Religious architecture
The Ariège is known for its landscapes, its forests, its mountains and the luxuriance of its vegetation. It also deserves to be visited for the flowering of its churches, even in the most remote hamlets of the department. Three buildings deserve special attention: the cathedral of Saint-Lizier, Notre-Dame de Vals and Saint-Martin d'Unac. Many other villages have remarkable churches, generally classified as historical monuments such as the churches of Sainte-Suzanne, Mérens, Vernaux, Axiat, Arnave, Mercus, Saint-Jean-de-Verges, Saint-Félix-de-Tournegat, Vic-d'Oust, Soueix... The list could be considerably lengthened so much the catholic church built true architectural beauty on this cathar ground which became protestant. Whether they are of the first Romanesque art (11th century) or later, they move by the rusticity of their lines, surprise by the architectural quality of their constructions and leave admiring in front of the objects of art and other statues or altarpieces which they contain. Beyond their religious significance, the Romanesque churches of Ariège are an exceptional testimony of the know-how of the workers and companions of the Middle Ages (some churches are more than 1,000 years old!). One meditates on the solidity of this beauty which crossed so many centuries. The tourist office of the Valleys of Ax proposes a circuit of 22 visits of the buildings of around Ax-les-Thermes.
The military architecture
Even if almost all the medieval castles are now in ruins, and some have even disappeared completely, they must be mentioned as witnesses of a bygone era and as symbols still alive and present of periods too often marked by wars, resistance and confrontations. The only perfectly preserved castle in the department, whose construction spanned several centuries, is that of Foix. The other equally famous, although partially destroyed, is the castle of Montségur, which remains the stone symbol of this historical tragedy. Many sites and cities preserve today the mark, and, sometimes, the soul of what was an unknown religion at the time of the ancient Occitan civilization. Other fortresses, during the Middle Ages, played major roles in the defense of the pre-Pyrenean border between France and Spain: Péreille, Château-Verdun, La Garde, Mirabat, Miglos, Montréal-de-Sos, which is currently being excavated, Pailhès, La Barre, Quié... and many others. Many were dismantled by Richelieu at first and then during the signing of the Pyrenees treaty between the two enemies.
Cities and villages
As is often the case, cities were built at the confluence of rivers, combining strategic position, defensive quality and accessible access routes to promote trade. They developed under religious and military protection. Foix, for example, (whose name means fork) was built at the junction of two rivers, the Arget and the Ariège. The city is surmounted by an imposing castle in charge of protecting it, at the foot of which sits an imposing abbey church. The medieval towns and bastides began to expand in the 18th century when they destroyed their ramparts. Fortunately for lovers of history and ancient architecture, some sumptuous vestiges have survived the passage of time and have come down to us. The carved wooden roofs of Mirepoix, dating from the 12th century, the half-timbered houses of Foix, well hidden in the alleys of the old town, the orris of the shepherds, rustic constructions in dry stones, the private castles dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, are as many constructions charged with history and testimonies on the creative genius of the men. A few minutes from Niaux, in the Vicdessos valley, the small village of Siguer has a house in the Renaissance style, which dates from 1487, and which, according to tradition, would have been the hunting lodge of the Counts of Foix but which was historically the house of the consuls of the Siguer valley in 1585. The carved woodwork on the façade makes it an exceptionally beautiful building. Because of its geography, the Ariege has different countries, different cultures, two very different languages, and consequently different types of houses often linked to the climate and the relief. As a general rule, the roofs of Ariège houses are made of slate and lauzes in the mountains, because the raw material is easily exploitable, and of tiles in the lower valleys. The buildings are often made of dry stone, houses, low walls, fountains, huts, orris..., and are important elements of the built heritage of the Ariegean Pyrenees. The orri is a small hut in the high and medium mountains used for milking animals and making cheese. It generally allowed the shepherd to have a roof and to be able to protect himself from bad weather.
In Haute-Ariège, the habitat is concentrated in strongly agglomerated villages often surrounded by hamlets or localities. The houses have openings: higher than wide and their facades relatively ordered by symmetry but, most often, without any ornament.
In the Haut Couserans and Couserans, the habitat is grouped in dense villages, the houses are more square, often opening on galleries of protected wood quite typical.
In the Plantaurel region, the houses are scattered and there are many bastides. The houses are larger, the farms are larger buildings than in the mountains. They are built in limestone and sometimes in bricks, and are covered with a tiled roof.
In Basse Ariège, the habitat is sparse and very dispersed, often implanted on hills, on sunny ridges. The villages are rare and established in the valleys, except for Carla Bayle and Saint-Ybars which are bastides perched on a territory which was difficult to secure. The farms are isolated, the low houses composed of a first floor and attic, without floor. They are often long, built of river pebbles (often close) and bricks.
