Toto, I Don't Think We Are In Spain Anymore!

Foix, France

                 Foix is located 30 miles from Toulouse and is situated near the border of France and Spain in the Pyrenees. Foix is the capital of Ariège region which is the least populous in France. Because of its location, Foix has fallen victim of war and conquest. Wars between countries such as France and Spain and England and France have occurred in Foix. Also, cities and regions such as Toulose and Barcelona and Aragon and Castille. Then, there were also wars between counts and kings for this city. The location of the city allows for its use as a refuge. It was used this way with the Cathars and World War II airplane pilots fleeing from the Nazis. The Cathars lived in the castle until the crusades came and brought with them destruction. The castle was not able to be besieged so they decided to burn the town of Foix which was at the bottom of the hill that the castle is located on and to kill the Cathars that had taken refuge in the town and castle. The castle and an abbey are all that are left of the original town. Everything else in the area has been rebuilt since then. 

                Foix is important to the pilgrimage because it is a gateway through the Pyrenees for pilgrims who are traveling either from or into France. Foix’s main attraction is the Château de Foix which was built in the 10^th century. It sits up on top of hill which allows a view of the whole town and the beautiful surrounding area. The Château de Foix has two towers that visitors can climb up into and see an overlook of the town, the mountains around the town, and the Pyrenees off in the distance. The castle has a museum that has some of the old architecture pieces from the original structure. It also holds a few pieces of modern art within the castle. 

                I think that Foix is a town with a lot of history. The castle obviously being probably the most important historical activity. But also the fact that the Cathars who are not extremely well known lived in the town makes the historical significance greatly increase. It's hard to understand what the Cathars went through because not many, if any, of us has had to deal with religious persecution to the degree that entire peoples are wiped out. So it's hard to understand what life might have been like back when the Cathars were living there. I find it quite fascinating because it's something so mind blowing that it almost seems unreal.   And the part of myth and legend comes into play. It's incredible to look at a place and try to visualize what happened back then through myths and legends knowing that these might be true or they might just be stories made up around a campfire. No one really knows. But I think that that is part of the reason why I liked Foix or any castle because it combines history, magic, and legends in order to figure out the reality. It's like a jigsaw puzzle where you have to fit different pieces of the puzzle together and some fit and others don't. But it sure is fun!

                 I think that Foix is important to the concept of pilgrimage because in a sense, stopping somewhere important on the Camino is similar to stopping at a castle. On both occasions, legends, myths, and historical evidence all leads people to travel either to castles or on the Camino. The fact that someone somewhere believes that these are important makes stopping there that much more important. It's the fact that believe travel and go to places either because of myth, legend, proof that it is real, answers to questions, or because someone else says that it is important. It's amazing to think about how many people walked the Camino or traveled to a Cathar castle because someone else believed that it was true or real. I think that is why Foix is important to pilgrimage because it could be a stop on the pilgrimage of Cathar castles just like a stop on the pilgrimage to Santiago. 

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