danshachar

Château de Quéribus

Rising on a rocky spur some 728 meters high, Quéribus castle is not unlike an eagles' nest when one considers the astonishing fact that a complex structur...
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Rising on a rocky spur some 728 meters high, Quéribus castle is not unlike an eagles' nest when one considers the astonishing fact that a complex structure of this magnitude could have been built in such an inhospitable place. The castle overlooks the Grau de Maury Pass and dominates the Roussillon plain as far as the stronghold of Peyrepertuse to the northwest and the sea to the southeast.
In 1255 the seneschal of Carcassonne supported by the bishop of Narbonne, lay siege to the castle. It was heroically defended by Chabert de Barbeira, the "fighting lion", one of the last lords who was dedicated to the Cathar cause.
After three weeks of defending Quéribus he was captured by the forces of the king and was imprisoned in the Castle of Aguilar, but managed to escape. In August 1255 under the command of Pierre de Auteuil, the king's troops eventually succeeded to conquer Quéribus when supplies of food and water ran out and the castle was forced to surrender.
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