Château de Fitou

Covering approximately 1,000 m2, the castle is situated on a site overlooking the village of Fitou, the Leucate lagoons, and the sea.

The castle is located in the commune of Fitou, in the French department of Aude.

The construction date of the Château de Fitou is unknown; a Roman villa may have preceded it. By her will dated 990, the Viscountess of Narbonne bequeathed "in vila de Fictorius" to Ermangaud de Narbonne. Its territory extended over more than three thousand hectares. The Perignan family held full seigniorial rights over Fitou and granted titles and rights, which were legitimately their property, to vassals. The castle's territory extended to the border of Salses. Due to its location, the castle was often exposed to the hazards of war; it was besieged, burned, and rebuilt several times. A large number of lords reigned there. After the fall of Montségur Castle and the defeat of the Cathars, the Lord of Niort, a heretic, converted to Christianity and settled in the castle. One of the last acts of war relates that on May 19, 1635, Cardinal Richelieu declared war on Spain. 27 months later, the Spanish advanced on Fitou in two columns: the first, coming from Claira, which had been transformed into a stronghold, consisted of 2,000 infantry and 400 horses; the second came from Salses with 12,000 infantry, drums beating, banners flying, and 1,200 cavalry, cornets at the head. The Cabannes de Fitou, the village, and the castle, despite its walls, capitulated at the first assaults. The Aragon family was the last seigniory to occupy the castle until the 1789 revolution. The castle was plundered and burned in 1843. For a long time, it served as a stone quarry for the construction of the current village following a destruction report from the prefecture. Then, the ruins threatening the village, and the commune not having the means to undertake its restoration, sold the building to a private individual. Monsieur and Madame Gaillot, antique dealers in Paris, undertook its restoration starting in 1972 with an approximate final result. Having successively become a discotheque and then a museum, it was resold in 2015 and is no longer open to visitors. The building was listed as a historical monument in 1948, and its surroundings have been listed as natural sites since 1942.

List of historical monuments of Aude List of castles of Aude List of listed sites of Aude

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