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Welcome to the Cathar Country

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TOURISTIC SITES IN THE CORBIERES

  • The cathar castles of Peyrepertuse,
    Queribus, Puilaurens, Aguilar, Villerouge-Termenès, Termes, …
  • The Gorges of Galamus and its hermitage
  • Lagrasse’s village and its medieval abbey
  • Tautavel Prehistory Museum
  • Rennes-le-château and its mysteries
  • Roman Aqueduct of Ansignan
  • Fontfroide’s abbey

 

BETWEEN 1H00 and 1H30 OF ROAD

  • The mediterranen village of Collioure
  • The medieval city of Carcassonne
  • The Modern Art Museum of Ceret
  • The Fort of Salses
  • Elne’s cloister
  • le L.A.C, lieu d’art contemporain de Sigean
  • Le prieuré de Serrabonne

THE CATHARS

Catharism first emerged in Europe in the Xth century, and slowly spread throughout the Languedoc region at the end of the XIth century. Based on the fundamental principle of good and evil, spirit and matter, the Cathars wanted to release man from his carnal self and render him his divine purity. In the XIIth and XIIIth centuries, the Cathar religion gained considerable social and political weight, to such an extent that after initial peaceful negotiations failed, Rome called for a crusade.

A PARADISE FOR HIKERS

Discover the CORBIERES, in the AUDE department, wild territory between sea and mountains.
Its dramatic and wild nature rich in contrast and colors includes garigues, Mediterranean scrubland and vineyards, mountains and forests. A nice variety of landscapes that makes our area ideal for hiking.

Some ideas for hiking … all levels:
– “Natural cascades ” of Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse
– Two round walks (5h) from the village of Soulatge ; one at the castle of Peyrepertuse, the other at the Galamus Gorges, both by a section of Gr.36 .
– The castle of Quéribus (3h00 from the village of Cucugnan )
– The Pech Bugarach …

BATHING PLACE

– Many wonderful, wild and preserved places to go swimming in the rivers of VERDOUBLE, the AGLY and the ORBIEU. The most important are the Gorges of Galamus (10 km) and the Cascades of Duilhac sous Peyrepertuse (8 km) called too the Gorges of Verdouble.
– Swimming-pool : The nice thermal spa of Rennes-les-Bains.
– Mediterranean sea is at one hour’s road.

CANYONING

The Gorges of Galamus
http://www.oxygen-aventure.com and http://www.sudrafting.fr/Canyoning.html

HORSE RIDING

Rouffiac des corbières (4 km)  : 06 87 76 41 09 http://lafermeequestre.wix.com/fermeequestre

RAFTING, VIA FERRATA

Saint Paul de Fenouillet : 06 82 69 83 00  http://www.oxygen-aventure.com

TENNIS

Duilhac sous Peyrepertuse  (8 km), outside Tennis court.

QUAD

Cucugnan (12km) :  http://www.quad-jet11.com/

PARAGLIDING

Peyrepertuse ‘s Castle
Didier Trocquemé  (parapente biplace) : 06 76 75 18 91  http://www.parapentebiplace.fr/topic/index.htm

SOULATGE, OUR VILLAGE

Soulatgé appears in a document signed by Bernard de Soulatge in 1073 uniting the abbey of Cubières (a neighbouring village) and that of Moissac and Cluny. Soulatge is the former fief of the youngest branch of the Peyrepertuse family, which also owned Cucugnan.
During the Albigensian crusade, the seigneur of Soulatge was with Guillaume de Peyrepertuse when he surrendered to Simon de Montfort in 1217. He recovered his castrum in 1240 when he was granted a royal pardon.
In the mid XIVth century, the Peyrepertuse family became seigneur of Cucugnan and Soulatge. Although it no longer exists, there is evidence that the castle was still standing in the XVIIth century, Bernard de Montfaucon being born there in 1655.

Bernard de Montfaucon (1655 -1741)
This famous Benedictine of the Congregation of Saint Maur wrote the fifteen-volume L’Antiquité expliquée (Antiquity Explained), gathering together images in diagram form of objects and monuments of the past. He was Louis XIV’s confessor and the founder of the Ecole des Chartres.

TO VISIT

Le jardin du Pech, a garden to visit with a beautiful fossil and mineral collection. Jean-marc will be more than happy to explain the geology and plants. http://lejardindupech.jimdo.com/

“Le petit marché” of soulatgé
Every Wednesday from 18:00 to 20:00. Small typical market with local producers.

ITS ARTISTS, ITS ARTISANS AND  ITS LOCAL PRODUCTORS

Ceramists
Atelier Remezo : Claire Lindner & James Cornwallis http://www.clairelindner.com/ et http://www.jamescornwallisceramics.com/
Poterie du Verdouble : Otto & Nicole Lindner http://www.poterieduverdouble.com/

Painting  Fred Berato

Ferronerie of Art  Atelier Castellano : 04 68 45 09 84

Honey productor
beekeeper harvesters : Sophie Labrousse et Marc Lamour – tél : 04 68 42 07 03

Cheese Productor
Soulatgé (goat cheese): Jérémy Parnaudeau, Les Embialades – tél :04 68 46 07 14
Rouffiac (sheep cheese) : Florence et Romain Camou, Bergerie de Coumezeil – tél : 06 12 90 90 40

Appel direct