3 Hidden Gems in Occitanie, France: Off the Beaten Path

In 2016, France created Occitanie from two smaller regions: Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées. Its name comes from Occitan, the historical language of southwestern France. Although this region is home to important cities like Narbonne (the first Roman colony in France) and Toulouse (the fourth largest city), it is primarily rural and hides many surprising gems. Below are three enticing locations to explore in Occitanie, France.

About 16 miles north of the Mediterranean town of Narbonne in the Haute-Languedoc Regional Nature Park, two deep canyons carved by the rivers Cesse and Brian skirt a rocky peninsula—an ideal spot for a well-protected settlement. The first settlers on the peninsula came about 6,000 years ago, during the Neolithic age. They erected at least 100 monumental stone tombs called dolmen. Today, adventurous visitors can still discover about 28 of these ancient wonders scattered throughout the rugged terrain surrounding the current village of Minerve (Menerba in Occitan).

The origin of the name Minerve is unclear. Some suggest it derives from a temple dedicated to  Minerva (goddess of wisdom, war, and the arts) located on this site in ancient Roman times. In the 5th century CE, Visigoth invaders grabbed Minerve from the Romans. They fortified the village with ramparts that still exist today. By the 12th century CE, Minerve had become the capital of the local region. The village now included the Romanesque Church of Saint-Etienne (housing the oldest altar still in use in all of France) and a castle in ruin today. The castle is called la candela (the candle) because the only remaining part is an ominous tower-shaped corner rising up like a lone candle against the sky.

For a month in 1210, the Crusaders surrounded Minerve. They used trebuchets to lob rocks at the town from the opposite sides of the canyons. A replica of the largest one, La Malvoisine (bad neighbor), sits menacingly across from the village today. When the bombardment destroyed the covered passageway to the well, depriving the townsfolk of water, they surrendered. The Crusaders spared those who renounced Catharism, but about 140 men and women chose to die instead. The Crusaders built a pyre in front of the Saint-Etienne church, and legend says the unrepentant Cathars leaped into the flames, singing.

The current rue des Martyres (The Martyrs Street) traces the Cathars’ route to the church where a commemorative sculpture by Jean-Luc Séverac sits today. Called the Dove of Light, the large carved stone contains the Occitan inscription als catars (meaning to the Cathars). With its narrow cobblestone streets, medieval architecture, and expansive views over the canyons, France designated Minerve as one of its most beautiful villages.

Only about 100 people live in Minerve today, but that doesn’t stop this mighty little village from being home to a surprisingly sophisticated restaurant—Relais Chantovent—recognized by Michelin for its delicious gourmet fare—a combination of tradition and refinement. This charming village also has two small museums. The Museum of Archaeology and Paleontology, Musée archéologique de Minerve, displays artifacts dating back 6,000 years and offers a guided tour of the town’s Romanesque church with its unique 5th-century altar.

The Musée Hurepel de Minerve retells the fascinating history of the Cathars and the Albigensian Crusade through a series of clay figurine tableaux. And if you’re into wine, Minerve is the capital of the Minervois wine region, which has been producing wine since at least Roman times. There’s so much to explore here.

2. Abbaye de Fontfroide

The Abbaye de Fontfroide (cold water fountain) is about 24 miles southwest of Minerve and hidden from the world in a lush natural setting. Benedictine monks founded the abbey in the 11th century CE, and the Cistercians took it over in the 12th century. The Cistercians were at the forefront of the Catholic efforts to convert the Cathars.

In fact, the assassination of a monk from Fontfroide, Pierre de Castelnau, triggered the Albigensian Crusade. The Black Death almost wiped out the monastery in the 14th century CE, and the French Revolution shut it down in the 18th. The abbey was re-founded in the mid-19th century, again by Cistercians, only to be completely abandoned at the turn of the 20th century.

In 1908, the artist Gustave Fayet and his wife Madeleine bought the abbey to live in, restore, and use as an art center. Fayet began his art career as an Impressionist. Later, under the influence of the artists Gauguin and Redon, his works evolved into Synthetism—a painting style interested in nature but focused more on the arrangement of flat, bold color patterns. Today, you can see Fayet’s work online at the Musée d’Art Gustave Fayet à Fontfroide.

In addition to making art and restoring the abbey, Fayet collected artworks, including pieces by Matisse, Van Gogh, Cézanne, and Gauguin. Over time, the abbey became a gathering place for Fayet’s fellow artists. When Odilon Redon went to Fontfroide in 1910, he found the abbey’s massive stone walls frightening.

So, Fayet commissioned him to create a painting to make the future library more welcoming. Redon produced a monumental triptych, Day, Night, and Silence, which still hangs in the library today but is available for viewing only once a month. Fayet also commissioned his friend Richard Burgsthal to replace the colorless windows of the abbey’s church with brilliant stained glass. Burgsthal began the work in 1913 but didn’t complete it until 1925 after Fayet died.

The stained glass in the abbey’s ‘lay brothers’ dormitory represents another commission by Burgsthal. At close inspection, the windows look like jigsaw puzzles with all the pieces askew—a knee here, an arm there, bits of faces everywhere. Burgsthal made these windows with fragments of ancient stained glass recovered from bombed churches after World War I. The jumbled imagery is compelling and disturbing, becoming even more chilling once the origin of the glass is known.

The abbey is still co-owned by Fayet’s descendants, who care for its artistic legacy and continued restoration. Roaming the oppressive stone corridors of the compound and climbing the cold, massive staircase today, one can easily envision the stark existence of medieval monks. But outside in the serene cloisters or on the garden terraces, the peaceful beauty of their lives sweetens the vision.

The abbey grounds include a fine restaurant, Table de Fontfroide, offering elegant Mediterranean dishes prepared with local produce. The grounds also accommodate a bookstore/boutique and a wine-tasting cellar where you can savor the excellent monastery wine, just like the monks did so long ago.

3. Rennes-le-Château

Perched on a remote hill about 50 miles southwest of Fontfroide, the village of Rennes-le-Château hides a secret, not from its ancient past (though its origin is shrouded in mystery) but from a more recent time—the 19th century. In 1885, the Catholic Church assigned François Bérenger Saunière to be the parish priest for the obscure community of Rennes-le-Château. His church needed urgent repair, so he set out to restore it through donations and a village loan—all on the up and up.

But soon, the story got strange. According to the church bellringer, he discovered a paper signed by the previous priest and gave it to Saunière. He later told his grandson he didn’t know then, but it was the key to Saunière’s subsequent riches. About the same time the signed paper was discovered, some workmen found gold coins in the church. When they gave them to Saunière, he dismissed them as worthless but carefully locked them away as the workers left. Also, around that time, the village council began receiving the most peculiar complaints. Saunière and his maid Marie Dénarnaud were digging in the graveyard at night.

Not long after these curious events, Saunière’s spending increased dramatically until his total recorded lifetime expenditures reached 660,000 francs (almost $3 million today). His salary as a priest was 900 francs a year. In 1897, Saunière completed his church restorations, which included a new altar, new stained-glass windows, and several sculptures commissioned from Giscard, a prestigious artist in Toulouse.

The most curious of the many sculptures Saunière ordered was the base of the holy water font next to the church’s entrance. Although not totally unheard of, it was a very odd choice. The base represents a terrifying-looking devil. In 1898, Saunière bought several plots of land and began constructing an impressive estate. This included the Neo-Renaissance Villa Béthania, which he claimed was intended as a home for retired priests but was used instead for lavish entertainment.

He also built a Belvedere with an imposing Neo-Gothic stone tower at one end. He called the tower Tour Magdala and furnished it with custom-made cabinetry to house his personal library. At the other end of the Belvedere, he built an elegant Orangerie.

The whole construction—Tour Magdala, Belvedere, Orangerie—offers commanding views across the valley. An inviting garden between the Villa Béthania and the Belvedere completes his grandiose vision. But the estate did not belong to Saunière. He recorded it in the name of his maid, Marie Dénarnaud. It appears she was much more than just a housekeeper and fellow grave digger.

By 1906, Saunière’s extravagant lifestyle had raised enough eyebrows that the church demanded to know his income source. He refused to comply, and after a long legal battle, the church banished him from the priesthood in 1915. Saunière died in 1917, never revealing the source of his fortune. Marie died 36 years later and took the secret to her grave. Could there be a buried treasure in Rennes-le-Chateau? Conspiracy theories abound.

After experiencing the village with its unique outdoor sculptures by Zimmerman Urs, the church with its “devil font,” and Saunière’s estate/museum, you might want to grab a table on the terrace at Le Jardin de Marie. Here, you can contemplate Saunière’s story over a tasty meal, or maybe even concoct a conspiracy theory of your own.