Thermes romains et source du Gros Escaldadou (Amélie-les-Bains)

Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda

Amélie-les-Bains keeps one of the oldest hot baths in Roussillon. In the baths, a fine hall vaulted in brick and limestone and its pool recall the ancient bath; specialists hesitate between the Antonine and Visigothic periods. Around 778-780 depending on the sources, an abbey, Sainte-Marie du Vallespir, settled in the ruins, before moving up to Arles-sur-Tech; in 869, a text still cites the church of Saint-Quentin ‘with the baths’. On 24 June 1845, the engineer officer Puiggari wrote that, during works at the main spring, the Gros Escaldadou, ‘the great scalder’ in Catalan, about forty coins and six lead strips covered with very fine writing were taken from a crack in the granite. A reading of 1893 guesses in them a prayer to the ‘Kantae Niskae’: ‘we pray you, heal us’. These words might name spring nymphs, but the lead strips, lost in 1849, survive only through copies that a linguist judges unverifiable. In 1815, Hermabessière bought back the Roman baths; the town became Amélie-les-Bains in 1840, in honour of the queen. The remains have been listed since 1905.

Tourisme Pyrénées-Orientales — Thermes romains d'Amélie-les-Bains ↗

Getting there: Roman baths, place Arago, at Amélie-les-Bains; the tourist office indicates a free visit, with guided tours of the baths, from 29 January to 5 December 2026 (times not guaranteed). No bathing is announced in the ancient part. The building belongs to a private company (Mérimée). Coordinates: ‘Thermes Romains’ building in OpenStreetMap; the exact position of the Gros Escaldadou was not found.

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

Ambient sound