Castel-Fizel et son trésor enfoui

Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes

On a rocky peak above Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes, a large section of wall and the remains of a tower are left: this is all that survives of Castel-Fizel, fortress of the counts of Fenouillèdes. Louis Fédié, in his book of 1880 on the county of Razès, tells that after the Albigensian war the king's commissioners claimed it as an ancient stronghold of the Visigothic kings. The Spaniards then dismantled it, in the 17th century. But he also notes a very old local tradition: a treasure is said to be buried in the castle's underground passages. For some, it belonged to the Saracens, who could not carry it off when they were driven beyond the Pyrenees. Others say it is of Spanish origin. Excavations have taken place several times within the enclosure. A cistern, of which a few remains can still be seen at the foot of a piece of rampart, was dug out and re-dug about a century before Fédié. Nothing was found. Yet, he writes, many people in the Fenouillèdes still believe ‘with a robust faith’ in the treasure. Fédié cites no old document for this belief: it therefore cannot be dated.

Louis Fédié, Le comté de Razès et le diocèse d'Alet, Carcassonne, 1880 — texte intégral (Internet Archive) ↗

Getting there: The ‘Tour de Castel Fizel’ appears on OpenStreetMap near the road D 9, south of Caudiès-de-Fenouillèdes, on a peak overlooking the Boulzane valley. Access path, state of the ruins and status of the land not verified.

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

Ambient sound