Bastide de Chalabre

Chalabre

In the valley of the Hers-Vif, on the borders of the Aude and the Ariège, Chalabre is the capital of the Kercorb. The village existed before the 12th century on lands of the Trencavel house; after the Albigensian Crusade it fell to Pons de Bruyères, of a family that had come to Languedoc with Guy de Lévis. The town centre is a 13th-century bastide, on a perfectly square plan, which became an important centre of cloth production and took in Jewish merchants in the 14th century. Its ramparts, completed in 1350, formed a complete fortification. The lords' castle, in three parts of the 13th, 15th and 18th centuries, dominates the village, while the church of Saint-Pierre, dated 1552, and the grain market hall of 1775-1776 recall the prosperity of a small town that lived by textiles until the industrialisation of the 19th century.

Getting there : Village with free access; the castle has a paid, seasonal opening — enquire with the castle association. No market or tourist office documented in the texts.

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

Ambient sound