The Cité of Carcassonne was founded during the Gallo-Roman period, over its 2,500 years of history the town has changed hands from Visigoths to Saracens and Crusaders… Around the 11th century, Catharism developed in parts of Europe as a result of teachings from the trade routes of the Byzantine empire (Cathars were a Gnostic group of Christians that opposed the Catholic doctrine and had the notion of a dualist faith, they identified as Les Parfaits, literally meaning ‘The Perfects’ or Good-men and Good-women).
“Cathar practices were often in direct contradiction to how the Catholic Church conducted business, especially with regards to the issues of poverty and the moral character of priests. The Cathars believed that everyone should be able to read the bible, translating it into the local language. Because of this, the Synod of Toulouse in 1229 expressly condemned such translations and even forbade lay people to own a Bible.
Austin Cline at learnreligions.com
Treatment of the Cathars by the Catholics was atrocious. Secular rulers were used to torture and maim the heretics, and anyone who refused to do this was themselves punished. The Fourth Lateran Council, which authorized the state to punish religious dissenters, also authorized the state to confiscate all the land and property of the Cathars, resulting in a very nice incentive for state officials to do the church’s bidding.”
For centuries the cité of Carcassonne experienced even more bloodshed through intense periods of crusade, terror and massacre, and then the Catholic inquisition which was established permanently from 1229 to control faith throughout the region, and eventually the western world.
You might be wondering what any of this has to do with anything, but this is the bloodthirsty, mind-controlling history our modern society has been founded upon. Relearning our past is essential if we hope to stop repeating it in the future.
Updated 01/01/21