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Origin and history

La Citadelle de Minerve is a medieval fortified village in the department of Hérault, Occitanie region. Perched on a rocky spur surrounded by the gorges of Cesse and Brian, this strategic position has made it a natural defence from Protohistory. Archaeological remains attest to an occupation from the age of the final bronze and the first age of iron, with oppida and dolmens dating from the 2nd and 1st millennia BC. Minerve became a Carolingian castrum in the 9th century, first mentioned in 873 as castrum Menerba, and developed as the capital of the Pagus Minerbensis, an administrative and military territory.

In the Middle Ages, Minerve was a fief of the Viscounts of Béziers, then of the Trencavels, Occitan lords involved in the feudal conflicts of Languedoc. Its darkest hour occurred in 1210, during the Albigois Crusade. Located by Simon de Montfort, the city, renowned for its cliffs and fortified well, falls after five weeks of siege. Crusaders use trebuchets, including the famous Malelevoisine, to cut access to water and force surrender. About 140 Cathars, refusing to abjure their faith, perish on a stake erected there, marking one of the most tragic episodes of this religious war.

After the Crusade, Minerve was partially rebuilt in the 13th century under the French royal authority, becoming a chestnut. The current ramparts and castle date mainly from this period. In the 16th and 17th centuries, the wars of Religion and the pacification of Languedoc led to its strategic decline. The castle was dismantled in 1636, and the village turned to agriculture, particularly viticulture, and to tourism. In the 20th century, Minerve is ranked among the Most Beautiful Villages in France and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually, seduced by its natural heritage (natural bridges, gorges) and its Cathar history.

The built heritage of Minerve includes restored ramparts, Saint Stephen's church (XI–XII century), classified as a historical monument, and defensive elements such as the barbacan or candela, 13th century wall. The village also retains traces of its tragic past, such as a replica of the Malvoisine catapult and a memorial to the Cathar victims. Its economy today is based on tourism, the production of AOC Minervois wines, and the preservation of its fragile environment, integrated into the Haut-Languedoc regional natural park.

Minerva thus embodies a place of memory of Occitan and Cathar resistance, while being a remarkable example of adapting a historic site to a modern tourist vocation. Its karst landscape, with its natural tunnels and causses, also makes it an exceptional geological site, protected by Natura 2000 classifications and ZNIEFS (Natural Areas of Ecological, Wildlife and Floristic Interest).

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