ABSTRACT
Peter of Les Vaux-de-Cernay, who quotes the letter verbatim in his chronicle, eagerly followed the papal lead. According to him, when, after a long period, Peter of Castelnau's body was transferred from the monks' cloister at St Gilles to the church proper, 'it was found to be as whole and unimpaired as if it had been buried that very day. A marvellous perfume arose from his body and clothing'. Not all Catholics were as convinced as Peter of Les Vaux-de-Cernay. The pope had promised the crusaders not only a fall indulgence equivalent to that received by those fighting for the cross in the East, but also the right to occupy lands confiscated from the heretics, including those of the count of Toulouse. By turning to the weapon of the crusade, the Catholic authorities had in practice abandoned the attempt to unpick the strands of Languedocian society and thus isolate the heretics.
