Eastern from Peyrepertuse
castle, perched at the altitude of 728 metres and 500 m above the valley,
is located the castle of Quéribus which is among the best preserved castles
in this area. The fortress was the last of the Cathar strongholds to fall
in 1255 into French hands. During the Albigensian Crusade, the castle governed
by Chabert de Barbaira, housed many heretics and dispossessed knights.
The building is an excellent example of military architecture, the castle
is known for its polygonal keep and Gothic-style hall, of which the dome
rests on a sturdy circular palm-phanged pillar. |