Fanjeaux et le Seignadou

Fanjeaux

Fanjeaux occupies a promontory that overlooks the whole Lauragais: from the Seignadou terrace one sees the plain, the Montagne Noire to the north and the chain of the Pyrenees to the south. A former oppidum that became a castrum, the village in the 12th century counted some fifty noble families and was regarded as one of the strongholds of Catharism in the region, under the joint authority of the lady Na Cavaers and Guillaume de Durfort. It was here that Dominic de Guzmán settled: the sources agree on a presence between 1206 and 1215, and it is known that in 1214 he was parish priest of Fanjeaux. The name of the promontory — Seignadou, "the place of the sign" — comes from a legend which the monastery of Prouilhe itself dates to the 17th century, four centuries after the supposed events: Dominic, at prayer, is said to have seen a globe of fire descend on the hamlet of Prouilhe, below, marking the site of the future monastery. The famous trial by fire, in which Dominic's writings are said to have escaped the flames three times while those of his Cathar opponent burned, is likewise a hagiographical tale: the medieval sources agree neither on the place — Fanjeaux according to Jordan of Saxony, Montréal according to Peter of Les Vaux-de-Cernay — nor on the details. A beam held to be that of the event was solemnly carried into the church in 1820: the translation is documented, the authenticity of the beam is not. Visitors can see the 14th-century church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, whose bell tower with two octagonal storeys has been listed since 1908 and the church since 1921, and the so-called house of Saint Dominic, fitted out as an oratory by the Dominicans, with its stained glass by Jean Hugo — though no document attests that he actually lived there, as the village itself acknowledges.

Histoire de Fanjeaux — site municipal ↗

Getting there : A61 motorway, exit 22 Bram, then follow signs for Foix-Fanjeaux. Railway stations at Bram, Castelnaudary (15 km) and Carcassonne (25 km). Fanjeaux is also a halt on the GR 78, the Pyrenean Piedmont route to Compostela. The Seignadou is a panoramic terrace with free access, wheelchair-accessible according to OpenStreetMap. The church of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption and the so-called house of Saint Dominic can also be visited. The Dominican nuns' convent is an active community: the enclosure is not open to the public. Tourist office, 6 place du Treil, 04 68 24 75 45.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound