Tourouzelle, a village in the Minervois

Tourouzelle is a small village in the Aude department, between the Minervois and the Corbières, near Lézignan-Corbières. It has just under 500 inhabitants. Its ochre houses, the remains of its ramparts and the surrounding garrigue make it a quiet stop, a few kilometres from the Canal du Midi.

A little history

Traces of early settlement have been found near a Roman road, at a place called the Camp des Sarrazins. In the Middle Ages, the villagers gathered behind walls to protect themselves from armed bands. In 1355, the Black Prince’s troops burned the village. A battle was fought here again in 1590, during the Wars of Religion. In the late 19th century, the vineyards drew many workers: the village had more than 1,100 inhabitants in 1881.

Heritage

The north gate of the old ramparts, the main remnant of the fortifications.
The castle, built on a rocky mound, and the fortified church attached to it.
The Sainte-Cécile chapel, a Romanesque hermitage on the road to Castelnau-d’Aude, where a pilgrimage takes place every year.
Carved houses, such as the Contenson house, decorated with a scallop shell.

Walking around the village

The Pinède de la Bade and dry-stone trail is a loop of about 12 km starting from the village. It crosses vineyards, garrigue and pine woods, passes the Sainte-Cécile chapel and many dry-stone shelters and sheepfolds. Along the way you pass the “Delfour marker”, a pile of stones built long ago by a winegrower so his children could find their way home. Since the 1950s, a village family has added a stone in his memory. The highest point in the commune, at La Bade, is 144 m.

Around Tourouzelle

The Canal du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage site: walks or bike rides along the banks, boat hire at the port of Homps.
Lac de Jouarres, near Homps, for swimming and water sports in summer.
The Argent-Double spillway, at La Redorte, a Canal du Midi structure that sends overflow water into the river.
Minerve, listed among the most beautiful villages in France, perched between two gorges.
La Livinière, a renowned wine village of the Minervois.
The Cité de Carcassonne and Narbonne, less than an hour’s drive away.

Wine

Tourouzelle is surrounded by vineyards. Several estates in the area open their cellars for tastings: ask at the Corbières Minervois tourist office in Lézignan-Corbières.

Elsewhere in Occitanie

The Cité de Carcassonne, a fortified medieval town.
The Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct.
The Canal du Midi, from Toulouse to the Thau lagoon.
The Causses and the Cévennes.
The Vauban fortifications, as at Villefranche-de-Conflent.
The Way of St James pilgrim routes.
The Pic du Midi and the Cirque de Gavarnie, in the Pyrenees.

Practical information

Getting there: by car from Lézignan-Corbières; the nearest stations are Lézignan-Corbières, Carcassonne and Narbonne.
Area: about 14 km², between 28 and 144 m above sea level.
Town website: tourouzelle.fr.