RELIGION / HISTORY The great cathedral of Chartres is renowned the world over as a masterpiece of High Gothic architecture and for its remarkable stained glass and mystical labyrinth. But the foundations of this sanctuary go back to a...

RELIGION / HISTORY The Church of Mary Magdalene The small Church of Mary Magdalene in the remote village of Rennes-le-Chateau in southern France may well hold the key to the proof of Mary Magdalene's marriage to Jesus and the bloodline...

On March 16, 1244, over 200 Cathars were captured in their fortress stronghold of Montségur and were burned alive by troops of the Inquisition. While some Cathar enclaves survived into the next century, this was the death blow to a...

"Die Katharer von Montsegur" von Jean Markale ist ein historisches Sachbuch, das die Geschichte der Katharer, einer christlichen Glaubensgemeinschaft im Mittelalter, erforscht. Das Buch konzentriert sich speziell auf die Ereignisse um...

Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) has long been noted for her political and cultural achievements. But her greatest influence, still shaping modern sensibilities, was her role as the symbol of courtly love, which was not a mere diversion...