Rowanna's Travels Part 10: Toulouse & Foix
From
the July 1999issue of the Seraph, Newsletter of the Barony of Angels in the
Kingdom of Caid.
A short drive from Foix are the subterraine caves
or grottes. You can take a tour through these caves, which includes a wonderful
boat ride on the underground river. Foix also has some wonderful restaurants
and shops, if you go plan to spend some time wandering the streets and alleyways.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my travels
in England and France. I enjoyed going there!
This
is my last tale of France (for this trip). I ended my trip in the South of France,
I visited the great city of Toulouse
and the smaller village of Foix. Toulouse is France’s 4th largest city, and
has many interesting museums, churches, and other sites. It is also a great
place to stay while visiting the south of France, all trains and buses go through
Toulouse!
Foix
is to the south of Toulouse, near Andorre and Spain. There is a wonderful castle
in Foix (one of the best in France, which is why I went there!) that was built
around 1000. The church dates back to 849. In the 12th century, like most lords
in the south of France, the counts of Foix adhered to the Cathar heresy and
were energetic supporters.
Catharism
proposed a spiritual reinterpretation of Christianity which refused a mediating
role to the priest and wanted a return to the original church (and ways of worship)
of the apostles. Needless to say, the Catholic church of the time was not into
reform, and the Albigensian Crusades occurred in 1209 (lead by Simon de Monfort)
to wipe out these Cathar heretics. In 1244 many of the Cathars were delivered
into the hands of the inquisition. Foix has a yearly medieval festival, where
the entire town puts on garb and celebrates. Few people speak English however,
so you’ll have to brush up on your French.
