The Cathar legend of Lombrives
Lombrives and the Cathar cemetery
Also known as ″the Cathar’s cave″… why? In the 13th century, they persecuted Cathars, hidden in the area and especially in caves of Lombrives.
Besides, in 1822, they found a big cemetery at the bottom of the cave…
In a very vast room, they found human bones mixed with animals remains on the soil!
Archaeologists thought those bones (from different eras) were brought here by torrential rains.
The Cathar slaughter
So, to whom did those bones belong?
In fact, we have here remains of about 500 Cathars locked here by Simon de Montfort in 1228.
This chap was the leader of the Crusade against Cathars.
He knew they were here, in the cave… he decided to make them moving back at the bottom of the cave.
But the Cathars knew the cave better than Montfort and greeted him with a shower of projectiles… Simon and his men, forced to step back, had to wait.
They waited at the entrance of the cave, walled for this occasion, prevented the Cathars from going outside…
So that was how those poor ones died, trapped, deprived of water and food…
I think they let themselves die: it was better than torture and execution...
A treasure in Lombrives?
The tradition says four Cathars escaped from castle of Montségur, after the slaughter of their companions in the night of March 15th 1244.
They came in the cave to hide a big treasure… the famous treasure of Montségur, including the Holy Grail!