Aude is a department in Southern France, located in the Occitanie region and named after the river Aude. The departmental council also calls it "Cathar Country" after a group of religious dissidents active in the 12th to 14th centuries.
Haute-Saône is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of northeastern France. Named after the river Saône, it had a population of 235,313 in 2019. Its prefecture is Vesoul; its sole subprefecture is Lure.
Bruniquel is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France Association.
Alet-les-Bains is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region in southern France.
Puivert is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region in southern France.
Lavelanet is a commune in the Ariège department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France.
The Châteaux de Lastours are four so-called Cathar castles in the French commune of Lastours in the département of l'Aude. The four castles are on a rocky spur above the village of Lastours, isolated by the deep valleys of the Orbeil and Grésilhou rivers. They were built at an altitude of 300 m along a rock wall just 1,300 ft (400 m) long by 165 ft (50 m) wide. Cabaret, Surdespine and la Tour Régine stand in line, while Quertinheux is built on a separate pinnacle close by. The site has been classified monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1905 and archaeological digs are still in progress.
Cathar castles are a group of medieval castles located in the Languedoc region. Some had a Cathar connection in that they offered refuge to dispossessed Cathars in the thirteenth century. Many of these sites were replaced by new castles built by the victorious French Crusaders and the term Cathar castle is also applied to these fortifications despite their having no connection with Cathars. The fate of many Cathar castles, at least for the early part of the Crusade, is outlined in the contemporary Occitan "Chanson de la Croisade", translated into English as the "Song of the Cathar Wars ".
Bram is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region in southern France. Bram is part of the old province of Lauragais, and is 790 km from Paris. Bram station has rail connections to Toulouse, Carcassonne and Narbonne.
Azille is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.
Arques is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.
Ajac is a commune in the Aude department, part of the Occitanie region, southern France.
Alairac is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.
Albas is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.
Aragon is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.
Axat is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.
Baraigne is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France.
Cucugnan is a commune in the Aude department in southern France, approximately 29.5 kilometres (18.3 mi) north-west of Perpignan. The small village lies in a valley in the Corbières Massif, overlooked by the ruined Château de Quéribus, which stands at the top of a 728-metre (2,388 ft) hill to the south of Cucugnan.
Lassay-les-Châteaux is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.
The Château d'Arques is a ruined 14th-century castle in the commune of Arques in the Aude département of France. It is one of the so-called Cathar castles.
