Travel Guide Aragon

In the heart of the Cabardès, northwest of Carcassonne, Aragon is a small, atypical fortified village of 450 inhabitants, built on a rocky promontory in the foothills of the Montagne Noire, at the junction of two beautiful valleys. This ideal location makes it a starting point for numerous trails across the whole of the Montagne Noire, and an essential FFC mountain-biking site. Built in the shape of an amphitheater, this site comprises the old village and the Capitelles district, named after the small dry-stone huts that are typical of the region. Its narrow streets lead you to the Gothic church of Sainte-Marie, with its fascinating roof structure featuring medieval representations and a 14th-century coat of arms, or to the museum dedicated to ancient building techniques. Then stroll to the parish priest's garden with its discoidal steles, or past the facade of the former château seigneurial. A fragment of a Latin funerary inscription from the Gallo-Roman era was discovered in a burial cave in 1820, dating the remains to 2000 BC. The link is thus made with the village's name, for although the name Aragon has a connection with Spanish territory, it is thought to have Greco-Celtic roots meaning "near a place of battle". The village has an extremely rich history, as the Aragon family, supporters of the Cathar cause, were dispossessed of all their possessions, and the village became part of the royal domain. The "Our Village, Land of the Future" label, awarded in 2007, crowns the sustainable development actions implemented to improve the living environment and quality of life in Aragon.