the charming restaurants the charming restaurants or at the Château Minerve, Domaine Vordy and Domaine Cavailles wineries. Cafés, bars and ice-cream counters are dotted through the streets, some with views of the gorge, while small independent shops and galleries sell artwork, local crafts, pottery and other specialities. Around every corner, there seems to be a new and spectacular vista, especially from the bridge. From one side of the village, you can admire the valley of the River Cesse, while from the other you can see a section of the fortified walls. Across the river is a reconstruction of a medieval trebuchet, the ‘Malvoisine’, just like the ones which would have flung rocks across the gorge to the walls of the village. The Tower There is very little left of the castle today, just the octagonal Candela tower, at the entrance to Minerve below the carpark (the village itself is car-free). Next to the tourist office, the Rue des Martyrs is thought to be the street the Cathars walked on their way to the stake. There is also a monument to the Cathars called the Stèle de Minerve, erected in 1982 – the ‘dove of light’ by the artist Jean-Luc Severac. It’s close to the 11 th -century church of Saint-Etienne, whose altar is believed to date back to the year 456. Stèle de Minerve © Robin Cooper Once you’ve discovered Minerve’s manmade side, if you’re feeling energetic you can continue your explorations to discover the cliffs and caves below the town and its extraordinary natural setting. Head down through the Porta Bassa, one of Minerve’s original two gateways, and follow the path to the river. You can learn more about Cathar history in the village’s Hurepal museum, while the Museum of Archaeology, dedicated to palaeontological discoveries made in the nearby Aldene cave, reminds us that Minerve’s history goes back a lot further than the Middle Ages. © Robin Locker-Lacey The village was also a base for the Knights Templars; one of the houses on Rue des Martyrs belonged to the Templiers and a stone archway near the bottom of the street features the Maltese Cross belonging to the Order of Templars. Sadly, the Cathar crusade was not the last conflict to hit Minerve, which suffered again during the Wars of Religion in the late 16 th century; the castle was dismantled in 1636. Minerve present Today, as you explore the maze of cobbled streets, it’s hard to imagine the horrors of the village’s past. It’s now a tranquil and picturesque place, although it gets busy during the peak summer season. One of France’s 178 Plus Beaux Villages, Minerve is the capital of the Minervois wine region, so it’s the perfect place to sample the local wines, in one of 32 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 33
