Montsegur and the Mystery of the Cathars

Mind Body Soul Ezine Book Review: Montsegur and the Mystery of the Cathars by Jean Markale

This book looks at mediaeval Occitan culture and traces the origins of the Cathar beliefs back to Persia and the Zoroastrian religion. It explains the Cathar's vegetarianism, tolerance and non violence, and it questions their pact with the Knights Templar. It describes the harrowing circumstances when 200 Cathars were isolated in their mountain stronghold on March 16, 1244. The Roman Catholic Inquisition had ordered that they be burnt alive for heresy. Four high ranking Perfecti are said to have carried treasure to safety from the mountain retreat on the night before the attack. Hugenots and Hitler's SS believed that some kind of hidden power or treasure lay in the Cathar regions. 

The author is a controversial figure whose real name was Jean Bertrand, a mediaeval scholar and Celtic specialist, has been accused of the 'creative' use of scholarship to make excessively large leaps of reasoning. 

The author also wrote:

The Great Goddess 

Cathedral of the Black Madonna

Women of the Celts

Merlin

The Grail

Merlin

Lancelot

Courtly Love

The Druids

The Church of Mary Magdalene

and numerous other titles