THE YELLOW CROSS

A meticulous reconstruction of the final years of some persistent medieval Pyrenean heretics whose leaders—called “Perfects”—were eventually burned or otherwise dispersed by the equally relentless Inquisition.

Weis (English/University Coll., London) devoted five years to this remarkably detailed study of the Cathars, a small sect whose tenets included the belief that both the devil and God are eternal, that flesh is the devil’s creation (the spirit, God’s), that eating meat is unclean (fish and eggs excepted), and that at the time of death the faithful are carried to paradise by 48 angels. Cathars believed that sex is bad—but worse in marriage, where it is sanctioned. Employing topographical maps, a hiker’s constitution, a knowledge of the relevant languages and of the archival and published sources, and—most importantly—an insatiable curiosity and a vivid imagination, Weis brings to life a way of life as remote as the mountainous region where it briefly flourished. He pinpoints locations of assignations (and assassinations), of immolations, of individual homes, of alpine trails unused for centuries; he identifies days of the week when key events occurred; he tells what people ate—and with whom they ate it. Among the many notable personalities he reanimates are Pierre Clergue (a priapic priest), the earthy Béatrice de Planisolles (whose stunning testimony to the Inquisitors is an adornment of the story), Arnaud Sicre (who executed a two-year “sting” operation against the Cathars), and Guillaume, Jacques, and Pierre Authié (a family of Perfects whose devotion withstood the flames that consumed them). Pierre supposedly commented at his execution that, if permitted to speak, he would convert everyone within his hearing. Weis describes the intricate (and often internecine) connections among the families and forces in the region, explaining how the Perfects were able to avoid capture and revealing how local authorities required the proscribed group of believers to attach a yellow religious symbol to their clothing.

A work of stunning scholarship and imagination whose appeal will be to determined readers rather than casual ones. (32 pages photographs, 16 color, not seen; 7 maps)