Around 1200 a number of stories were written about the Holy Grail. It is almost certain that the Templars were involved in the revival of these stories. Montségur, at the foot of the Pyrenees is mentioned as the possible "Grail Castle". It was one of the leading Cathar castles.
Catharism originated in the Languedoc at the end of the tenth century. It is a doctrine that teaches that everything spritual has been created by the God of Good and everything material by the God of Evil. That is why the spiritual life of the Cathars was so important. There were many followers among the nobility. The ruins of their castles can still be visited today. The Cathar doctrine clashed with that of the Church of Rome. In 1209 a crusade against these "heretics" was undertaken. Simon de Montfort was at the head of one of the bloodiest operations in the history of Europe. The Cathar bastion of Montségur fell in 1244. Over 200 people were burnt alive. Ten years later the last castle, Quéribus, was seized. The Dominican Inquisition continued to eradicate the movement slowly but surely.
There were rumours about a Cathar treasure which was said to have been taken to safety just before the fall of Montségur. Did it include the Grail? Or did it include the possessions of the people who lived there? If so, nothing has ever been found...
 Montségur |
 Peyrepertuse |
 Quéribus |
 Simon de Montfort |
 House of St.Dominicus in Fanjeaux |