Château de Puilaurens — the White Lady's tower

OVERVIEW

The Château de Puilaurens is a ruined castle 'called Cathar' in the commune of Puilaurens, Aude, in Occitanie, a historic monument since 1902 and part of a UNESCO World Heritage serial listing. In its upper enclosure a round, rusticated tower keeps a rib-vaulted ground-floor room and a speaking tube; it is called the Tour de la « Dame Blanche ».

HISTORY

The French article says this White Lady 'would be none other than' Blanche de Bourbon, great-niece of Philip the Fair, who before leaving for Spain to marry Peter the Cruel is said to have stayed at Puilaurens. The west and north towers, their curtain walls and the gate are medieval; the rest is later.

REPORTED ACTIVITY

HEARSAY. The source gives the tower's name and the identification only: it describes no sighting. Filed UNVETTED as a named White Lady until an account of the haunting is found.

VISITING

Owned by the commune; open from late March to mid-November, with guided visits in that period.