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Foix
The prize ceremony at the TdF finish in Foix – photo Thomas
Towns & villagesCastles & CatharsFrance

Foix

A town with a castle, very charming – a favourite

From the 2014 guide – ThomasThis is the area where we usually stay, and we often visit this town. We even came close to buying a place here. A castle where Roger-Bernard, Count of Foix, held court – he was also a Cathar. The castle is worth a visit.

Château de Foix and its three towers can be seen from all over the valley. The castle became the seat of the County of Foix in 1034 and has never been taken by storm. Since a renovation in 2018–2019 it has been an interactive museum, with a 16-metre trebuchet in the courtyard, a room devoted to Gaston Fébus's hunting book and views from the towers. Market on Fridays. Finish town of the Tour de France stage from Carcassonne on 7 July 2026.

History

  • 987 – The castle is first mentioned. Around 1012 Bernard becomes the first Count of Foix, and in 1034 the castle becomes the seat of the county.
  • 1209–1218 – Count Raymond-Roger supports the Cathars against the Albigensian Crusade. Simon de Montfort ravages the county in 1211–1212, but the castle is never attacked. In 1214 it is pledged to the papal legate and opened to Montfort – in 1218 the count gets it back.
  • 1272 – Count Roger-Bernard III surrenders to the army of King Philip III and is taken to Carcassonne. The Crown keeps the castle until 1285.
  • 1300s – The Counts of Foix inherit Béarn. Gaston Fébus (1331–1391) rules from Orthez but keeps the prisoners from the Battle of Launac in 1362 at Foix until their ransom is paid – the money funds rebuilding work on the castle.
  • 1589–1607 – Henri IV, King of France and Navarre, is the last Count of Foix. In 1607 the county is united with the French Crown.
  • 1600s–1862 – The castle serves as a prison for more than two hundred years. The prisoners' carvings can still be seen in the walls.
  • 1930 – The département museum moves in.
  • 2019 – The new castle opens after a renovation costing around 8 million euros. Around 112,000 visitors a year.
Tour de FranceStage 4, 7 July 2026: Carcassonne – Foix via the Col de Montségur.

The history of the Cathars

The Counts of Foix protected the Cathars, and the count's sister Esclarmonde was herself a Perfect. Simon de Montfort never managed to take the castle by force.

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42.9653° N, 1.6053° E

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