ation ▁of ▁Francis ▁of ▁Ass isi , ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁an ▁urban ▁merchant ▁who ▁ren ounced ▁money ). ▁ ▁C ath ars ▁ ▁C ath ar ism ▁was ▁a ▁movement ▁with ▁G nost ic ▁elements ▁that ▁origin ated ▁around ▁the ▁middle ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 0 th ▁century , ▁brand ed ▁by ▁the ▁contemporary ▁Roman ▁Catholic ▁Church ▁as ▁her et ical . ▁It ▁existed ▁throughout ▁much ▁of ▁Western ▁Europe , ▁but ▁its ▁orig ination ▁was ▁in ▁L angu ed oc ▁and ▁surrounding ▁areas ▁in ▁southern ▁France . ▁ ▁The ▁name ▁C ath ar ▁st ems ▁from ▁Greek ▁k ath ar os , ▁" p ure ". ▁One ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁recorded ▁uses ▁is ▁E ck bert ▁von ▁Schön au ▁who ▁wrote ▁on ▁her et ics ▁from ▁C ologne ▁in ▁ 1 1 8 1 : ▁" H os ▁nost ra ▁Germania ▁c ath ar os ▁app ell at ." ▁ ▁The ▁C ath ars ▁are ▁also ▁called ▁Al big ens ians . ▁This ▁name ▁origin ates ▁from ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 2 th ▁century , ▁and ▁was ▁used ▁by ▁the ▁chron ic ler ▁Geoff roy ▁du ▁Bre uil ▁of ▁V ige ois ▁in ▁ 1 1 8 1 . ▁The ▁name ▁refers ▁to ▁the ▁southern ▁town ▁of ▁Al bi ▁( the ▁ancient ▁Al big a ). ▁The ▁design ation ▁is ▁hardly ▁exact , ▁for ▁the ▁centre ▁was ▁at ▁Toul ouse ▁and ▁in ▁the ▁neighbour ing ▁districts . ▁ ▁The ▁Al big ens ians ▁were ▁strong ▁in ▁southern ▁France , ▁northern ▁Italy