Forty kilometres away from the South of Carcassonne , in the middle of the region of the Cathars, this village dominates the high valley of the Aude and the communes over Campagne-sur-Aude and Espéraza .

In the last century this village was still called Rennes. The naming changed to get a difference with the city called Rennes-les-Bains. This village has a past rich in History, indeed one found tracks of graves indeed have been discovered, dating from about 50 000 years before J.C.

At first occupied by the Gallic then the Romans in 121 before J.C., the Visigoths, at the beginning of the fifth century, created the fortified city called Rhedae "Capital of the county of Razès".

This village has been really many times invaded, (in 725 by the Saracens, in 1062 by the Francs). In 1062, Rhedae is at the height, it is said there would have been 30.000 inhabitants !

It was then given up successively to the Count of Barcelona (in 1067), of Foix and of Carcassonne (in 1130). From 1215 till 1360, Rhedae is again an important city, but in 1362, the city and the castle of Coustaussa are completely razed to the ground and destroyed by Simon de Montfort

In 1885, this small village counting no more than 298 inhabitants, obtained at last a period of good graces because of a abbot called abbot Saunière. From 1891, suddenly, the abbot started plenty of works, the renovation of his church, the arrangement of a park, the building of the Tower Library " Magdala ",which is a belvedere with a circular shape, a veranda with inside a winter-garden and a detached house called Béthania.

"But what is the secret of the sudden fortune of the Abbot Saunière?"

Photo : plaque of the Tourism Service of Rennes-le-Château and Text : Tourinfos