Camélas, France: travel guide to the Aspres village and the cradle of Castelnou

Camélas is a quiet village in the Pyrénées-Orientales department of southern France, set among the arid hills of the Aspres on the edge of the Roussillon plain, in the heart of French Catalonia. A small community of a few hundred people gathered around its church and winding lanes, it is a peaceful spot with a surprising place in the medieval history of the region.

For travellers searching for Camélas, the Aspres, Romanesque churches in Roussillon or villages near Castelnou, it offers genuine Catalan heritage away from the crowds.

History

It was the lords of Camélas who, at the end of the 10th century, built the nearby castle of Castelnou, which became the seat of a powerful viscounty. In the 12th century the family fortified Camélas itself, and the ruins of its hilltop castle can still be seen above the village. This long history has left Camélas with a strong sense of its Catalan and feudal past.

Main sights

The village's chief monument is its Romanesque church, dating from the 11th century, notable for its doorway of pink marble. Set in the Aspres, the dry, stony hills between the valleys of the Têt and the Tech, Camélas enjoys fine views towards the snow-capped Canigó, the sacred mountain of Catalonia, and lies beside Castelnou, one of the officially listed most beautiful villages of France.

Practical information

Camélas lies about 18 kilometres south-west of Perpignan and only a few kilometres from the town of Thuir, famous for its wine cellars, and from the medieval village of Castelnou, making it an easy and rewarding detour in the Catalan hinterland.