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Origin and history

The castle of Coustaussa, located in the present department of Aude, finds its origins in the 12th century under the impulse of Raymond I Trencavel, Viscount of Carcassonne, who erected a castrum there in 1157 to protect the valley of Sals. Occupied by the Wisigoths from 730 onwards, the site became a fortified medieval village, Villam quae vocatur Constantium, before being conquered in 1170 by Alphonse II of Aragon after the capture of Rennes-le-Château. The castle, then under the command of Pierre de Villar, plays a strategic role in regional tensions.

During the Albigois Crusade (1209–129), the castle, joined to the Cathar cause, was taken in 1210 by Simon de Montfort. The inhabitants fled via an underground road leading to Blanchefort, but the rebellion of 1211 led to a massacre: Montfort, after his victory in Castelnaudary, returned to Coustaussa, destroyed the village, damaged the castle and spoiled his lord. The estate was then transferred to the family of Montesquieu de Sault, allied with the Crusaders, and then to Pierre de Voisins, lieutenant de Montfort.

In the 16th century, the castle was renovated as a Renaissance residence, lasting until the Revolution. Sold in 1803 to a merchant of goods, it was stripped of its structures in 1819, accelerating its ruin by the recovery of materials. Ranked a historic monument in 1948, its remains—double enclosures, square towers, scallops and seigneurial houses—are now the subject of a safeguard project. The site remains accessible to visitors.

The architecture of the castle reveals its defensive evolution: a double enclosure with poterne to the north and arched passage to the south, four square towers and a circular scauguette. The central house, also serving as a dungeon, was protected by lilies and a raised door. A tower added at the end of the 13th century reinforces defence on the north side, illustrating the adaptations to medieval conflicts.

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