Força Réal et son ermitage

Montner

From the terrace, the view turns through 360 degrees, from the Côte Vermeille to Cap Leucate and from the lagoon of Salses to the Corbières and the Conflent. The small white chapel has for its apsidiole the remains of a signal tower: on this Mont Ner, the 'black mountain' that has left its name to Montner, the kings of Aragon and then of Majorca, masters of the Roussillon after the treaty of Corbeil of 1258, had built a fort on one knoll and a watchtower on the other, between Salses and Opoul. The 'royal castle', Força Real in Catalan, is documented in 1322; Peter IV the Ceremonious occupied it in 1343 when he put an end to the kingdom of Majorca. It was no more than a lookout after the treaty of the Pyrenees, in 1659, had moved the border south of the Albères, and was dismantled in 1693. On 19 April of that year, Dona Joana de Ros, baroness of Montclar, granted the priest François Bobo, of Pézilla-la-Rivière, the right to raise a chapel to the Virgin there; the first bell was blessed on 23 June 1708 by the parish priest of Millas. A hermit lived there from his vines. In 1714, the parish of Millas instituted an annual procession to ward off the hailstorms that the tramontane drives onto the plain: the hermitage is a conjurador. Worship ceased in 1791; the people of Millas restored the chapel, blessed again on 23 October 1822.

Wikipédia — Força Réal ↗

Getting there : From Millas or Estagel, the D 612 crosses the Col de la Bataille (265 m); from there, the D 38 winds up to the car park below the hermitage, with a space reserved for people with reduced mobility. The summit can also be reached on foot by a waymarked path from Montner or Millas. Viewpoint indicator, Mediterranean botanical trail and free access; the chapel opens for the feasts of the evening of 14 August, of 8 September and of Good Friday.

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

Ambient sound