Château d’Arques

The territory of Arch and its valley were located in the Carolingian period in a wide range with its capital at Rennes le Chateau, on the edge of Razes and Termenès. During the Albigensian Crusade Simon de Montfort seized and pillaged Arques, circa 1210. Thereafter he gave the manor as a reward to his lieutenant, Pierre de Voisins. But it is in 1280 that Gilles, his son began building the castle, which ends around 1310, by his grand-son Gilles II. During the Revolution, the castle was sold as national property and suffered some damage, it is classified a historical monument in 1887. The tower has become communal property in 1910. The square tower, virtually intact, is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture in the military. 11m square and 25m high, it rises in the center of the enclosure and consists of four levels. The first two are vaulted arches, the third receives a floor and the last is the main floor of defense. The southwestern corner of the enclosure is occupied by the tower-house, which is currently visiting two levels.