History and Culture

History has deep roots in the Roussillon, stretching back over several millennia to the earliest beginnings of prehistory. The oldest human remains in all of Europe, estimated at almost half a million years of age, were found just a few miles away, in a cave near Tautavel. Since ancient times the Roussillon has been a crossroads of cultures: Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Celts, Visigoths and Moors - all have passed through, traded, fought or settled in the region and left their traces for posterity. Prehistoric remains, vestiges of Greek and Roman trading posts, Romanesque abbeys and churches, medieval towns and villages or ancient castle ruins that once served as strongholds of the 'Cathars'- the layers of history intertwine into a fascinating story of civilization here, in one of the oldest cultural landscapes of Europe.

Links:

• St. Paul de Fenouillet on the web
• Historic Sites in the Roussillon
• Culture, History, Nature and more,
  from the Conseil général of the Pyrenées Oriental
• The Cathar Information Portal
• Tourist and Travel Information about the Pyrenées Oriental