Source Documents: Barthélemy Amilhac, Testimony
to the Inquisition
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Barthélemy Amilhac, a priest was the husband
of Béatrice
de Planissolles from the famous village of Montaillou.
The town is famous largely because of what happened
to its inhabitants. They were all arrested on the
orders of the Bishop of Pamiers on suspicion of Cathar
sympathies - what the Roman Catholic Church regarded
as heresy.
Béatrice
first appeared before the Inquisition
on Saturday 26 July 1320 at the Episcopal Palace in
Pamiers. She had been summoned by Jacques Fournier, the Bishop of Pamiers, to answer charges
of blasphemy, witchcraft, and heresy, charges which
were not clearly distinguished.
Béatrice
had no choice but to implicate others in order
to save her own life. One such was the priest Barthélemy
Amilhac, her own husband.
Barthélemy Amilhac may have been fluent in
Latin but all not priests of the period were, so it
is not clear whether he gave his testimony in Latin,
or in Occitan
which was then transcribed in Latin by the clerk.
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Confession of Barthélemy Amilhac, priest,
concerning his complicity in and concealment of heresy
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In the year of the Lord 1320, the 11th of September.
It has come to the attention of our reverend father
in Christ, Monsignor Jacques, by the grace of God
Bishop of Pamiers, that Barthélemy Amilhac,
priest of Lladros in the diocese of Urgel, has been
an accomplice in heresy, in giving assistance and
counsel to Beatrice, spouse of Otho Lagleize of Dalou,
who was cited for heresy, and after appearing before
the Bishop, fled the bishopric of Pamiers and took
herself to other secret places. This Barthelemy knew
that Beatrice was a heretic and erred concerning the
Christian faith, and did not denounce her to the Inquisitors
of heresy; because of this he is strongly suspected
of heresy himself, and furthermore strongly suspected
of witchcraft and casting spells. He has been denounced
for putting himself in concubinage with this Beatrice,
and after having known her carnally, helping her to
leave the bishopric of Pamiers where they had lived
together, to take her into his country, for the purpose
of there keeping her as his concubine or public spouse,
openly and with a pledge, according to the abuse of
that country; moreover he committed numerous and diverse
thefts in the bishopric of Pamiers.
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An Inquisition
was not a trial as we understand the term now.
The guilt of the accused was presumed from the start:
It was a crime not only to be a heretic, but a crime
even to be suspected of heresy.
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My said Lord Bishop, wishing to interrogate him concerning
this subject, since he was arrested with the said
Beatrice, fugitive for heresy, had him brought before
him in the Chamber of the episcopal seat of Pamiers,
with the assistance of Brother Gaillard of Pomiès,
substitute for My Lord the Inquisitor of Carcassonne.
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The said priest having appeared for questioning,
My Lord Bishop received from him personally his pledge
to tell the pure and entire truth concerning that
which preceeds and other facts concerning the Catholic
Faith, as much concerning himself as charged as concerning
others living and dead as witness. This same priest,
on the faith of his sworn oath, vowed and set down
what follows concerning the charge of concealment
of the heresy of this Beatrice, of which, it is said,
he had knowledge:
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It was four years ago at Pentecost
that I left Dalou in the diocese of Pamiers, where
I had remained for three straight years. The last
year, from the month of January to Pentecost, I conducted
myself badly with this Beatrice and knew her carnally
often in her house, which was close to the church.
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The first time, I was solicited by her. One day when
I was at the church teaching the schoolchildren of
the town, including two daughters of Beatrice named
Philippa and Ava, Beatrice told me to come see her
that evening, which I did. When I arrived in her house,
there was no one present but herself, and I asked
her what she wished. She told me that she loved me
and that she wished that we could have carnal relations
together, to which I consented. And forthwith, I knew
her carnally in the room of that house. I did this
often afterwards, but I did not remain with her through
the night. We watched intently, she and I, for the
moment where her daughters and her servant were no
longer at the house and then we committed this sin.
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At this time and previously, Guillaume of Montaut,
the rector of the church of Dalou, said often, in
my presence, that this Beatrice was a public woman,
and refused herself to no one who wished to have her.
He said also that she was a terrible heretic. At this
time, I had not heard from anyone else that she was
a heretic, and the rector never told me why she was.
I did not hear from Beatrice any word that resembled
heresy.
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Later, in the octave of Pentecost, when defaming
rumours circulated against us, Beatrice told me that
I should not remain for any price in the country,
because she was afraid that the brothers would do
evil to her, and she said that she herself did not
wish to remain. She asked me then what the priests
of the country of Pallars did when they had concubines
or "housewives" ("focorias").
I told her that they kept them openly and publicly
just as the layfolk do their spouses, that these woman
have dowries, that their children succeed to the paternal
and maternal inheritance. The priests promise their
concubines to maintain them during their entire life
and provide for what is necessary and hold a wedding
feast containing everything except the sacramental
vows of marriage, which are normally given in a true
mariage. And these priests are entitled to have concubines
and even widows; they give something each year (or
nearly so) to the bishop of the diocese, so that he
will permit them to live so.
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Priestly celebacy had only recently been imposed
and was not popular.
It was indeed normal, as the accused says, for priests
to pay to their bishops a fee for permission to keep
a wife or the equivalent of a wife.
(The point of priestly celebacy was to avoid the
danger of church roperty being diverted to the priest's
family after his death)
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We decided then that we would leave for the country
of Pallars. Beatrice took her old clothes and 30 silver
pennies (libras turonenses), and preceded me by 2
days. She waited for me at Vicdessos, then I followed
her to Vicdessos and entered with her into the country
of Pallars. She had brought along her daughter Philippa.
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When we were at Lladros, we went to a notary. Beatrice
gave me title to her dowry of 30 pounds and I, for
surety, pledged all my goods and promised on my good
faith that if there were sons or daughters from our
union, that they would be heirs of myself and of her.
I promised to provide for their needs and to maintain
them, both in sickness and in health, and of all this
was made a matter of public record by Pierre de Lubersu,
the priest of that place. I did not make any other
vows toward Beatrice, nor marry her, but I kept her
with me in the same house, and often in the same place,
in the same manner in which the priests of that place
maintain their "housewives" or concubines.
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I remained with her thus for one year. At the time
when I was in my country with Beatrice, I quarreled
several times with her and called her a terrible old
woman and a heretic, reproaching her for coming from
a heretical land. She replied that I was a liar. We
often had these words together. One time when we were
getting along well, I asked her if she had ever seen
heretics. She replied that she had not seen them but
she had been invited to see them when she lived at
Montaillou. She said, when she lived there, Madame
Stéphanie de Châteauverdun, who is dead,
often sent messengers for her to come see them. But
Beatrice, who knew that she was sending these messengers
in order for her to come see heretics, did not go
for that reason. In the end Stephanie sent her a message
that she should do good to the Good Christians, which
the others called heretics. Beatrice, who wished to
take counsel concerning this, spoke to the rector
of Montaillou, who was her good friend and her comrade
(compère, compater) and ask him if it was good
or bad to give something to the Good Christians. The
rector told her that it was of great merit, because
they were holy men, of whom it was said, that they
endured persecutions for God just as the apostles
and martyrs had; what they did, they did justly and
what they said was true, and therefore it was good
to give them something.
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Good Christians = Cathars
He is refering to the priest Pierre Clergue
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Then I said to Beatrice, "The priest who told
you this was a heretic." She replied, "No,
he was a good and honest man and known for such in
the region. I then asked "And you believed the
advice of this priest?" She said no. I told her
that if she was in the bishopric of Pamiers, or in
a place where there was an Inquisitor, I could have
her arrested and that she knew much more concerning
heresy than what she said. Then she laughed and said
that curés more resolute in their faith than
I, were of the sect of the Good Christians. That same
day, while we were talking of this subject, she told
me that when she was living in Montaillou, a sick
woman had remained in "endura" for 15 days.
After her death, she herself, Beatrice, was with a
woman of the place and there arrived another, her
comrade (commère) of the name of Clergue, who
asked the one who was with Beatrice if all had been
done well for this dead woman. She replied "well",
that nothing had been lacking, that there had been
plenty of time to do all that they wanted. The woman
who had come then said "Thanks to God, that all
has passed well!"
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"curés more resolute in their faith than
I, were of the sect of the Good Christians" -
after a full century of heavy persecution.
A rare reference to the Endura
- a form of suicide or euthenasia, according to taste.
Beatrice recounted a similar story in the course
of her interogation.
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She told me also that another person, at the time
when she lived in Montaillou, was gravely sick and
asked her sons to go seek out the Good Christians,
who would save her soul. Her sons said that if they
brought the Good Christians there they would lose
all their goods. This sick woman replied "You
then love your goods more than my soul?" According
to Beatrice, although the Good Christians came to
this sick woman, they did not have the chance to hereticate
her.
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the Inquisition
would sieze all goods, including property from the
heirs of anyone they adjudged heretic, even posthumously.
"heretication" was the Roman Church's name
for the Cathar ceremony of the Consolamentum
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Did she give you the name of those
persons who were hereticated, the names of those who
did it or those who were present?
No.
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As always, looking for
further people to investigate. |
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of Lagleize her second husband and she had to come to
Crampagna, some persons of (the household of) Prades
d'Alion came to find her. These women said to her "What
do you wish to do? Why do you descend to the home of
the dogs and wolves? Now we have lost you, if you wish
to go to the home of the wolves!" Beatrice explained
that by dogs and wolves, these people and she herself
understood the faithful Catholics who lived in the low
country. I told her that if people said such things
and if she were so often solicited to adhere to heresy
by the people of Montaillou and other places in the
Sabarthès, it would be astonishing if she was
not a heretic. She replied that God had given her great
grace, when she had left the Sabarthès, because
if she had remained there one more year, the heretics
would have drawn her to them, since she was strongly
solicited to do so. I asked her if she had seen these
heretics, or given or sent them anything. She said no. |
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dogs = dominical friars
wolves = Catholic clergy
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Have you denounced all or any
of these heretical things to My Lord the Inquisitor
or to a bishop?
No, not until now.
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For how long were these reported
vows held between you and her?
About 4 years. Later, I remained one
year at the city of Carcassonne, in the church of
St. Michael; another year I stayed as priest at Sainte-Camelle
near to M. Pierre Arnaud, the knight, and that year
I was employed at the church of Mézerville.
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Beatrice said at that time that God
ought to see to it that the priests, priors, abbots,
bishops, archbishops and cardinals would no longer
wish to sin carnally, because in fact they were worse,
sinned more in this way, and wished to have women
more than other men. Thus she strove to excuse the
sin of the flesh that she committed with me.
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What Beatrice said is
consistent with other sources of the period. |
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Later in the same year as above, the 12th of September,
in the Chamber of the bishop's residence, before the
Bishop and Gaillard of Pomiès.
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At the time when I was living in Lladros with Beatrice,
she told me that when she was at Montaillou, many
people openly said that one ought to do good to the
pilgrims and all of the poor of the faith. They understood
"the poor of the faith" to be heretics,
whom they called Good Christians.
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She told me at this time that she had heard, when
she was at Montaillou, that a man of the region was
gravely ill; the priest brought him the body of the
Lord, to give him communion. When the priest said
that he had brought the body of the Lord and asked
him if he wished to receive it, the man responded
"God protect me from eating the body of the Lord,
because that would be a very bad thing to do! "
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Another reminder that
the doctrine of transubstantiation was at this period
still viewed as an unlikely novelty. |
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Did she tell you the name of this
man?
No.
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That year, the Tuesday after the Nativity of St.
Jean the Baptist, I went to Pamiers, and from there
I sent a child to Beatrice, who was then at Varilhes.
He went to Rieux de Pelleport and there found Alazaïs,
the servant of Beatrice. He told her from me to go
see her mistress who was at Varilhes, and to make
her come to Mas-Vieux. The above mentioned Beatrice
came with Alazais to Mas-Vieux after me, and we dined
there in the house of a monk of that church. After
the meal, we went, by the road which is on the other
side of the Ariège, toward Pelleport. When
we were near Bénagues, Beatrice and I went
into a vineyard by the side of the road and there
I knew her carnally. The servant waited for us on
the road. She had known for a long time that I loved
Beatrice. This sin consummated, we resumed our journey.
I walked with Beatrice and she told me that Pons Bole,
the notary of Varilhes, had told her that he had heard
bad news about her. She had asked him "What news?"
and he had told her that the bishop of Pamiers wished
to cite her.
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the day after the Nativity
of St. Jean the Baptist = 1 July (1320) |
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I said to her "Why would the bishop wish to
cite you?" She replied that she did not know
why, and that she had no fear, because she did not
feel culpable, although this Pons had told her that
she would be cited for heresy if she was not careful.
She asked me then, if it would happen that she was
cited, if she should appear or not. I told her to
appear, because My Lord the Bishop would never do
any injustice to her.
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I gave her then 15 silver pennies, and 2 pennies
to Alazäis, and I left them. We said nothing
more and I did not see her again until the Monday
after the Feast of St. James this year, the Monday
where Beatrice sent a boy to me from Belpech, to the
place where I was dwelling, at Mézerville.
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the Feast of St. James
= 28 July 1320 |
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This boy told me that a friend of mine, who was at
Belpech, had sent him to me so that I could go there
to find her, because she wished to speak to me. Since
I had no friend in this region, I asked him what this
woman looked like who had sent him, and he described
certain traits of this woman by which I knew that
it was Beatrice. I went as soon as possible to Belpech
and found her in a house near the castle. I took her
away and took her to the house of Guillaume Mole,
a parchment maker of Belpech. We talked there in private,
without a witness. Since she was carrying a trousseau
of old clothes, I asked her why she had come and where
she wished to go. She replied that My Lord the Bishop
of Pamiers had cited her and that she had appeared
before him the preceding Saturday. He had received
her severely and told her that she was accused of
heresy, in particular because she had denied that
the body of Christ was present in the sacrament of
the altar, and said that, if the true body of the
Lord was on the altar, even if it was as big as Mount
Margail, which is close to Dalou, it would have already
been eaten, by the priests alone. He told her that
the heretics, Pierre, Jacques and Guillaume Authié,
had been in her house at Dalou, that she had received,
adored and aided them, that she had had in her house
Gaillarde Cuq, the divineress, and had cast many spells
with her help. When, she said, she had denied all
of this to My Lord the Bishop, he told her that she
was an evil heretic, that her father, Philippe de
Planissoles, had been a great heretic who had worn
the crosses and that bad fruits come from a bad tree
(Mt. 7,17). She was very upset about this, more so
because My Lord Bishop, whom My Lord the Archdeacon
of Majorque and Pierre, the rector of Pelleport, had
supplicated in her favour, had not listened to them
but had spoken to the contrary and that he would hear
nothing in her favour, although she spoke the truth.
She was terrified also, because she had seen many
of the bishop's men in his Chamber and she had the
impression that they were going to arrest her immediately.
It seemed to her that My Lord Bishop was a terrible
and cruel man. He arrested both men and women, he
had arrested Dame Lorda (na Lorda) and her daughter
and others who came to him. Thus, her fear. Then,
My Lord Bishop having given her an order to return
the following Tuesday, she returned to Varilhes. Her
daughters, Condors, Esclarmonde, Philippa and Ava
came to her house and made great lamentation. Messire
Pierre, rector of Rieux de Pelleport, told her that
My Lord Bishop of Pamiers was a terrible man and that
he had found no sympathy from him when he had begged
mercy for his mother.
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Much of this is consistent with the testimony given
by Beatrice.
The Authié brothers had re-introduced the
Cathar Faith to the area (from Lombardy)
"Adored" - According to the Catholic Church,
Cathars "adored" or "worshipped"
their Parfaits.
This was a misunderstanding of a Cathar greeting ceremoniy
called the
Melhoramentum.
"worn the crosses" - yellow
crosses imposed by the Inquisition
as a punishment and badge of shame.
bad fruits come from a bad tree (Matthew. 7,17) -
ironically a favourite passage quoted by Cathars against
the Catholics in public arguments before the persecutions
started.
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He told her also that he had reproached My Lord Bishop
for destroying the people of the county of Foix, in
citing them for heresy and arresting them and that
this caused great distress to Madame the Countess
of Foix. According to what this rector told the daughters
of Beatrice, My Lord Bishop had replied that the Countess
of Foix did not love him, that he wished to do his
duty and it would not be for her that he would cease
to do what he did.
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The House
of Foix had for generations sympathised with the
Cathar cause.
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This said, their despair was redoubled, and that
same night Pons Bole, notary of Varilhes said to Beatrice
(or to her daughters, according to what she told me),
that it was necessary for Beatrice to flee beyond
the mountain passes because on this side of the passes
she could not rest in security or avoid being arrested
by my said Lord Bishop.
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Then, for all these reasons, she fled, and came with
her things to Belpech. I told her to return and appear
the next day before My Lord Bishop, as he had ordered
her, and that she was wrong to flee, because she would
be presumed guilty. She replied that she would not
go at any price, even if My Lord Bishop gave to her
the entire bishopric, because she knew that he would
arrest her at once. But, she said, she wished to flee
to Limoux, where she could hide. When My Lord Bishop
did not find her, he would cease pursuing her, because
he would not think any more of her. And she asked
me in tears to go with her to Limoux, saying that
she had no one else but me to give her aid and counsel.
I told her that I could not go to Limoux with her,
because the rector of Mézerville had hired
me and it was necessary that I be in the church around
the time of the Feast of the Invention of St. Stephen,
which was close.
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Beatrice's sister Gentille lived at Limoux
Feast of the Invention of Saint Stephen = 5 August
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I remained in the house with Beatrice the following
night and I knew her carnally, because we slept together
in one bed.
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The next day she asked me to come with her to Limoux,
no matter the cost. Since we could find no beast to
rent at Belpech, on the counsel of our host, who said
we could find an animal at Mas-Saintes-Puelles, I
engaged a man of Belpech to whom I gave as salary
one tournois of silver, to go with her to Mas-Saintes-Puelles
and carry her goods. I went with them half-way along
the route. On the way, she insisted so much, that
I agreed to go with her to Limoux after the feast
of the Invention of St. Stephen, and that meanwhile
I would procure the money for our expenses. But I
did not promise her with my heart, I wished only to
get away, because when we were mid-route and I wished
to leave her, she asked me in tears to go with her
to Mas-Saintes-Puelles. Out of pity for her, I went
there and when I was there I left her and returned
to Mézerville.
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Did you give her money at Belpech
or after knowing that she was a fugitive for reason
of heresy?
I only had 2 silver pennies. We spent one, she and
I, for our needs when we were at Belpech, and the
other I gave to the man from Belpech who went with
us. But if I had had any more money, I would have
given to her willingly.
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When she was at Mas-Saintes-Puelles,
did you send her anything?
No.
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Did you intend, after the feast
of St. Stephen to go with her to Limoux?
No.
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When I lived at Dalou, as vicar, I knew carnally
two times a woman of Cerdagne who lived in that town.
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After this, the same year as above, the 7th of November,
the said Barthélemy appeared for questioning
in the Chamber of the bishop's residence before my
said Lord Bishop and Brother Gaillard of Pomiès,
and his above confession was read to him word for
word and My Lord the Bishop asked him if he persisted
and wished to persist in all and all parts contained
therein and if he wished to add or retract anything.
He replied that he persisted and wished to persist,
and did not wish to add or retract anything. And then
the said Barthelemy swore and took an oath as follows
and promised under the oath taken by him, and under
the pain that he could incur if he fled for heresy,
not to leave the province of Toulouse without the
special authorization of my said Lord Bishop and to
appear on the days he would be assigned by him or
his successors, and pledging his person and his goods.
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The tenor of this oath was the following
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"I, Barthélemy, appearing for questioning
before you, Reverend Father in Christ My Lord Jacques,
by the grace of God Bishop of Pamiers, abjure entirely
all heresy against the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the Holy Roman Church, and all beliefs of heretics,
of whatever sect condemned by the Roman Church and
especially the sect to which I held, and all complicity,
aid, defense and company of heretics, under pain
of what is rightfully due in the case of a relapse
into judicially abjured heresy;
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ie: He regognises that if he relapses and again accepts
the Cathar faith then he will be burned alive
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Item I swear and promise to pursue according
to my power the heretics of whatever sect condemned
by the Roman Church and especially the sect to which
I held, and the believers, deceivers, aiders and
abetters of these heretics, including those whom
I know or believe to be in flight by reason of heresy,
and against any one of them, to have them arrested
and deported according to my power to my said Lord Bishop or to the Inquisitors of the heretical deviation
at all time and in whatever places that I know the
existence of the above said or any one of them.
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Item I swear and promise to hold, preserve
and defend the Catholic Faith that the Holy Roman
Church preaches and observes.
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Item I swear and promise to obey and to
defer to the orders of the Church, of My Lord the
Bishop and the Inquisitors, and to appear on the
day or days fixed by them or their replacements,
at all times and in whatever place that I receive
the order or request on their part, by messenger
or by letter or by other means, to never flee nor
to absent myself knowingly or in a spirit of contumaciousness
and to receive and accomplish according to my power
the punishment and the penance that they have judged
fit to impose on me. And to this end, I pledge my
person and all my worldly goods.
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This pledge made, he asked absolution from the sentence
of excommunication that he had incurred for these
actions and was absolved by My Lord Bishop, if all
along he had plainly and perfectly told the truth
as much concerning himself as concerning others involving
the crime of heresy, complicity and concealment of
heretics.
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The above-mentioned Barthelemy renounced and ended
this affair and asked that judgement be rendered at
once.
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Made in the presence of My Lord Germain de Castelnau,
Archdeacon of the church of Pamiers, Brother David,
monk of Fontfroide, Brother Arnaud du Carla of the
order of Preachers of the convent of Pamiers, and
myself Guillaume Peyre-Barthe, notary of My Lord Bishop,
who wrote that which precedes.
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Fontfroide: a Cistercian
Abbey
Order of Preachers = Dominicans
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After this in the same year, the 5th of March, the
said Barthelemy appeared in the Chamber of the Episcopal
seat before my said Lord Bishop, and there My Lord Bishop ordered him to be enclosed immediately in the
prison of the tower of the bishop at Pamiers, until
the next Sunday (8 March 1321) and on that day to
appear before him and Brother Jean de Beaune, religious,
Inquisitor of heretical deviation in France commissioned
by the Apostolic See, to hear definitive sentence
on the facts which precede, committed and confessed
by him in the house of the Preachers of Pamiers.
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On that Sunday the said Barthelemy appeared in the
cemetery of Saint-Jean-Martyr of Pamiers, and was
sentenced by our said Lord Bishop and Inquisitor as
follows "Let it be known to all........"
See this sentence in the Book of sentences of the
Inquisition....."
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And I, Rainaud Jabbaud, cleric of Toulouse, sworn
to the service of the Inquisition, have on the order
of My Lord the Bishop, faithfully corrected the above
confessions against the original.
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Barthélemy Amilhac, priest, was condemned to the
Wall the 8th of March 1321, the same day as Beatrice.
This normally meant death within months or at best a few
years, but they were both fortunate:
Beatrice lived to see her sentence commuted to the wearing
of double yellow
crosses on July 4, 1322 having survived immurred for
over a year.
Barthélemy had his sentence commuted on the same
day to simple penitence, without having to wear the yellow
crosses. Presumably a priest wearing a yellow
cross would be a badge of shame and embarrassemt to
the Roman Church as much as the yellow
cross was to the wearer.
English Translation © 1996 by Nancy P. Stork, with
anotations by the webmaster.
Click on the following link for more source
documents concerning Cathar Belief 
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