Who were the Cathars?

The Cathars were a religious sect in medieval France who challenged the authority of the Church.

What did the Cathars believe?

The Cathars believed that humans were immortal souls trapped by the devil in physical bodies and the goal of life was to free oneself from attachment to those bodies and the physical world so as to return to God. Reincarnation was an aspect of this belief.

Did the Cathars believe in a goddess?

The Cathars believed in the feminine principle of the Divine; God was both male and female. They did not believe in a single goddess.

What happened to the Cathars?

The Cathars were crushed in the Albigensian Crusade of 1209-1229.

Cathars Timeline

Definition

The Cathars (also known as Cathari from the Greek Katharoi for “pure ones”) were a dualist medieval religious sect of Southern France which flourished in the 12th century and challenged the authority of the Catholic Church. They were also known as Albigensians for the town of Albi, which was a strong Cathar center of belief.

More about: Cathars

Timeline

c. 1145
Cathars appear in Southern France.
c. 1160 - c. 1200
Catharism becomes increasingly popular in Southern France; the Church tries to suppress the heresy.
1167
Cathar Council of Saint-Felix held to determine bishoprics and set rules.
1209 - 1229
The Albigensian Crusade against Cathars heretics in southern France.
1243 - 1244
Siege of the last Cathar stronghold Montsegur.
1244
Fall of Montsegur; Cathars are massacred by the Church's army and the heresy is suppressed.

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