Esclarmonde of Foix

Esclarmonde de Foix (Occitan: Esclarmonda de Fois; after 1151 – 1215), also called Esclarmonde the Great, was a prominent figure in Catharism in thirteenth century France.

She was the daughter of Roger Bernard I, Count of Foix, and of Cecile Trencavel. The name Esclarmonde means "Light of the World"^[1] in the Occitan language. She was a sister of Raymond-Roger de Foix, Count of Foix. She married Jordan III of L'Isle-Jourdain, lord of L'Isle-Jourdain. They had several children, among them Bernard, Guillamette, Olive, Othon de Terride, and Bertrand, Baron de Launac

She was widowed in 1200 and, sometime thereafter, turned to the Cathar Church. She received the Cathar sacrament, the consolamentum, for becoming a Parfaite, or member of the Cathar Elect, at the hands of the Cathar bishop Guilhabert de Castres in 1204 in Fanjeaux with three other women of high rank, Aude de Fanjeaux, Fays de Durfort, and Raymonde of Saint-Germain. The ceremony was conducted in the presence of her brother, Raymond-Roger de Foix, Count of Foix. She was known as "la Grande Esclarmonde", a famous Catharist "parfaite",

Esclarmonde: As shown by the charter dated 21 Apr 1244 in which "Berengarius d'Avelanet" charged with inquiring into heresies swore that "apud Fanojovis {Fanjaux, Aude} Inquistion interviews of Berengarius d'Avelanet btw 1220-1244 he says he is a knight with house next to Montsegur', a member of the congregation, took in refugees, ate "blessed bread", prayed 3x day, sailed with Bishops of Montsegur' and returned. Note: the date of her death was 1229, and charges of "Cathar Parfaite" inquiring into heresies and protector of heresies were likely made posthumously in 1244. The contrived charges written by the Inquistior legate, were signed by Berengarius under duress of punishment

The Last will and Testament 1200 of JOURDAIN [III] Seigneur de l'Isle-Jourdain m Esclarmonde de Foix he swore his testament on his deathbed Sep 1200 at the time of his death, children: i) ESCARONNE .married daughter, husband was RATERIO Escaroniae; ii)-OBICA married daughter, husband was PELFORT de Rabastens, son of –iii) BERNARD JOURDAIN son, married (11 Feb 1207or before) as her second husband, INDIA of Toulouse; iv) JOURDAIN bequeathed "castle de Verfeuil..castle de Valeta...castle de Tilio et...castle de Cambiaco et...Bris et...Launaco" to his son Jourdain; v)OTHON m (date?) HELIE, father bequeathed " Castle Delgrez...Castle de Pelaport";vi) PHILIPPA - underage, her father Jourdain [III} appoints Bernard Jourdain as her guardian.

Esclarmonde de Foix was largely responsible for rebuilding the fortress of Montségur.

She settled in Pamiers and was likely involved in the initiative to rebuild the fortress of Montségur. She belonged to the conference of Pamiers, also called the "conference of Montreal" in 1207. It was the last debate between the Cathars and the Roman Catholic Church, represented by Dominic Guzman. The following year Pope Innocent III launched the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars.

Esclarmonde de Foix also was responsible for the establishment of schools for girls and for hospitals in the region. She and her sister-in-law Philippa ran a House for Parfaites at Dun in the Pyrenees Mountains, which functioned as a home for aged Parfaits and a girls' school.

MIREPOIX Co-seigneurs-Of the thirty four coseigneurs of Mirepoix in 1207 only five vassals renewed allegiance to Foix. They were Petrus Rogerii et Izarnus, Ramundus de Ravato, et ego, Arnaldus Rogerii per me, Bernardus Batalha de Mirapisce et Atho Arnaldus de Castro Verduno. There were many that joined with Pierre Roger de Mirepoix at Montsegur. Arnaud Roger, Raimond de Rabat, Bernard Bataille to name a few. Raymond Rabat was among those on the expedition of Avignonet involved in the massacre of Inquisitors Guillaume Arnaud and Etienne de Saint-Thibéry

^[2] The University of Winnipeg offers the Esclarmonde de Foix travel scholarship in her memory.^[3]

In Folklore

Esclarmonde is said, in at least one story, to have assumed the form of a dove in order to carry the Holy Grail away from those who had persecuted the Cathars. According to German medievalist Otto Rahn, shepherds from Montségur claimed that "a white dove escaped and flew over the walled crest" and he believed that this dove was Esclarmonde de Foix.^[4] This literary folklore - which is documentable only as far back as its first mention by Rahn - has been used as the modern basis for revering Esclarmonde de Foix as a saint in several contemporary Gnostic churches.

References

Note to editors: The name Esclaramonde is **NOT** French, but Occitan (Langue d'oc, which is by no means the same language as French which was also known as "langue d-oil"). Esclaramonde does indeed mean "The Light of the World" in Occitan, as was recognized both at the time by troubadors who paid tribute to her, but also by subsequent scholars of Occitan history.

References: Otto Rahn "The Crusade Against the Grail"

The meaning of her name is also expressed in several medieval epic poems including one often named "Esclaramonde" by Bertran de Born, and in "Parsifal" by Wolfram de Eschenback

Further reading

• Michel Roquebert, The epopee cathare. 1198-1212: The invasion, Toulouse: Privat, 1970.
• Helene Luise Köppel, Die Ketzerin vom Montségur, Aufbau-TB-Verlag, Berlin, 2002, ISBN 3-7466-1869-X (German)
• Glen Craney, "The Fire and The Light"
• Norma Lorre Goodrich, "The Holy Grail," Harper Perennial, 1993, ISBN 0-06-092204-4