Musée du Catharisme de Mazamet — Attraction in Castres

Great small museum. Carefully assembled to inform as well as to clear outdated beliefs about the Cathars and the Albigensian crusade. Written signs are in French, but the booklet for the museum is in English.

There are tablets with generally brief explanations in both languages, which are WELL WORTH watching. There is one lengthy clip of a Consolamentum service.

This is a society that left little physical evidence of its passing, so assembling a cohesive display took serious thought. Worth the 1.5 hour trip from Toulouse.

The town is charming with nice...

The "Maison des Mémoires" shows not only the recent history of bourgeois life in Mazamet, but also the history of the Cathars. Very impressive the models of the cathedral castles as well as the extensive information on the upper floor of the museum, which inform a little about the life and the mental attitude of the Katharer. A visit to the museum is definitely recommendable and the city of Mazamet and the historical region are beautiful and a worthwhile holiday...

The one and only museum about the Albigeois crusade and the cathar "heresy", in reality a nice depiction of this more open minded, primitive Christian movement of the 11th century in the middle age and the influence it has on monastery life, relationship betweem church and lay people and on the creation of the inquisition and the Dominican order. Sadly the bons hommes and bonnes femmes are not here anymore to share their...