Monts?gur and the Mystery of the Cathars [Paperback]

Jean Markale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2003

The history and philosophy of the mysterious Cathar religion and its lost treasure

• Demonstrates that Catharism is not simply a heretical Christian cult as it is often portrayed

• Examines the evidence for the existence of a lost Cathar treasure and its possible connection to the Holy Grail

On March 16, 1244, over 200 Cathars were captured in their fortress stronghold of Monts駵r and were burned alive by troops of the Inquisition. While some Cathar enclaves survived into the next century, this was the death blow to a religion that had been a powerful symbol of Occitain sovereignty against the designs of the French monarchy and the papacy. History has recorded that four high-ranking Cathar perfecti carried a great treasure out of Monts駵r the night before its fall, a fact that led rebel Huguenots of the 17th century and members of Hitler’s S.S. to believe that an enormous treasure or weapon of awesome spiritual power lay hidden somewhere nearby the ruins of the former Cathar stronghold.

Seeking to untangle the true from the false, Celtic and medieval scholar Jean Markale meticulously searches through the obscure history of the Cathars, tracing their roots back to the ancient Zoroastrian religion of Persia. He examines what earned the Cathars--who practiced vegetarianism, non-violence, and tolerance--the ruthless persecution of both the Church and the state. He explores their doctrine, their place in medieval Occitain culture, and their secret pact with the Knights Templar. Most important, he uses all available documentation to reveal the nature of the treasure the Cathars spirited away from their fortress at Monts駵r the night before its surrender to French troops.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Readers are certain to find Markale's answer revealing, if not altogether disturbing."
(Frank Joseph, Fate,?March 2004, Vol 57 No 3 Issue 647, )

"Presents a very focused and fascinating treatise with enough detail to satisfy even the most knowledgeable Cathar scholar."
(Robert Buratti, New Dawn, July/August 2004, No.85 )

"The amount of information in this book is astounding. . . and it is written in a highly intelligent manner."
(Kerri Connor, Circle of Stones, Fall 2004, Vol.1 Issue 6 )

“Combining impeccable scholarship with an imaginative insight, Markale illumnates a critical nexus in the development of Western religious history--one that has long been shrouded in darkness. The relevance of the Cathar doctrine to modern spiritual development is also confirmed by his analysis.”
(James Wasserman, author of The Templars and the Assassins and Art and Symbols of the Occult )

“In this remarkable book, poet-historian Jean Markale evokes the spirit of the land where the Cathars walked in the light of their faith and were martyred by the Inquisition. Deftly navigating eddies of fact, fiction, and folklore concerning their treasure, he debunks frivolous speculation and rumor while allowing those theories supported by evidence to survive.”
(Margaret Starbird, author of The Woman with the Alabaster Jar )

"Thankfully, [Markale's] Montsegur and the Mystery of the Cathars is a solidly and scholarly work which depels the most egregious of myths."
(Mysteries Magazine, Vol. 2, #4, Issue #7 )

"[Markale's] descriptions of the wild Breton moors and the inaccessible peaks of the Pyrenees are described with a bardic grandeur that is befitting of his poetic roots."
(Mysteries Magazine, Vol. 2, #4, Issue #7 )

"Markale's book strips away the mythology and nonsense of the Cathar legend to reveal their true courage and honor. . . "
(Mysteries Magazine, Vol. 2, #4, Issue #7 )

"If you are looking for a scholarly read that explores the Cathars and untangles myth from fact with many Celtic and Druid references, [this book] is highly recommended."
(Tony Taylor, Henge Happenings, Issue 69, Feb 2006 )

". . . enjoyable, filled with interesting information. . . . The final chapter in Montsegur and the Mystery of the Cathars will be particularly interesting to those awaiting the release of Otto Rahn's work on the Cathars later this year."
(Institute for Hermetic Studies, Aug 2006 )

From the Back Cover

HISTORY / RELIGION

“Combining impeccable scholarship with an imaginative insight, Markale illumnates a critical nexus in the development of Western religious history--one that has long been shrouded in darkness. The relevance of the Cathar doctrine to modern spiritual development is also confirmed by his analysis.”
James Wasserman, author of The Templars and the Assassins and Art and Symbols of the Occult

“In this remarkable book, poet-historian Jean Markale evokes the spirit of the land where the Cathars walked in the light of their faith and were martyred by the Inquisition. Deftly navigating eddies of fact, fiction, and folklore concerning their treasure, he debunks frivolous speculation and rumor while allowing those theories supported by evidence to survive.”
Margaret Starbird, author of The Woman with the Alabaster Jar

On March 16, 1244, after a year-long siege, more than two hundred Cathars were captured in their fortress stronghold of Monts駵r in the Pyrenees and burned alive by troops of the Inquisition. While some Cathar enclaves survived into the next century, this was the death blow to a religion that had been a powerful symbol of Occitain sovereignty despite the designs of the French monarchy and the papacy. History has recorded that, on the night before the fall of the fortress, four high-ranking Cathar perfecti carried away a great treasure from Monts駵r, a fact that led rebel Huguenots of the seventeenth century and members of Hitler’s S.S. to believe that something of awesome spiritual power lay hidden somewhere near the ruins of the Cathar stronghold.

Seeking to untangle the true from the false, Celtic and medieval scholar Jean Markale meticulously searches through the obscure history and dualist theology of the Cathars, tracing their roots to the ancient Zoroastrian religion of Persia. He examines what earned the Cathars--who practiced vegetarianism, nonviolence, and tolerance--the ruthless persecution of the Church and the state, and he explores both their place in medieval Occitain culture and their secret pact with the Knights Templar. Above all, Markale uses all available documentation to reveal the remarkable nature of the treasure spirited away by the Cathars on that fateful night in 1244.

Poet, philosopher, historian, and storyteller, JEAN MARKALE has spent a lifetime researching pre-Christian and medieval culture and spirituality. He is the author of more than forty books, including The Templar Treasure at Gisors, The Druids, The Celts, Merlin, and Women of the Celts. He is a specialist in Celtic studies at the Sorbonne and lives in the Brittany region of France.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions; 1 edition (September 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892810904
• ISBN-13: 978-0892810901
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #127,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably not for the general reader., May 31, 2004

By 

Tim Johnson (Fremantle, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Monts?gur and the Mystery of the Cathars (Paperback)

Jean Markale's book is very dense-it is a book that will challenge any perceptions you might have about what you know about the late medieval period: philosophy, theology and collectively, the heresies that proliferated before the Protestant Reformation.

I read this French title in translation and thought, stupidly in hindsight, that I was familiar enough with the general topic of the Cathars and their modest place in the history of France and Europe. Ah-how wrong I was! Please don't let me put you off reading Markale's challenging book-just be somewhat aware of what you are in for because the author does not tread lightly over the intricate history of the Cathar theology. For instance in Part 2 he writes in-depth about Cathar philisophical/theological antecedents: the Mazdeans of ancient Persia, the Gnostics, Manicheans and finally the Bulgarian Bogomils. Markale is too wise to stitch a seamless sheet leading inexorably to the flowering of Catharism but he does trace the many common points where these early pre-Christian religions meet and the similarities they share with Catharism.

There is no dross in this book; seemingly every word, every sentence is a brick in the solid wall Markale is building.
His is not a book to skip over and be assured that you will be able to pick up the substance pages-indeed paragraphs-later. It is a book to be savored. His first chapter is one of those wonderfully literary compositions where the reader is left wondering if he/she is reading a rich novel or a piece of historical research. In later chapters this trails off but initially it reads like a beautiful piece of literature.

If you have time, background and interest I suggest that you find this wonderful book and enjoy it.

49 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for anyone interested in Cathars, August 20, 2004

By 

New Dawn Magazine "NEW DAWN MAGAZINE" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monts?gur and the Mystery of the Cathars (Paperback)

On March 16, 1244, after a year-long siege, more than two hundred Cathars were captured in their fortress stronghold of Montsegur in the Pyrenees of southern France and burned alive by troops of the Inquisition.

Montsegur had been home to a community of men, women and children known as the "Cathars", the term itself deriving from the Greek word Katheroi meaning "Pure Ones".

According to legend, one of the secret purposes of Montsegur was to protect the most sacred treasure, the Holy Grail. The safekeeping of the Grail was allegedly part of the function of the Cathars.

Unfortunately all their writings and possessions were burned by the Inquisition along with their bodies in a mass suppression of their culture right across southern France.

They were, it seemed, above all else, a deeply religious people who practiced vegetarianism, non-violence, and tolerance. At the time their influence across Europe was enormous.

The crusade against the Cathars began in 1209 under the Roman Catholic Church. The religious beliefs of the Cathars were in direct opposition to the Catholic reading of the Bible, and their growing power in a forgotten rural part of the empire became a threat.

Although there are a many theories and speculation, it is not exactly known why the Church chose to annihilate the Cathars in this terrible way. The fact the Inquisitors did not arrest and interrogate their targets as they were wont to do, and no official document or charge was levelled against the Cathars, other than the ambiguous "heresy" tag, indicates the Church saw Catharism as a major threat.

Coins and sacred objects left behind by the Cathars were distributed to the conquering army and officials, but according to Inquisition records, the real treasure vanished the night before the sacking.

History has it that four high-ranking Cathars carried a treasure of great importance out of the fortress the night before its fall. They were said to have escaped down the steepest side of the mountain and disappeared.

Speculation still exists about the nature of the treasure and where it may be hidden today. Historians and researchers have sweated over possible contenders for such a relic including sacred texts, uncensored religious writings, or perhaps even the Holy Grail itself.

Many believe that it may still reside in one of the many limestone caves that surround Montsegur, or in an abandoned, water-logged mine in the Ariage.

It was this kind of speculation that led rebel Huguenots of the 17th century and members of Hitler's S.S. to scour Europe for the treasure.

While the subject of the Cathars has been tackled countless times, I believe Jean Markale's book Montsegur and the Mystery of the Cathars is the best.

A poet, philosopher, and experienced historian, Jean Markale doesn't get weighed down by the legends and mythology of the Cathars. He presents a very focused and fascinating treatise with enough detail to satisfy even the most knowledgeable Cathar scholar.

Markale is the author of more than 40 books, including The Templar Treasure at Gisors, The Druids, The Celts, Merlin, and Women of the Celts and has spent years researching pre-Christian and medieval culture and spirituality. His style of writing and research is always clear and direct. His work Montsegur and the Mystery of the Cathars is no different.

The book is in three parts, the first of which is The Sights, a fantastic introduction to the various areas of southern France associated with the Cathars and what it was like to be alive in feudal France.

Part two, Who Were the Cathars?, covers Markale's indepth research into the Cathar sect. He points out that the origins of the Cathar movement can be traced to the missionary work of the Bogomils, a dualistic sect that emerged in south eastern Europe in the 11th century.

Markale presents an enlightening view into their philosophy and practice. He covers Mazdaism, the Manicheaism brought to Gaul in the 8th century by missionaries from Bulgaria, Croatia and Bosnia, and the concept of duality central to the Cathar Gnostics. Markale provides a perceptive understanding of how creeds and religious cultures develop over time.

The third part of the work is titled The Cathar Enigma, and deals with modern-day manifestations of Catharism, its relation to Druidism and Norse culture, and evidence the Cathars built Montsegur as a solar temple.

The last chapter also investigates the connections between the Cathars and the Knights Templar, and of course the enduring legend of the Holy Grail within Montsegur. All of these topics are covered with minimal fantasy and maximum scholarship.

In all, an essential part of any library dealing with the historical relevance of Catharism and the progression of religious thought.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE DEFINITIVE BOOK ABOUT CATHARISM AND THE CATHARS ?, April 27, 2007

By 

Daniel S. "Daniel" (Geneva, Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monts?gur and the Mystery of the Cathars (Paperback)

I have to admit that I didn't know much about Catharism before reading the book of Jean Markale. I knew, yes, that one could find, in the southwest part of France a touristy region whose main attractions were the Cathar castles, that's all. If you have general notions about the myth of the Holy Grail and about the History of religions, reading MONTSEGUR AND THE MYSTERY OF THE CATHARS, written in 1986, will be a rewarding experience.

As the Cathars didn't leave any written testimonies of their belief, Jean Markale's plan to unveil to us the saga of the Cathars was not so easy to fulfill. So the first part of the book is more the narration of how Jean Markale took an interest in Catharism than a pure historical essay. Markale tells us how he journeyed through Catharland and discovered the beauty of the castle of Montségur. Markale takes also this opportunity to give us some informations about the political relations between the Occitan region and the French monarchy. At last, Markale gives us the historic facts concerning the Cathars and the mass murder that happened on March 16, 1244.

In the second part of the book, Jean Markale shows us how Catharism is linked to very old religions such as Manicheism, Dualism or Mazdeism. We soon understand that the Catharism wasn't an heresy because it simply wasn't a doctrine derived from Catholicism. In the third and last part of the book, the one I personnally prefer, Markale takes an inventory of the impact of the beliefs of the Cathars in European legends, in the artworks and in the esoteric ramblings of the thinkers of the Third Reich.

A book for your library.