Por el camino

AUDE (11)

Region: Occitanie

Population: 379,648

Prefecture: Carcassonne

Sub-prefectures: Narbonne, Limoux

Number of municipalities: 436

Area: 6,139 km²

Specialities: Castelnaudary cassoulet, bourride d'anguilles (eel stew), lucques (green olives), limos (brioche), fricassée de Limoux (stew), Leucate oysters (shellfish), truffles, Marseillette rice and apples, écu du Pays Cathare (goat's cheese), Limoux nougat (confectionery), Aude wines (7 PDOs), blanquette de Limoux (wine), micheline (liqueur), cartagène (liqueur), Caunes-Minervois marble, boudegue (Occitan bagpipes)

Sports clubs: Rugby union RCNM Narbonne and USC (Carcassonne), Rugby league (Lézignan-Corbières, Limoux, Carcassonne), Volleyball (Narbonne, Gruissan), Women's handball (Narbonne).

Competitions: Mondial du Vent (Leucate), Défi Wind & Défi Kite (Gruissan), Junior Kitesurfing World Cup (Saint-Pierre-la-Mer), Grand Raid des Cathares, Cross de la Cité (Carcassonne), L'Audoise Gran Fondo (Villeneuve Minervois), Cap Nore / Déval' Nore mountain biking (Aragon), Criterium de Quillan (cycling)

Culture & heritage: Les citadelles du vertige, Canal du Midi, Abbaye de Lagrasse , Abbaye de Fontfroide. Limoux Carnival, Montolieu book village, Scènes d’enfance (throughout the department), Artistes à suivre, Fête du Cassoulet, Limoux Brass Festival, Jazz à Conilhac, Summer Festival (Lézignan-Corbières), Barques en Scènes Festival (Narbonne), Cité Festival (Carcassonne), Temps de Cirque (throughout the department), Sortie de Case (throughout the department).

Economy: wine growing, fishing, agriculture, livestock farming, maritime trade, seaside tourism, mid-mountain tourism, thermal spas, cultural tourism, wine tourism and truffle tourism

Websites and social media: www.aude.fr / www.audetourisme.com / www.payscathare.com / www.payscathare.org / citadellesduvertige.aude.fr / www.facebook.com/departementdelaude / www.instagram.com/citadellesduvertige / www.aude.fr

Lagrasse (Pop. 550)

Set amid the vineyards and hills typical of the Corbières region, Lagrasse is crossed by the Orbieu river, spanned by a bridge connecting the village and its 14th-century market halls to its abbey, an architectural gem of the medieval period. A village of taste with its Corbières wine, Lagrasse is also a village of expertise, home to many skilled craftsmen.

The village has been a member of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association for over ten years. The commune's architectural heritage includes ten buildings listed as historic monuments.

Sainte-Marie Abbey in Lagrasse

Founded: 779

Construction: 8th, 19th and 21st centuries.

Style: Benedictine order.

History: the original monastery, founded at an unknown date, was rebuilt by Abbot Nimphibius in 779 at a place then known as "Novalius". From that date onwards, the abbey received the protection of Charlemagne. Its allegiance played a major role in the abbey's influence from the 9th to the 11th century. A Benedictine monastery from the 8th to the 18th century, the abbey was sold as national property during the French Revolution and divided into two lots. Its buildings were abandoned and fell into disrepair during the 19th century. The first restoration campaigns began in 1932, others were undertaken by the canons, and two attempts were made to revive religious life, without success. The "large part" was returned to religious life in 2004 when it was bought by the community of Canons Regular of the Mother of God, while the medieval part of the monastery, the "small part", became the property of the department.

Special feature: in 2014, the abbey won the "grand trophy for the most beautiful restoration", organised by Propriétés de France, Le Figaro Magazine, the Foundation for Historic Monuments and La Demeure historique for the restoration of the cloister.

Current use: in 2004, a traditionalist Catholic community, the Canons Regular of the Mother of God, acquired the buildings of the "large part". The small part , is occupied by a cultural centre dedicated to books and reading.

Listed as: historic monument in 1923. Saint-Michel Church in Lagrasse

Construction: 14th century.

Style: Gothic.

History: built between 1340 and 1350. The bell tower is located to the south, against the sanctuary. The west façade opened onto a large portal with two bays separated by a central pillar that has been raised. Nave with side chapels. Bases carved with human heads. The first church was located outside the city walls and is documented as early as 1119. On 17 September 1359, the city's consuls reached an agreement with Abbot Elie of Lagrasse to move Saint-Michel Church inside the ramparts. This south-facing building was never completed, as the north façade of the church was never built. In the 18th century, the choir was decorated with pilasters and paintings, which were restored in 1890, and the windows were cleared of masonry. The nave was covered with false ribbed vaults, probably in the 19th century.

Listed as: historic monument in 1925. Old Bridge

Construction: 14th century.

History: the Old Bridge is first mentioned in 1303. It was rebuilt in the 17th and 19th centuries: its piers were topped by two towers, which were demolished in 1618 because they threatened the stability of the structure.

Listed as: historic monument in 1907.

Arques (Pop. 250)

Château d'Arques

Construction: 1280 to 1310

Style: Medieval.

History: in the 12th century, a conflict arose between the Viscount of Carcassonne and the lords of Arques and Lagrasse. The lands of Arques became the property of the lords of Termes. In 1217, Béranger d'Arques was among the close associates of Guillaume de Peyrepertuse. In 1231, during the Albigensian Crusade, Simon IV de Montfort attacked Arques. After burning the village, he gave it to one of his lieutenants, Pierre de Voisins. The castle was completed by his descendants in 1316. In 1518, Françoise de Voisins, the last heiress, married Jean de Joyeuse, who inherited the barony of Arques. The castle was then abandoned in favour of Couiza. During the Revolution, the castle fell into ruin. After being listed in 1887, it was renovated and opened to visitors.

Characteristics: the fortified house consists of an enclosure and a tall square keep flanked by four circular corner towers in the centre of the courtyard. The almost square enclosure (51x55 m), on which numerous buildings must have stood, has a gate bearing the coat of arms of the de Voisins family. Two well-preserved residential towers remain in the corners. The 25-metre-high keep is a masterpiece of Gothic military architecture inspired by Ile de France. It has four levels accessed by a spiral staircase housed in one of the circular turrets. The various rooms were built with care. Around forty soldiers could defend the keep at the same time thanks to the numerous arrow slits and windows symmetrically piercing the walls.

Listed as: historic monument in 1887.

Couiza (Pop. 1,150)

Castle of the Dukes of Joyeuse

Construction: 16th century.

Style: Medieval and Renaissance.

History: Jean de Joyeuse, Chamberlain and Constable of France, first governor of Narbonne and Lieutenant General in Languedoc, had this building constructed between 1540 and 1550. His son Guillaume III continued the work, which was besieged in 1577 during the Wars of Religion between Protestants and Catholics. Over the centuries, the castle has been used for various purposes. Abandoned and then converted into a dyeing factory before serving as an agricultural training centre, it is nevertheless very well preserved. The medieval outer enclosure, flanked by four towers, contrasts with the inner courtyard, which is more Renaissance in style.

Current use: it has now been converted into a hotel.

Listed as: historic monument in 1913.

Quillan (Pop. 14,000)

Quillan made a name for itself in French sport in 1929, becoming French rugby champions after having reached the final the previous year. US Quillan had been created from scratch by industrial hat manufacturer Jean Bourrel, who anticipated the era of professionalism by poaching international players from other clubs to launch the first truly professional French rugby team. This controversial approach led the International Board to exclude France from international rugby during the 1930s. It must be said that, in addition to the amateurism, there were also some serious problems. Quillan, whose hooker, Gaston Rivière, had died from a kick received during a match against Perpignan in 1927, won 11-8 against Lézignan, coached by the fiery Jean Sébédio, alias "the Sutan", and what the authorities and the press remembered was above all the violence of this final.

In 2021, Quillan hosted a stage of the Tour de France, which started in Carcassonne and was won solo by Bauke Mollema. The town also hosted the Grand Prix du Midi-Libre six times between 1969 and 1993, before the event disappeared, as well as stages of the Tour de l'Aude in the 1960s. Quillan was also a stage town for the women's Tour de l'Aude in the early 2000s. Since those glory days, it is mainly the Critérium de Quillan, held every year on 15 August, that has brought the town and cycling together. All the biggest names in cycling have won it since 1938, making it the oldest criterium in France, and its last winner, in 2025, was Lenny Martinez. A namesake, Jesús Martinez, winner of Genoa-Nice and the Grand Prix du Midi Libre in 1954, is the local celebrity.

Quillan Castle

Construction: 14th century.

History: located on the right bank of the river, it has dominated the lower town of Quillan since the 14th century. Square in plan, flanked by four watchtowers, it was entered through a majestic gate tower several storeys high. Seat of the administration of the Archbishops of Narbonne, it could, on occasion, serve as their residence. Destroyed for the first time during the Franco-Aragonese wars, it was razed to the ground and converted into an artillery battery. After being used as a stone quarry for the construction of buildings, it underwent three excavation campaigns and the start of restoration work. Now, from the top of the castle, you can admire a beautiful view of the town and the surrounding mountains.

Listed as: historic monument in 1954.

Bélesta (Pop. 1,090)

Intermittent fountain of Fontestorbes

This is one of ten Vaucluse resurgences in France and one of the most spectacular. For most of the year, the fountain flows constantly. During periods of low water, it suddenly becomes intermittent due to a phenomenon of rhythmic and regular variations in flow. The complete cycle takes about 60 to 90 minutes. Less than thirty intermittent phenomena have been recorded worldwide. The fountain's intermittency has never been fully explained because divers have never managed to climb up the siphon that causes the phenomenon.

It was thanks to the purity of its water that Fontestorbes' artisanal lemonade was born in 1885. The neighbouring village of Bélesta then had three artisan lemonade makers who shared the local market, at a time when the soft drinks we know today did not exist and the only fizzy drink available was lemonade... Today, only one remains, producing the same lemonade he has been making for 130 years. http://limonade-de-fontestorbes.com/

Col de Montségur (1,059 m)

The pass was used for the first time in the Tour de France in 2002 as a third category climb during the thirteenth stage between Lavelanet and Béziers, with Laurent Jalabert leading the way. It was crossed from the other side during the 2019 Tour de France as a second category climb during the fifteenth stage from Limoux (Aude) to Foix - Prat d'Albis, 60.5 km from the start: Michael Woods was up front. In 2021, Wout Poels was first at the top.

Lavelanet (Pop: 6,000)

A rugby stronghold, Lavelanet is nevertheless the birthplace of one of France's most famous footballers, former French national team goalkeeper Fabien Barthez, as well as 2018 Olympic freestyle skiing champion Perrine Laffont. Its textile past has left its mark on the town, which is now focusing on other activities, particularly tourism. Although Lavelanet is positioning itself as a nature tourism destination, the town honours its reputation as the textile capital of Ariège. Its museum, housed in a former factory, was renovated in 2008. The focus is on interactivity. Weaving, spinning, vegetable dyes... Various workshops allow visitors to experiment, touch and visualise everything that makes up the history and current state of textiles, from the Cathar era to the high-tech fabrics manufactured today in Lavelanet. Lavelanet hosted two Tour de France stage starts, in 2002 and 2008, the latter won by Mark Cavendish in Narbonne.

Chemin des Filatiers greenway

Inaugurated in 2021, this greenway follows the route of the old railway line which, from 1903 to 1973, carried goods related to the industry of the Pays d'Olmes (textiles, horn combs). The 42 km greenway can be explored on foot, by mountain bike or on horseback. It connects Lavelanet to Mirepoix via Chalabre (Aude) and Camon, with designated areas for exploring the villages along the way.