Cathars (from Greek: καθαροί, katharoi, “the pure”) or Albigensians were a religious movement that enjoyed a large following in western Languedoc during the 12th and 13th centuries. They were inspired by the life of Jesus Christ as described in the Bible, but their mystical, symbolic, and dualistic interpretation of the Bible stories differed greatly from the Roman Catholic Church. According to the Cathars, Satan was all-powerful on earth and only the spiritual inspiration of the Holy Spirit led to salvation.

For the rulers of the Catholic Church, this was heresy, an impermissible deviation from what they considered to be correct doctrine, which literally had to be fought with fire and sword. The church organized and financed heavy military expeditions to the area, the Albigensian Crusades, and violently ended Catharism. The Inquisition, organized by the church, continued the persecutions until there were no more Cathars. (source: Wikipedia)