The Château d'Aguilar (

Languedocien Languedocien (French name, ), Languedocian or Lengadocian (), is an Occitan dialect spoken in rural parts of southern France such as Languedoc, Rouergue, Quercy, Agenais and Southern Périgord. It is sometimes also called Languedocien-Guyennai ...

: ''Castèl d’Aguilar'') is a 12th-century castle, one of the so-called Cathar castles, located in the ''

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

'' of Tuchan in the Aude ''

département In the administrative divisions of France, the department (french: département, ) is one of the three levels of government under the national level (" territorial collectivities"), between the administrative regions and the communes. Ninety ...

'' of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

Architecture

The design of the castle is an example of the practical military thinking guiding the 12th century architecture. The castle consists of an inner keep built in the 12th century, surrounded by an outer pentagonal fortification from the 13th century. This fortification is oriented such that its point guards the side most favourable to attackers. The keep and the inner hexagonal fortification is flanked at each corner with semi-circular guard towers, each equipped with archery outlooks. The strategic location of the castle on a hill overhanging the plain of Tuchan allows control and protection of the Corbières Massif. Despite this, the castle is easily accessible from the plains because of its relatively low elevation of 321 metres. There is a small underground chapel of Saint-Anne below the keep.

History

The earliest building at this location belonged to the count of Fonnollède since 1021. In the 13th century, the keep that had replaced earlier buildings was bequeathed by the

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

s of

Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the Au ...

to their vassal, the Ternes. In 1210, it was invaded and occupied by

Simon de Montfort Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ( – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the ...

, whose soldiers took and held the owner Raymond de Termes in a dark dungeon in the Carcassonne. Militarily, the castle lay dormant for the next 30 years, until Raymond's son Oliver de Termes took back the castle in the brief revolt against the crusaders. Aguilar became the refuge of many ''faydits'',

Cathar Catharism (; from the grc, καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure ones") was a Christian dualist or Gnostic movement between the 12th and 14th centuries which thrived in Southern Europe, particularly in northern Italy and southern France. Follo ...

knights and lords without strongholds. In 1246, a royal garrison was installed to supervise the Aragon frontier. Olivier, however, eventually made an alliance with king

Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the Direct Capetians. He was crowned in Reims at the age of 12, following the d ...

, who purchased the castle from him in 1260. Despite the heavy fortifications, the castle would be continually under siege by opposers to the French or Spanish rulers until the 16th century. When the border was pushed back to the south of Roussillon by the treaty of the Pyrenées, the castle gradually lost its strategic importance, and was eventually abandoned in 1659. Today it is in decrepit condition. Since 1949, it has been listed as a '' monument historique'' by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture (french: Ministère de la Culture) is the ministry of the Government of France in charge of national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and protection of the arts (visua ...

Pictures

File:100520-Aguilar-01.jpg, Château d'Aguilar File:100520-Aguilar-02.jpg, Château d'Aguilar File:100520-Aguilar-03.jpg, Château d'Aguilar File:100520-Aguilar-04.jpg, Château d'Aguilar File:100520-Aguilar-06.jpg, Château d'Aguilar File:100520-Aguilar-07.jpg, Château d'Aguilar File:100520-Aguilar-11.jpg, Château d'Aguilar File:100520-Aguilar-08.jpg, View from Château d'Aguilar to the Corbières File:100520 Aguilar-Aussicht.jpg, View from Château d'Aguilar to the Corbières File:100520-Aguilar-05.jpg, View from Château d'Aguilar to the Corbières, in the background the Pyrenees

References

External links

The "Commune de Tuchon" and Aguilar
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguilar, Chateau Buildings and structures completed in the 12th century Castles in Aude Ruined castles in Occitania (administrative region) Monuments historiques of Aude Catharism

Architecture

History

Pictures

See also

References

External links