superb.

Sauntering through the ancient narrow streets. Little museums and shops were numerous.

Many French villages are steeped in history. Stone facades of the buildings, colorful wooden shutters, terra cotta tiles of the roofs, and the cobbled streets, have soaked up centuries of living.

Minerve, an ancient place which captures your heart immediately.

Hautpoul ~ Village Médiéval

The formidable fortress of Hautpoul sat high on a mountain at the extreme edge of a mass of rocks overlooking the Arnette valley. Founded in 413 by the king of the Visigoths, Ataulphe I, it was then rebuilt in 936 by the founder of the House of Hautpoul, whose lords gave themselves the title of 'Kings of the Black Mountain'. During the crusade against the Cathars, Simon de Montfort took over this village stronghold in 1212, and after four days of siege, he demolished the castle in order to "reduce this heretic den to nothing". Hautpoul is one of the places where, according to legend, the holy grail was temporarily hidden. The village inhabitants who survived settled in the plains, and the town of Mazamet was born.

As we headed toward Mazamet on a lovely October afternoon, the sudden appearance of the village of Hautpoul, high above on the side of the Montagne Noire, was too mysterious not to want a closer look, so we doubled back and drove the winding road to the top.

The hills and surrounding mountains were still very green and heavily forested with sweet chestnut and spruce trees.

At the top of the mountain, the large statue of Mary dominates the area.

Walking through the village we met not a soul and it was rather eerie. Apparently restoration work in recent years has brought life back to the village making it a venue for Summer festivals. There were obviously some permanent residents quietly tucked away in the lovely stone houses, and artisans have workshops and studios......but they were not open on that late Autumn afternoon.

The village laverie where clothing could be washed.

Ancient Sweet Chestnut tree just starting to wear an Autumn gown.

Even the tavern was closed ~ not a drop of anything to quench a thirst!

I loved this shop sign swinging high above the town in the valley.

My favorite village house with the tallest roses ever.

France is a large country and has so many lovely historic villages in each distinct area.

I'll share some more later.