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The small French hilltop village of Rennes le Château is known for being at the center of various conspiracy theories, and for being the location of an alleged buried treasure discovered by its 19th-century priest Saunière (name of the Louvre curator in the Da Vinci Code). Montségur Castle is located in the Ariège area of the Pyrenees and was built on the ruins of one of the last strongholds of the Cathars. In 1243–44, the Cathars (a religious sect considered heretical by the Catholic Church) were besieged at Montségur by 10,000 troops at the end of the Albigensian Crusade. In March 1244, the Cathars finally surrendered and approximately 220 were burned en masse in a bonfire at the foot of the pog when they refused to renounce their faith. In the morning depart for the village of Rennes le Château. Follow your guide on a walking tour of the village and a guided tour of the church, rebuilt by Saunière and that still holds all its mysteries. Then, travel to the Cathar castle of Montségur where the last stand of the Cathars took place in 1244. Follow a guided walking tour of the ruins with your guide and understand the lives and beliefs of those that were wiped out for being declared Christian Heretics. Return to Toulouse.

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