Châteaux de Lastours, Medieval castle ruins in Lastours, France

Châteaux de Lastours is a group of four ruined castles on a rocky ridge above the Orbiel and Grésillou valleys in the Aude. From north to south stand Cabaret, the Tour Régine, Surdespine and Quertinheux, built of rough grey and tan stone. The Tour Régine is a tall cylindrical tower on a square base with small openings near its top; lower wall fragments and a squat rectangular tower stand to the left.

The site belonged to the Lords of Cabaret, first mentioned in 1067, who drew wealth from iron and other mineral deposits worked since Roman times. During the Albigensian Crusade, Pierre Roger de Cabaret held out for two years against Simon de Montfort before the castles capitulated in 1229. The crown then rebuilt them as a royal fortress of Languedoc, and Tour Régine was added by royal order.

The name Lastours comes from the Occitan "Las Tors", meaning "the towers", while the main castle is called Cabaret after the Cabardès region. In 1223 Cabaret became the seat of the Cathar bishopric of the Carcassès, hosting the Cathar bishop of Carcassonne. The village of Rivière, founded by the crown after the old castral villages were abandoned, was renamed Lastours during the French Revolution.

You can explore the ruins on your own or join a guided tour to learn more about the site. The climb to the ridge is steep, but the view from the top extends across the surrounding landscape.

The name Lastours comes from the Occitan "Las Tors", meaning "the towers". Until the French Revolution the settlement below was called Rivière; it was then renamed Lastours, and the ruins took the village's name. The four castles themselves are Cabaret, Tour Régine, Surdespine and Quertinheux.