|
|
Nearly a hundred years old, Adolphe Garrigou always asked for the young Gadal to read to him some of the rare texts that he possessed in his rich library. At his side, Antonin Gadal felt extremely attracted to this man he cherished as a father and whose stories enlightened him.
He shared Garrigou’s passion for the region’s ancient history and excavations in the countless caves. But above all, for the stories and legends concerning the Cathars and their heritage, somewhere in the Sabarthes, which impressed him deeply and set his imagination afire.
He could already see the conflict between divine love, the eternal, living Word at the heart of the Cathar brotherhoods, and the powers that governed this world.
It was as if something very old was being poured into his soul and was gradually awakening him. The old Garrigou knew that this Cathar heritage was not a fiction, that it represented a living tradition and contrasted strongly with the Roman Catholic Church’s cold dogmatism and desire for power.
Bathed, thus, from a very young age, in this atmosphere, Gadal became conscious very soon of the spiritual heritage of the Cathars, many vestiges of which the Sabarthes guarded jealously. Later, he would say: ‘The resurgent Sabarthes, led by his patriarch’s sure hand, lifted its head a bit. It was about time!’
|
|
|
|
|
|