Our Blog - Pyrénées - Castelnou, France

The first reference to the Castelnou castle was in 994. Built around 990, the name means "new castle", as the neighboring castle of Camélas was already older (already referenced in 941). The castle was stormed by the troops of Jacques II of Majorca in 1286, and then again in 1473 by those of the Governor of Roussillon. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the castle was abandoned and the village was almost deserted by the 19th century. With the major development of tourism in the 20th century, enthusiasm for the site arouse and the village was raised from the ruins.

It is one of the Plus Beaux Villages (most beautiful villages) in France. In addition, there is a yearly competition that ranks a set of villages as the "most preferred village by the French", and in 2015, Castelnou was ranked 7th among the 21 villages that year. The villages change every year, so it isn't like it is the 7th most preferred village in all of France .. just out of the 21 villages competing in that year. Wow ... as I type it out to explain it, it doesn't sound that impressive anymore :-)

From a distance, you can see the remains of the 10th century castle up on the hill, and then the village built on a hillside below the castle. Sitting out by itself to the NorthWest of the village is a tower, was part of the site's defense system. The small cylindrical tower has remained in fairly good condition.

The fortifications of the village largely remain, the most notable part being the Millars Gate to the north of the village, flanked by two towers. The village is organized around two parallel streets: the carrer d'avall and the carrer del mig. Between them, you can find several sets of stairs that allow you to go from one to the other.

These are quite interesting ....as you walk around you see these bulges coming out of the sides of the houses. They are actually bread ovens, semi-circular in shape, and grafted onto the façades. Usually they are up just under the roof so that there isn't a need for a long chimney. But I guess that means the kitchen is upstairs!

The village was well-known for its metal-work, and you can see examples of it as you walk around. Many of the houses have these metal X's on the sides, although I'm not sure what exactly they are for. There are also metal lamps and metal store signs that hang from the outside.

We walked up to the castle ruins but, unfortunately, it was closed. After being deserted in the 18th century, some of the local inhabitants "pilfered" stones from it to build their houses. It was built at the end of the 19th century and fully restored. However, it was ravaged by fire in 1981, causing major damage. It was restored again and eventually opened to the public in 1990 although it was closed when we visited and the website says for a "duration undetermined". Not sure if this is due to the COVID 19 precautions or something else.

The Sainte-Marie du Mercadal church dates back to the 13th century although the bell tower was added in the 18th century. The doors have an interesting metal design, going back to the metal-work that this village was known for.

It is a very classic, single-nave church. The interior furnishings are Baroque, including the altarpiece.

I don't remember if this sundial was on the church or just a building, but you can make out the date at the top .. 1828.