Comments on: high lonesome heresy

high lonesome heresy

dilettante — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:04:38 -0800

In 1244, Montsegur saw the slaughter of the Cathars and their protectors, ending the Albigensian Crusade that Pope Innocent III had declared in 1208.

By: Decani

Decani — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:14:04 -0800

Mmm, religion. Humanity's finest achievement. Tasty.

By: Mr.Lawler

Mr.Lawler — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:14:29 -0800

Awesomeness. Thanks for telling a story in picture, text, and kitsch!

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:14:57 -0800

Always thought it would be cool to set a movie during the Albigensian Crusade.

By: jrb223

jrb223 — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:26:39 -0800

There's a pulpy mystery/thriller novel that envisions just such a movie. It envisions sects of albigensians existing through to the present day and having a series of murky connections to the film industry. The book's called Flicker and apparently Darren Aronofsky is set to direct the movie of the book. Of course, Darren Aronofsky's been set to direct a bunch of movies that never got made. Maybe someday we'll be able to see a movie set during the Albigensian Crusade as a movie within a movie. Maybe someday.

By: SPrintF

SPrintF — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:30:46 -0800

In one famous incident in 1209, most of Béziers was slaughtered by the Catholic forces headed by the Papal legate. Arnaud-Amaury, the Abbot of Citeaux, was asked how to distinguish between the Catholic and Cathars, and allegedly answered, "Kill them all, God will know his own".

By: Nelson

Nelson — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:36:18 -0800

If you're ever in the southwest of France, drop in on Albi, which gives its name to the Albigensian crusade. After The Church "restored order" they built a massive fortress-like church there, the Basilica of Sainte Cecile. It's beautiful. The church (and the whole town) are built out of red, red bricks but in a medieval style. It's a beautiful town. More photos on flickr.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 19:54:39 -0800

This was just on TV within the last couple days... Hmm... But now I can't remember where. Still, good post.

By: meehawl

meehawl — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 20:14:29 -0800

Flicker. Good book, weak ending. Mainly about movie making. It was inexplicably out of print for a long time and the crappy quality 1993 Bantam edition was going for crazy prices on ebay. Theodore Roszak's The Cult of Information is a much stronger book, although non-fiction. Because of the time period it was written, it manages cover a lot of the 1950s and early 1960s techno fetishists. It's a tripe reading Kurzweil-style eschatology from way back when. How quickly they forget.

By: undule

undule — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 20:15:28 -0800

Indeed, I will pour some out for my lost Kathari brethren! Purity! And a hearty hells yeah to the novel Flicker.

By: Paragon

Paragon — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 20:55:41 -0800

Wow, I just wrote a NaNoWriMo story set in exactly this time! And yeah, the quotation SPrintF mentions has to be the best words ever spoken in Latin, ever: Caedite eos, novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius.

By: emf

emf — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 21:48:12 -0800

crazy prices on ebay. Damn, I just gave away my Flicker. Anyway, a good read.

By: aramaic

aramaic — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 22:01:11 -0800

Some of the Cathar beliefs appear to be a little creepier than I'd first imagined: The extinction of bodily life on the largest scale consistent with human existence is also a perfect aim.

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 22:39:42 -0800

It's refreshing to see a 12th century heresy featured as a FPP. The Cathars seem to attract a lot of attention (versus, say the 12th C Waldensians, who still practice in North Carolina) . It bolsters secular rightous feelings -- indeed the "Inquisition" first appeared because of the Cathars. It's almost been fetishized by modern artists (like the Inqusition). "Let's see a movie!" Mel Brooks, even better. Those wacky Catholics! The Albigenians are somewhat well known, but not yet at the level of Monty Pythons "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!" BTW The Catholic Church denies that "Kill them all, God will know his own" was ever spoken.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 23:35:50 -0800

The Cat-lick Choich is wrong. I just said it.

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 03:09:39 -0800

Yet another piece of history I learned about from an Iron Maiden song.

By: adamvasco

adamvasco — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 04:17:05 -0800

One reason the Cathars attract a lot of attention is because they had truly awesome castles; Queribus, Peyreperteuse, Lastours, and the walled city of Carcassonne. Rene Weis wrote The Yellow Cross, The Story of the Last Cathars which gives a good insight into the lives and diaspora of the Cathars.

By: thanotopsis

thanotopsis — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 04:33:23 -0800

Odd, I was just reading about this yesterday, as it's noted in the Wiki for A Song of Ice and Fire (A series of books by George R R Martin) as one of his main inspirations.

By: thomas j wise

thomas j wise — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 04:40:54 -0800

It bolsters secular rightous feelings Actually, the Cathars have long been part of the so-called "proto-Protestant" interpretation of history, in which various medieval heresies become signs of the true faith that re-emerges during the Reformation; they're still very popular in some fundamentalist circles. I have a couple (very approving) Victorian children's novels about them in my library.

By: trinarian

trinarian — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 05:01:16 -0800

when I was 19 and traveling Europe with a college class, my best friend and I re-reconquista'ed (i know, different war, but it's a fun word) Queribus with two fake plastic swords and a bottle of French merlot.

By: IndigoJones

IndigoJones — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 05:04:36 -0800

Innocent's scroll appears to read "filii Hohenstaufemin, osculamini asinum meum". I'm guessing he never said that either.

By: meehawl

meehawl — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 06:30:59 -0800

the Cathars have long been part of the so-called "proto-Protestant" interpretation of history I've always thought that one of the reasons the Roman Catholics came down so hard on the Cathars was that they were somewhat peeved to find a group of Christians who were actually *more* distrustful of embodiment and sexuality. In their distrust of sensuality, the Cathars represented an extreme culmination of the Stoic/Syriac philosophy that transformed the rather carefree Jewish Christianity into the more austere Roman Christianity. It takes a special kind of dedication to decide that everything you see around you is impure and tainted with evil by virtue of its creation by the demiurge. I am reminded of Judge Death from 2000AD. I suppose a modern day close analogue to the Cathars might be (have been?) the Shakers Of course, the Cathar's enthusiasm for flattening hierarchies also didn't go down well in medieval society.

By: smackfu

smackfu — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 07:14:39 -0800

I've always wondered how much of the info about the Cathars is accurate, and how much was rewritten by the Catholics.