Specialising in Holiday
Accommodation , Gite, B&B's
and Business Enterprise
in the Ariege &
Aude, SW France
www.ariegeetaude.com
We aim to introduce you
to some of the people who live in either the Ariege or Aude departments who run their own business, either holiday
homes, B&B or any other enterprise. The advertisers are of French, English, Dutch or any other origin.
You will see from this
map, that the Ariege &
Aude are
situated in the green and
pale brown areas at the bottom most south-west
regions (except for the Pyrenees Orientales department of course). These two departments are in the Midi-Pyrenees
(green region) and
Languedoc Rousillion (pale brown brown) regions respectively.
Information about the Ariege & Aude
The Ariege and Aude departments
are both situated in the southwest region of France and named after the two rivers The Ariege and The Aude. Both
departments are steeped in Cathar history. Many local towns and places
have been mentioned in books such as The Labyrinth and The Albigensian Crusade. The area is ideal for walking, rambling, photography, bird watching, cycling or looking
at the wildlife and enjoying the beauty of the surrounding area in the clean, and unpolluted fresh air. Many
part of both departments host parts of the Le Tour de France every year. It is an wonderful location for holidays or
short breaks as there are so many things to do and see, plus the climate can be very pleasant during the Spring,
Summer & Autumn months. Winter is great for downhills ski-ing, raquette (snow-shoe walking) or cross country sik-ing
on uncrowded snow pistes.. The nearest local international airports for the Ariege or
Aude are Toulouse, Carcassonne, Montpellier or Perpignan. THE ARIEGE The Ariege department is a largely unknown
department which is situated next to the Aude in the most southern part
of the Midi-Pyrenees department and shares its borders with the Aude, Andorra, Haute Garonne and the Pyrenees Orientales.
This is predominantly a farming area as the soil is rich and fertile, but more than 50% of the Ariège is mountainous
and 40% of this 40,965 hectares is covered by forests.
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| Click on this map to see other regions of France by Tourizm Maps - www.map-of-france.co.uk |
www.map-of-france.co.uk
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| Lake Montbel, south of Mirepoix |
There are also a number of fresh water lakes which provide a variety of activities
including, walking, swimming, fishing, canoeing, sailboarding and also picnicing.
The Ariege has several of its own downhill ski resorts, the three largest being Ax-Bonascre, Les
Monts D'Olmes and Guzet. There are many cross country ski-ing resorts, one of the best being at Plateau
de Beille, near Les Cabannes.
Part of the Ariege is situated in the Pyrenees, next to Andorra.
Unbelievably, the highest peaks are visible from Toulouse in the Haute Garonne. It is one of the least populated and most
unspoiled regions of France. The locals enjoy keeping old traditions alive.
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| Chateau de Foix |
Foix is the administrative capital
of the Ariege but other major towns are Pamiers & Mirepoix. Foix is an ancient town with a fine fortress perched on a
hill above the town, called Chateau de Foix. Simon de Montfort attacked the fortress many times without succeeding to capture
it. In times gone by, the Chateau was used as a prison. Another famous chateau,
is Montsegur, which is perched at a height of 1200 metres (3900 ft). The present ruin of the chateau at Montségur
is not actually the work of the Cathars. During the siege in 1244, the fortress was mostly rebuilt in the second
half of the 13th century. The chateau has painful past as more than 200 Cathar priests were burnt at the stake
as heretics for their alternative Christian faith.
Chateau Montsegur
is famous for his fort and was one of the last strongholds of the Cathars. The present fortress although being depicted as
one of the "Cathar castles" is actually of a later period. The original castle was entirely pulled down by the victorious
royal French forces after its capture in 1244. Amazingly, it was gradually rebuilt and upgraded over the next three centuries
by royal forces. It has been listed as a "monument historique" in 1862 by the French Ministry of Culture. The
fort is perched at 1207m (3000 feet) above sea level and sits on a rock formation known as a "pog" which is derived
from the Occitan words "pueg" or "puog" meaning peak, hill or mountain. It is believed that there was human settlement in the area in the Stone Age period, 80,000 years.
There is also evidence of Roman occupation; Roman currency and tools have been found around the site. In the Middle Ages Montsegur
was ruled by the Counts of Toulouse, the Viscounts of Carcassonne and then the Counts of Foix. In 1243/44 the Cathars were
besieged at Montsegur at the end of the Albigensian Crusade by 10,000 French troops. The Cathars finally surrended in March
1244 and about 220 were burned in a large bonfire at the foot of the hill when they refused to renounce their faith. A short time before the fall of Montsegur it is believed that the
some of the Cathars apparently slipped through French lines and carried away a mysterious "treasure." It has never
been discovered what it was or what became of it, but there is much speculation that it might have actually been the Holy
Grail. Montsegur is often named the Holy Grail castle because a book named Parzival written by Wolfram von Eschenbach talks
about a castle Monsalvat, similar to Montsegur with the same meaning "safe mountain, secure mountain." More
can be read about Montsegur and the Holy Grail in the book written by Dan Brown, "The Da Vinci Code." There is also belief that Montsegur has solar alignment characteristics
which is said to be visible on the morning of the summer solstice. Allegedly this solar phenomenon occurs in an alignment
of two windows in the fortress wall. This has not be scientifically surveyed, measured, recorded or confirmed. There was also
a 13 year archeological excavation at Montségur between 1964 and 1976 and there was no trace within the current ruin
of the first fortress which was abandoned before the 13th century, nor of the one built by Raymond de Péreille
around 1210. However, small ruins of the terraced dwellings immediately outside the current fortress walls on the northeasten
flank showed up traces of authentic former Cathar habitations.
The local town of Pamiers is famous
for its 3 bell towers and also is the birthplace of Gabriel Fauré, the classical French musician and composer. It also
boasts awards for the equivalent of "towns in bloom" - 'Ville Fleurie'.
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| The three bell towers of Pamiers |
Local facilities include good restaurants, bars,
supermarkets, large public indoor and outdoor swimming pools, (one of 50m). Pamiers lies in an ancient alluvial plain of the Ariege River in the area called La Basse Ariege.
Here there is a rich fertile soil ideal for agriculture which is evident all around. Pamiers has 16,000 inhabitants and is
the most important town in the department as it is the economical capital of the Ariege. Originally the town of Mirepoix used to be part of the County of Foix. In 1207 the
Count granted it a Charter. Catharism was becoming more widespread and there were thought to be about 50 "Perfects"
houses in Mirepoix. In 1209, Simon de
Montfort captured Mirepoix and then entrusted it to his Lieutenant Levis. Pierre-Roger de Mirepoix, tried to retake his town
in 1221 but unfortunately died during the siege. In
1279 a dam broke up at Puivert and the original town thought to be built in the 1100's right next to the River Hers, was
destroyed and carried off in the floodwater. Jean de Levis rebuilt Mirepoix in a slightly different location in a more regular
style of the original bastide towns. The timber framed houses were built over hanging the pavements - "couverts"
which were there to protect the people from the weather. Montaillou
or Montalhon in Occitan is a small village in Sabarthès area of the Ariege. Montaillou was one of the last
bastions of the Albigensian heresy and the Bishop of Pamiers, Jacques Fournier launched an extensive inquisition to search
out Cathars over a 30 year period from 1294 until 1324. . In 1318 the whole village was arrested on the orders of the bishop.
Fournier retained the records of the inquisition and when he became Pope he took them to the Vatican in Rome which is where
they remain today. The Château de Montaillou stands as a ruin in the village
standing on the slope of Mount Allion – it has been made famous in Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie’s book, "Montaillou,
village Occitan." The chateau was built by the lords of Alion at the end of the 12th century. There is
not much left of the ruin to be seen is a ruined tower, evidence of walls of the keep and a part of a curtain wall which surrounded
the courtyard. Dry moats to the north and east provided defence and the very steep southern slope was sufficient. Bernard d’Alion, one of the lords of Alion, paid hommage
to the King of France in 1226 but his sympathies still remained with the Cathars. He married Esclarmonde who was the daughter
of Roger IV, Count of Foix in 1236. In 1258, Bernard was condemned by the Inquisition as a Cathar and burned alive in Perpignan.
The castle was then take by of Roger IV, Count of Foix and became a frontier fortress between the County of Foix and the French
King’s land and Aragon. At the end of the 13th century, the Count increased the thickness of the walls of
the castle, it survived the Albigensian Crusade but fell into disrepair later. The Château de Montaillou became listed
as a "monument historique" in 1984 Saverdun is a town of approximately 4000 inhabitants located
at 50 km in the South of Toulouse is just off the RN 20 in direction of Andorra. The main town is on the side of the Ariège
river, and is an altitude of 335m approximately at its highest, but other parts of the town are slightly lowerer and built
on slopes and alluvial terraces. Saverdun sits where the two rivers, join on the Western edge of the alluvial plains of the
Ariège and Hers. The ground around this area is very fertile and there has been a lot of agricultural development
with regards to growing cereals, corn, sunflower and cattle breeding. The local economy has also grown through artisan
and commercial activities. Saverdun is located north of Pamiers and south of Toulouse at a height of 218-333 metres above
sea level. It has a population of approximately 4000 people on a land area of 44.04km2. The site of Saverdun was inhabited very early in history, because of
its proximity of the river; artifacts have been found dating back from the paleolithic period; tools and other objects made
from stone. Other objects, like weapons, going back to Bronze Age and Iron Age have also been found there. There is also evidence
of Roman occupation with the remains of villas which brought a diversity in the local population of Iberian and Celtic origin.
This diversity caused great invasions by the barbarians: Vandals, Visigoths, etc. which in turn caused the inevitable destruction
of historic buildings. The name Saverdun is of Celtic origin and it means strengthened height. In the Middle Ages, it was
protected by a castle built in a high elevation dominating the valley. Saverdun has been the centre of wars of religion
related to Cathar heresy. It was the official place of Protestant worship. It is believed that Pope Benedict XII whose name was Jacques Fournier was born in Saverdun (which at
the time was in the Comté de Foix) in 1280. Jacques became a Cistercian monk at Fontfoide Abbey, 15 kilometres
south-west of Narbonne; he later became Abbot of Fontfroide. He eventually left to go and study at the University of Paris
(which was renamed in 1970 La Sorbonne after the name of Robert de Sorbon who founded it in about 1257). In 1317 Jacques was made Bishop of Pamiers. He rigorously hunted Cathars
to try to wipe out Catharism. This was a name give to a Christian religious sect with dualism and gnostic elements and
flourished in the Languedoc region of France during the 11th, 12th & 13th centuries.
For his works he won praise from religious authorities but alienated local people. Jacques created the Fournier Register which was a set of records from the inquisition
into heresy run between 1318 and 1325. He launched an extensive inquisition in Montaillou which was one last bastions of the
Albigensian heresy. He conducted a campaign against the last remaining Cathar believers in this village, as well
as others who questioned the Catholic faith. This involved many lengthy interviews to extract information which
often involved torture. All the information was recorded in great detail and sometimes resulted an entire village being
arrested as it happened in 1308. In 1326, on the successful
rooting out of what were believed to be the last Cathar adherents in the area, he was made Bishop of Mirepoix. A year
later, in 1327, he was made a cardinal. In 1334 he was made Pope Benedict XII and was based in Avignon. He died
on April 24th in 1342. The manuscript of Jacques Fournier's Inquisition Record is currently found in the Vatican
Library and modern editions are available in Latin and French. "Verdun"
a city in Quebec in southeastern Canada was named after it was granted to Zachurie Dupuis a French military pioneer who was
born in Saverdun.
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| Plateau Beille near Tarascon |
Tarascon-Sur-Ariege
is a small utilitarian metallurgy and iron ore mining town but is in reality one of the most fascinating places in Europe
and is situated on the Ariege River. The geography of the area is stunning, created by glaciers and large rivers in prehistoric
times. There are many caves around Tarascon which were occupied by Stone Age man and plus many artefacts have been found in
the area. Caves were made in this area of the Ariege due to the abundance of limestone. The finest of the caves are at Niaux
– "Grotte de Niaux" only 2kms from Tarascon. Cave paintings are still visible and tours around the caves around
Tarascon are very well worth a visit. There is also a very informative prehistoric park which is an interesting place to visit
for adults and children alike. In the centre
there is the church of St Michel presiding over an arcaded square with small parts of the surviving medieval walls. Walking
further on, from the Tour du Castella, which is now a clock tower there are views over the five valleys which all meet here.
Tarascon hosts 2 major livestock fairs on 8th May and 30th September for the transhumance. Tarascon and some of the highest peaks around it are often used as part
of the major and famous cycling race, the Tour de France each year.
The spa town of Ax Les Thermes is 20 kilometres
southeast of Tarascon on the Ariege River. The town is completely walled in by mountains and its location is an ideal base
for exploring the surrounding peaks and as a stopping point on the way to Andorra or the N20 going to Font-Romeu and then
on to Perpignan and the Mediterranean. The town is quite
pleasant and has a few medieval buildings and above Place du Breilh, the church of St Vincent is of architectural interest
for its Romanesque tower. Just across the road you can dangle your feet for free in the Bassin des Ladres, a pool of hot sulphurous
water which is the only remenant of the hospital founded in 1260 by St Louis for soldiers wounded in the Crusades Like all the area, the town of Saint-Girons saw a
Roman occupation. St-Girons is situated in the Courserans area
of the Ariege and has a long association with cigarette-paper manufacture. The most striking thing about St-Girons is its
central pavements, made of a local reddish-pink marble with finely chiselled gutters to take the rainwater from down-pipes.
And although there are no other memorable sights, it's a very pleasant town, with a folklore festival in mid-July and
a theatre festival in early August. At the Pont-Vieux,
there are picturesque rapids on the River Salat. The bridge leads you towards the old commercial centre of the town on the
right bank, with some marvellously old-fashioned shops, their fronts and fittings unchanged for generations. To the right,
past the tiny Cathedral, is the Place des Poilus, which hosts the faded elegance of the Grand Hôtel de France and the
equally old-fashioned Hôtel de l'Union, where you can still stay. The latter's ground-floor café is a
splendid balconied period piece facing the riverside Champ de Mars, a wide gravelled allée of plane
trees, which provides the site for a big general market on the second and fourth Monday of every month, and for a regular
produce market every Saturday morning. There were a number of escape
routes during the World War 2 through France but the Comete Line, the Pat O'Leary Line and the Marie Claire Line
were the most famous. One of the O'Leary networks went through central France to Agen & Toulouse then to
the central Pyrenees to the starting point of "Le Chemin de la Liberte" at St Girons. The high mountain
route into Spain was carefully chosen as it avoided all official checkpoints. Between 1940 & 1944, there were 33,000
successful escapes along the entire length of the Pyrenean chain and 782 escaped over the mountain peaks of the Ariege.
During the war several escape trails were established near St Girons and other towns and villages surrounding it like Foix,
Tarascon, Aulus-Les-Bains, Massat, Castillon, Seix & Seintein all had invisible mountain routes towards the Spanish frontier.
By the beginning of 1943 German surveillance had increased often due to the betrayal by Frenchmen who worked for the feared
Vichy-run paramiltary force "La Milice" and there were many ambushes along the trails. Despite this increased
surveillance the St Girons-Esterri escape route via Mont Valier remained operational until the end of the war. A booked called "The Freedom Trail" published by Scott Goodall gives a detailed guide
to Le Chemin de la Liberte, historical notes of the area and the walking trails from St Girons to Spain. Stage 8 of Le Tour de France is from Andorre-La-Vielle to St Girons on 11th July 2009. St-Lizier sits on a hilltop, and is full of history;
is walled, arcaded, cobbled, cathedraled, half-timbered and pretty. Architecturally the most interesting building in town is the Cathédrale de St-Lizier with its
distinctive octagonal tower sitting picturesquely against the mountains to the south. Inside are some twelfth-century
frescoes faded almost to invisibility, and a fine Romanesque cloister, also 12th century, with some unique sculpted column
capitals. A second cathedral, Nôtre-Dame-de-Sède, within the grounds of the bishop's palace, is closed indefinitely
for renovation, though the palace is also home to the Musée Départmentale de l'Ariège on the first
floor which contains a permanent ethnographic collection devoted to the Vallée du Bethmale. It is, however, worth
walking up to the palace anyway, for views over St-Lizier, and continuing on round the old ramparts.
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| Chateau Roquefixade near Lavelanet |
Lavelanet is a little town on the banks of the Touyre River,
20km east of Foix and 35km west of Quillan at the foot of Chateau Montsegur. Lavelanet is situated where 3 valleys meet on
the outskirts of the counties of Foix and Carcassonne. The name of the town is derived from "avelana" meaning hazelnut
as the town was once surrounded by hazelnut trees. There are 7,500 inhabitants which are called Lavelanetien(s). Lavelanet
was the 13th stage of the Tour de France in 2003 and in 2008 the 12th stage started in Lavelanet.
The town has a longstanding association with cloth making
and the town has turned to so-called "smart fabrics" which involves highly technical manufacturing. The natural
surroundings to the town are perfectly suited to outdoor activities. The town has many picturesque villages around it and
is also very close to Monts d’Olmes one of the largest ski resorts in the Ariege.
Downhill Ski Resorts in the Ariege Ax Les 3 Domaines
- 1400-2400m - 75km piste Guzet - 1100-2100m
- 40km piste Les Monts D'Olmes - 1500-2115m
- 18.5km piste Ascou Pailhes - 1500-2000m - 20kms
piste Mijanes Donezan - 1530-2000m - 9kms piste Goulier Neige - 1500-2000m - 5kms piste
Cross
Country Ski Resorts in the Ariege
Plateau de Beille - 1800-2000m
- 75kms piste Domaine du Chioula - 1240-1640m - 60kms
piste Etang de Lers - 1300-1615m - 30kms piste La Tour Lafont - 1250-1500m - 15kms piste
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| A road near Vicdessos, Ariege |
Tourist LINKS for the Ariege
THE AUDE The Aude Department is in the Languedoc Rousillion
region and reaches from the Mediterranean Sea sharing its borders with the Herault, Tarn, Haute Garonne, Pyrenees
Orientales and the Ariege. The area is most famous for its vineyards and wine production. The capital city of the Aude is
Carcassonne and other major towns are Castelnaudary, Narbonne and Limoux. The Aude produces an enormous amount of wine and over a third of its land is devoted to vine
growing. The wine industry provides a large portion of the department’s economy. The Aude is home
to eight AOC areas: La Clape, Quatourze, Corbières, Fitou, Minervois, Limoux, Côtes de Malepère and Cabardès.
(The Appellation d’Origine Controlées - AOC is the highest classification for French wines, and the governing
bodies are very strict criteria with regards to not only the taste and quality of the wine, but also the quality
of the grape variety, its cultivation and production).
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| Click on map to see other regions of France by Tourizm Maps - www.map-of-france.co.uk |
www.map-of-france.co.uk
The Aude starts at the Mediterranean in the east and finishes
at Castelnaudary in its most western region and is situated on the Canal du Midi which is a UNESCO world heritage
site. The Canal du Midi or Canal des Deux Mers was created in the past to link the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
The alternative long sea voyage around Spain would take a month and there were serious chances of being attacked by Barbary
Pirates enroute. The Canal starts in Toulouse on the River Garonne and ends at the Etang de Thau at Sete on the
Mediterranean. It is 240km long, took 12,000 workers 15 years to build and was started in 1681. The mountain range of Montagne Noire is in the northern part of the department
and the Pyrénées is at the most southern part of the department The large town of Castelnaudary which is also situated on the Canal du Midi is
the capital of the Lauragais. It is situated 50km south east of Toulouse and the Mediterrean and was a Roman settlement
area. It gained its prosperity during the 17th century when it was a large exporter of agricultural and manufactured
products. There is a 7 hectare "bassin" which is the largest area of open water on the Canal du Midi and is
a popular tourist area for sailing and boating. On 15th May 1681 work began
on the Canal du Midi here and the town is famous for the 4th Foreign Legion Regiment which started in 1976. Castelnaudray
is also the self proclaimed capital for the recipe of Cassoulet.
Carcassonne (a UNESCO World Heritage
Site), a 12th century walled fortress town summarises all that was the best military architecture of the Middle
Ages. It was originally built over an older construction dating from the Dark Ages which had already replaced a Gallo-Roman
building.
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| The beach at Gruisson on the Mediterranean |
Fanjeaux
is located in the Aude, 360 metres above sea level hanging on a rocky promontory. It is in the Lauragais area between the
Pyrenees Orientales and the foothills of the Massif Central. It has an ancient Oppidum
Roman temple and a town which had 3000 inhabitents which was destroyed many times. Fanjeaux, celebrated by the troubadour
Peire Vidal, was very much related to the events which shook Languedoc in 13th century and was one of the bastions of
the catharism in Lauragais. Fanjeaux was in the centre of preaching against the Cathare heresy.
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| Vineyards in the Aude near the Mediterranean |
Quillan is situated in the Aude department and located at the foothills of the Pyrenees on the road between Carcassonne
and Perpignan. It is in the high valley of the Aude, close to the mountains, is a medium sized town 6km from from the popular
watersports town of Esperaza and is popular for white water rafting, canoeing and kayaking on the Aude River (Alet-les-Bains)
is another good place to go for white water sports).The river Aude and the Canal du Midi traditionally
carried timber and other local products to Carcassonne. The town was particularly noted for hat making. Mr Jean Bourrel, a
local businessman who developed a millinery factory in the town, was responsible for the construction of houses, and creation
of fashionable hats. The immediate area is rich in geographical and historical interest.
There is a railway line from Carcassonne which stops in in Quillan and also in Limoux and Espéraza on the way. The
service is limited and many of the trains are actually buses.
Narbonne known as Narbona in Catalan and Occitan and the Roman Narbo is the largest commune in the Aude department
in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It is 849 km from Paris and is it the Sous Prefecture of the Aude. Narbonne was once a
prosperous port and it is now located about 15 km from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, but fell into slow decline in
the 14th century, for a variety of reasons. The decline was mainly due to a change in the course of the Aude River which caused
increasing silting of the navigational access. The Aude river had a long history of overflowing its banks, fluctuation in
flow, direction and sediment deposit and as the Mediterranean sea level slowly rose the 'sea port' aspect of Narbonne
was no more During the 16th century, the people of Narbonne were keen to maintain a link
to important trade, and so began costly works to the Aude River's access to the sea, so that it would remain navigable
to a limited draft of vessel and also a link with the Royal Canal. The works were finished with the construction of the Canal
de la Robine, which finally linked to the Canal du Midi (then the Royal Canal) in 1787. Limoux
is a market town and a sub-prefecture in the Aude, a part of the ancient Languedoc province and now the Languedoc-Roussillon
region. It lies on the River Aude and is about 30 km due south of Carcassonne. The town is perhaps best known for its Winter festival called Fècos, often
referred to (inaccurately) as a Carnival or fête. Fècos is the name of a dance characteristic
of the festival). It is generally referred to as Carnaval de Limoux in French language. This takes place between
January and Easter and is conducted in Occitan,, the traditional language of
the area, hence Laugue-d'Oc ("tongue" - language - of the Occitans). The cafe scene is dominant in Limoux where
food and drink represent the dominant cultural pastime. A local refreshing sparkling white wine is also made here,
which is very pleasant on a warm afternoon. Rennes-les-Bains
is a spa village in the Corbieres region in the heart of Cathar country. The natural hot spring waters have been enjoyed by
bathers for thousands of years and was in fact popular with the Romans who had a colony, "Colonia Narbo Martius"
in Narbonne. The water is about 46° centigrade and the village has an outdoor heated swimming pool, hammam or Turkish
bath, jacuzzis, and gym. Today they are
still used as a cure for rheumatism and skin problems. The village is in the valley of the River Sals (a saline/salty river)
which is 48km from Carcassonne, 20km from Limoux and 3 km from Rennes-le-Chateau. Rennes-les-Bains has been mentioned in many books in connection
with Rennes-Le-Chateau. Dan Brown’s novel the Da Vinci Code and in Kate Mosse’s novel Sepulchre written in 2007.
The village is also well known for its curé, Abbé Henri Boudet, its supposed links with Bertrand de Blanchefort
and the Grand Master of the Knights Templars. The village has been twinned with the city
of Rennes in Brittany since 1985. Rennes-le-Chateau, Rènnas del Castèl in Occitan, is a small and medieval castle village near Rennes-les-Bains.
It is very well known and many people visit it due to the fact that it is the centre of many conspiracy theories. In the 1950’s
a local restaurant owner, Noël Corbu tried to increase business and started to spread rumours of a hidden royal treasure
which had been found by a local priest in the 19th century inside a Visigothic pillar of his church. This priest
was Father Berenger Sauniere; he had supposedly found proof of a secret society which was known as the Priory of Sion. The
story and the society were found to be a hoax, but became the centre of hypotheses in documentaries and books such as the
Holy Blood Holy Grail and the The Da Vinci Code. The area has beautiful scenery with rocky jagged ridges, deep river
canyons and limestone plateaux and caves. It was a Visigoth site in the 6th & 7th centuries and
it was the site of a medieval castle which existed in 1002, although there are no remains above ground now. There is evidence of a church, Church of Mary Magdalene which is as old as the 8th century. This
became a ruin by the 10th or 11th century whereby another church was built on the site. This church
survived and was renovated in the 1800’s by the local priest, Berenger Sauniere. He had come into quite a bit of money
very quickly and added some features to the church which appear unusual to modern eyes. The
area has become the focus of increasingly sensational claims involving the Knights Templar, the Priory of Sion, the Rex Deus,
the Holy Grail, the treasures of the Temple of Soloman, the Ark of the Covenant, ley lines and sacred geometry alignments.
The population of
the Aude is about 310,000 and is approximately 5% of the population of France..
The Aude has its own ski resort of Camurac.
Tourist LINKS for the Aude
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