France · Ruin
Château de Termes
Château de Termes is a ruined medieval fortress near the village of Termes in the Aude département of France, associated with the Cathars and the 1210 siege. It sits on a rocky promontory above the Terminet Gorges. The site was rebuilt in the 13th century as a royal garrison, partly demolished in the 17th century, and is today preserved as a historic ruin open to visitors.
Its prime
1250
Today
Ruin
As it stood in 1250
The shape it held in its prime.
Perched on a rocky limestone promontory, the castle forms an irregular plateau of curtain walls and terrace levels with large gaps where walls have collapsed; masonry is pale, weathered stone. The summit contains the highest mass of masonry forming the inner ward, lower enclosing walls step down the slope, and scattered trees grow within the enclosure. Deep wooded ravines drop away on three sides, opening broad views over the surrounding hills and the Terminet Gorges.
Its story
The story of Château de Termes.
Termes is one of the so-called Cathar castles, set on a rocky promontory above the Terminet Gorges near the village of Termes in the Aude. Held by the Cathar heretic Raymond de Termes, it fell to Simon de Montfort only after a siege lasting four months, from August to November 1210 — the hardest siege of the first period of the Albigensian Crusade.
The site was rebuilt in the 13th century as a royal garrison and partly demolished in the 17th. Steps to preserve it were taken in the 20th century, and it has been classified as a monument historique since 1989 — the same year it became the property of the commune of Termes. The ruin, a 15-to-20-minute walk from the village, is open to visitors and offers impressive views over the gorges.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1250.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Château de Termes — including 1 interior: cisterns and water tanks. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate Château de Termes with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1250 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →Whose castle
Clans who held Château de Termes.
The families that held Château de Termes for a decade or more across its history — follow a name to its clan.
Termes
Held by Raymond de Termes until Simon de Montfort took the castle after a four-month siege in 1210.
