Puivert
Encyclopedia
Puivert is a commune
in the Aude
department in the Languedoc-Roussillon
region
in southern France
.
(Château de Puivert
) stood on this site which had strong links to both Cathar
s and troubadour
s. A meeting of troubadours took place here in 1170, and in 1185 festivities attended by the Viscount of Carcassonne and Loba, Lady of Cabaret.
At the time of the Wars against the Cathars its seigneur was Bernard de Congost. His wife Alpaïs had become a Cathar Parfaite before her death in 1208. In November 1210 the Castle was besieged by Simon de Montfort
, and fell after three days. The Congost family continued the fight against the invaders. Bernard died after receiving the Cathar Consolamentum at Montsegùr
in 1232. His son continued the fight, participating in the events of Avignonet in 1242 and helping defend Montsegùr in 1243-4.
In 1213 the seigneurie, now in French hands, was conferred by Simon de Montfort on one of his lieutenants, Lambert de Thury. Later it was allocated to the Bruyère family.
The present castle is French, built by the Bruyère family in the 14th century, probably around 1310. It is still in relatively good condition.
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 the Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
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...
.
History
In the 12th century a castleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
(Château de Puivert
Château de Puivert
The Château de Puivert is a so-called Cathar castle situated in the commune of Puivert, in the Aude département of France. This building, on top of a hill overhanging the village and its lake, reaches an altitude of 605 m. The site is in the Quercob region, south of Carcassonne and east of Foix...
) stood on this site which had strong links to both Cathar
Cathar
Catharism was a name given to a Christian religious sect with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries...
s and troubadour
Troubadour
A troubadour was a composer and performer of Old Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages . Since the word "troubadour" is etymologically masculine, a female troubadour is usually called a trobairitz....
s. A meeting of troubadours took place here in 1170, and in 1185 festivities attended by the Viscount of Carcassonne and Loba, Lady of Cabaret.
At the time of the Wars against the Cathars its seigneur was Bernard de Congost. His wife Alpaïs had become a Cathar Parfaite before her death in 1208. In November 1210 the Castle was besieged by Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester
Simon IV de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, 5th Earl of Leicester , also known as Simon de Montfort the elder, was a French nobleman who took part in the Fourth Crusade and was a prominent leader of the Albigensian Crusade...
, and fell after three days. The Congost family continued the fight against the invaders. Bernard died after receiving the Cathar Consolamentum at Montsegùr
Montségur
The Château de Montségur is a former fortress near Montségur, a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France. Its ruins are the site of a razed stronghold of the Cathars. The present fortress on the site, though described as one of the "Cathar castles," is actually of a later period...
in 1232. His son continued the fight, participating in the events of Avignonet in 1242 and helping defend Montsegùr in 1243-4.
In 1213 the seigneurie, now in French hands, was conferred by Simon de Montfort on one of his lieutenants, Lambert de Thury. Later it was allocated to the Bruyère family.
The present castle is French, built by the Bruyère family in the 14th century, probably around 1310. It is still in relatively good condition.