The Castle of Padern on the road between Cucugnan and Tuchan in the South of France
The castle of Padern is relatively unknown in the region, because it did not play a very important role during the crusade against the Albigensians, unlike its neighbors at Termes, Quéribus or still Peyrepertuse. We do not exactly know when it was built, but the village of Padern is quoted in 899, the year that King Charles III, said the Simple, ceded the territory to the Abbey of Lagrasse, whereas the latter belonged to the counties of Toulouse, and not to the Crown of France. The fortification is reported for the first time in 1026, and there are reports of a fortification secondary (forcia) to Padern at the end of the 12th century, placed under the control of the abbey of Lagrasse. During the Albigensian crusade, Chabert of Barbeira, a knight of Olivier of Termes, protector of the Cathars and lord of Quéribus, captured the place. After taking Quéribus, he negotiated its freedom in exchange for the abandonment of the citadels to king Louis IX. The Abbey of Lagrasse therefore retrieved the castle, and became the owner officially in 1283, through a transaction with the prosecutor of the king Philippe III of France said the Hardi. It remained so until 1579. In 1706, the descendants sold it back to the Abbey of Lagrasse which left everything abandoned at the end of the eighteenth century.
Size: 5616px × 3744px
Location: Castle of Padern, D14, Aude, Languedoc-Roussillon, Southern France, Western Europe
Photo credit: © DE ROCKER / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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