Lastours
Encyclopedia
Lastours is a commune
in the Aude
department in southern France
.
Lastours is located 12 km (7.5 mi) outside Carcassonne
, in the valley of the Orbiel. There are 4 small castles
each built on a large 300m high rocky ridge. The castles were built to control the access to Montagne Noire
and the Cabardes region. These are some of the few original Cathar castles left.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Aude
Aude
Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Lastours is located 12 km (7.5 mi) outside Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
, in the valley of the Orbiel. There are 4 small castles
Châteaux de Lastours
The Châteaux de Lastours are four so-called Cathar castles in the French commune of Lastours in the département of l'Aude. The four castles are on a rocky spur above the village of Lastours, isolated by the deep valleys of the Orbeil and Grésilhou rivers...
each built on a large 300m high rocky ridge. The castles were built to control the access to Montagne Noire
Montagne Noire
* Not to be confused with the Montagnes Noires in Brittany.The Montagne Noire is a mountain range in central southern France. It is located at the southwestern end of the Massif Central in the border area of the Tarn, Hérault and Aude departments...
and the Cabardes region. These are some of the few original Cathar castles left.