Saissac Chateau and area, Summer 2012

Another day trip from Toulouse brings us back into Cathar Country. This time we are heading to the Montage Noire area for some hiking. Our initial destination is a small village called Saissac. There, we explore what is left of the Saissac Chateau. The original castle on this site dates back from 960 A.D. The nobles of the area during this time are sympathetic to the Cathar cause and permit the Cathars to settle in the area. In the long run, their alliances to the Cathars get them in to trouble with the Northern French kings and Pope, thus the area passes back and forth between the different factions from the 12th to 14th century. Finally at the end of the Abligensian Crusade and Inquisition, the Saissac area is passed on to the House of Levis. This is the same family who become the Dukes of Mirepoix and rules the towns of Mirepoix, Montsegur and other areas nearby. See prior postings about Montsegur and Mirepoix.

The Saissac Chateau is renovated and destroyed over the years, and is now merely a shell of its former self. Legends of treasure hidden during the many sieges abound. For centuries treasure hunters have canvassed the area for buried loot only to be disappointed. Much of the damage to the chateau was caused by treasure hunters, who in 1862 used dynamite to aid their search. In 1979, renovation work was going on at the chateau and a treasure was finally found. Two thousand deniers dating from 1180-1270 A.D. were excavated. These coins were issued by royal authority of Louis VIII and Louis IX, demonstrating that these lands were under the control of the French Kings during this time, at least as far as currency that is.

Not far from the village of Saissac, we stop at the Bassin du Lampy, a recreational area with a small reservoir lake and arboretum. On our hike around the lake we capture wildlife photos. I thought I saw a very tiny hummingbird. As it turns out, it is a moth; a hummingbird-hawk moth or sphinx-moth to be exact. The hummingbird hawk moth migrates from Africa to northern Europe during the spring. It has a great memory, visiting the same flowerbeds every day at the same time. Italians believe that siting these moths in your garden brings good luck. While identifying the photos we captured, I found a website to log my siting of the hawk moth, now it’s official! We also captured several butterflies and bees as well. All in all, not a bad day trip to the countryside!