On The Trail Of The Cathars In The Aude

Academics may debate their existence, but they are a central part of this region's identity and mythology.

I spent several weeks this fall exploring a controversy that echoed across the southwest of France: The question of whether the heretics known as the Cathars existed or not. You can read more about the discussion in my story for the Los Angeles Times:

A debate has erupted across this region in newspapers, tourism offices, and in research conferences foll…