Peyrepertuse

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Peyrepertuse Castle

Peyrepertuse is a ruined fortress and one of the so-called Cathar castles located high in the French Pyrénées in the commune of Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse, in the Aude département, and has been associated with the Counts of Narbonne and Barcelona. It stands at 800m high.

The name of Peyrepetuse derived from the ancient language called Occitan and means Pierced Rock. The castle was built on a strategic location along the french/Spanish border by The kings of Aragon (lower) in the 11th Century and by Louis lX (higher) later on. The two castles are linked together by a huge staircase. However the castle lost importance as a strategic castle when the border of the two countries was moved in 1659. Because of this the castle was abannoned and unlike many other castles in the region was never subjected to seige, instead it was handed over to the french government in 1240.

During the Albigensian Crusade it served as a Cathar haven and stronghold, but was handed over to French forces without a battle in 1240. Known as one of the "five sons of Carcassonne" — several castles along the border between France and Spain — the French fortified the castle in 1242 to protect the border.

Since 1908, the site has been listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.