CATHARS: THEIR RELIGION, HISTORY AND SPIRITUALITY

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The most vibrant heresy in Europe was Catharism, also known as Albigensianism, from Albi, a nice city in southern France where it flourished. Catharism held that the universe was a battleground between good, which was spirit, and evil, which was matter. Human beings were believed to be spirits trapped in physical bodies. The leaders of this religion, the "perfects", lived with great austerity, remaining chaste and avoiding all foods that came from sexual union; they spend most of time praying, studying and practicing asceticism.
Their main sacramentum was "consolamentum", a kind of baptism even without using water, where the initiated imposed his/her hands over the head of receiver, who had to worship the John gospel.
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The roman catholic church had attempted for years to root out the heresy from southern France, where it remained popular, particularly among the nobility. In March 1208 Pope Innocenzo III called for a crusade against baron of Toulouse, Raymond IV (the main lord of cathar area), and the heretics of Languedoc, which began the following year.
During the first season the crusaders captured Béziers in the heart of cathar territory and, following the instructions of a papal legate who allegedly said, “Kill them all. God will know his own"; so many people, either catholics and cathars, were massacred. Crusades against cathar territories lasted until 1229.
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Therefore some cathar communities yet survived in Languedoc, refuging in castles and fortress-villages built on the peak of rocky mountains. Unfortunatley, the persecution went on and the last cathar group, located in Montségur, failed on 1244, after a long siege. Almost all inhabitants were killed and many committed suicide in order don't finish in ennemy's hands.
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A very sad page of history... ????

(this article has been resumed and rearranged from "britannica.com")
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