Château de Quéribus, Castle ruin in Cucugnan village, France.
Château de Quéribus stands on a rocky peak at 628 meters elevation, overlooking the valley with its medieval stone walls and defensive towers built for surveillance.
Built during the 13th century, this fortress served as the last Cathar stronghold to resist French royal forces after the fall of Montségur in 1244.
This classified historical monument forms part of a network of eight Languedoc fortresses applying for UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for their unique architecture.
The site operates Monday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, though wheelchair access remains limited due to the historic structure and elevation.
The castle provided secret refuge for Cathar heretics fleeing persecution and served as a strategic border control point between France and Aragon territories.
Location: Cucugnan
Elevation above the sea: 628 m
Accessibility: Wheelchair inaccessible
Address: 11350 Cucugnan, France 11350 Cucugnan
Opening Hours: Monday-Sunday 10:00-17:00
Phone: +33468450369
Website: http://cucugnan.fr
GPS coordinates: 42.83667,2.62167
Latest update: October 24, 2025 17:38
The region around Carcassonne features an area marked by medieval and Cathar history, with castles, abbeys, and old villages. The Cité of Carcassonne displays its city walls restored in the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc, while the Canal du Midi has traversed the region for 240 kilometers since the 17th century. The castles of Quéribus and Peyrepertuse overlook the landscape from their rocky spurs at over 700 meters above sea level, serving as the last strongholds of the Cathar resistance in the 13th century. Villages like Minerve and Lagrasse showcase medieval architecture, with narrow streets, ancient bridges, and Benedictine abbeys. The region also includes the four Lastours castles aligned along a ridge, the Saint-Maurice Cathedral in Mirepoix with its 22-meter-wide Gothic nave, and natural sites like Lake Cavayère. These monuments and landscapes form a representative ensemble of the south of France’s historical and natural heritage, accessible from Carcassonne.
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