Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet

This Mediterranean village in the south of France, its vineyards nestled between sea and mountains, stands on the road to the Cathar castles. St Paul enjoys the privilege of being irrigated by two rivers the Agly and the Boulzane. They have dug their way through the last strong holds of the Corbières mountains creating two natural wonders: The Gorges de Galamus (North) suitable for canyoning etc and The Clue de la Fou (South) with its Via Ferrata.
An old Roman town, St. Paul, main centre for the Canton, is home to an architectural curiosity namely the chapel which is an ancient collegiate dating from the thirteenth century, and rebuilt in the seventeenth century.
In its tradition winemaking and industry, St Paul is moving gradually towards green tourism and outdoor sports, taking advantage of its unique environment.

Listed as a historical monument, The ‘Chapitre’ is the most symbolic building in Saint-Paul. Its heptagonal 17th century spire overlooks the city with a view of the valley and the rooftops of St. Paul, as well as the Gorges de Galamus and the Clue de la Fou.
Founded in the 8th century, the college, which was attached to the diocese of Alet, was rich and influential in the local administration and organisation until the late 18th century.
There is some remarkable plasterwork dating from the 17th century.
It was later sold and converted into private apartments. Once back in the public domain, major repair works were undertaken by the Ministry of Culture and Historic Buildings, and the town hall, to restore it to its original splendor.
It now houses a museum of arts and popular traditions, archeology, numismatics and minerals. A room on the ground floor is reserved for a particular exhibition of everyday life in the 19th century. Another room exhibits a collection of old tools used by village artisans, mainly wood turners.

The Saint-Antoine de Galamus troglodyte hermitage was cut out of the rock in the 7th century, on the side of the gorge.
Originally it was only a single cave containing pools of water, but in 1782, after the Suette Miracle the chapel was added to it,. The inhabitants of St. Paul-de-Fenouillet were infected by the ‘épidémie de Suette’ (a kind of gangrenous epidemic that made them sweat a lot), and were subsequently healed by Saint-Antoine. Today, you can visit the site and admire the Plane tree planted in 1782 that grows through the middle of a rock.
Access to the Hermitage is to be found at the famous Gorges de Galamus, a listed natural site wherein the waters of the river Agly have cut through the limestone.

Gorges de Galamus

Protected nature reserve with a particularly impressive rock structure. The waters of the river Agly have cut deep into the calcium strata to a depth of over 500 meters eventually to arrive at the Mediterranean sea.
By criss-cross erosion, the water has created a deep and vertiginous gorge with pools of clear water that are fed by small waterfalls making it very popular with canyon enthusiasts.
Impassable until 1890 when a small road was cut out of the the rock face by a team of fairly acrobatic workers armed with pick axes. This opened the way through the gorge from St. Paul de Fenouillet to the village of Cubieres.
From the gorge there is a fantastic view of the famous Mount Canigou and the ‘Clue de la fou’ (a V shaped pass through the mountains from St-Paul-de-Fenouillet, direction Ansignan.
 The Gorges de Galamus is best visited in two ways on foot or by water.

Les Croquants, speciality of St Paul de Fenouillet
The tradition of the famous biscuit Le Croquant of St Paul has lived for two centuries. The recipe of this delicious almond biscuit is handed down generation.The story of the Croquant is linked with the almond growing in the Fenouillèdes. It was served at the end of the meal with Natural Sweet Wine at Easter and Pentecost. The 6 ambassadors of the association of the Croquant of St Paul keep defending the trademark of the Croquant often copied. Let your sweet tooth lead you to the local biscuit shops and taste Le Croquant de St Paul!

Places of interest to discover
Gorges de Galamus, Clue de la Fou
Chapitre, Ermitage de Galamus
Biscuits « Croquants de Saint-Paul », wineries

Useful Information

21 avenue Georges Pézières

66220 Saint Paul de Fenouillet
Telephone 00(33)4 68 59 07 57
info@tourismefenouilledes.com
www.cc-aglyfenouilledes.fr