Alet les Bains Day 3

Today we drove to the Rennes les Bain and stopped at the river with the dragonfly stone for morning tea. I wonder who carved this stone and how long ago?

We then drove on to where the Saiz and the Blanc rivers merge at the Fontain des Amours, a merge of the Divine Feminine and masculine. We chanted a lovely song about from love springs the well, and had a ceremony to what it is we wish to take from this place and time.

Here is the part of the river where I actually got into the really cold water and immersed myself fully in the water. I collected water from this part of the river and collected a rock to bring home in memory of the new person that emerged from the waters.

Here the rose petals from our gardens at the hotel have floated down the river to continue their journey.

Here was the remains of the buildings by the river where it is believed that Mary did her water blessings etc.

Even further down the river a rose petal from our ceremony.

We had lunch then drove on to another area in Rennes les Bain where the Isis seat is located. As we climbed the hill I had such a sense of Glastonbury walking up one of the paths to the Tor. When we arrived at the top there was a spring where the mixing of the red and white waters comes to the surface. The red water comes down the hill out of the ground with the iron oxide in it and the white water comes up through the ground from a natural spring. I collected some water to take home from here.

One the walk up to the Isis Seat we passed this cottage with the Cathar Cross carved into the shutters.

The Cathar cross is also carved at the back of the seat, which is estimated to be about 2,000 years old, however the chair itself is estimated to be 5,000 years old.

Where the water emerged mixed together.

We went to a local restaurant for dinner and walking from the car we passed this amazing bridge which looked so beautiful set in the lush green of its surrounds.

Alet les Bains Day 2

Today we went to the Castle of Puilaurens is one of the so-called Cathar castles in the commune of Lapradelle-Puilaurens. The castle stands on a spur of rock above the Boulzane Valley and the villages of Lapradelle and Puilaurens.

The castle here had belonged to the Abbey of Saint-Michel de Cuxa before it was acquired by the Queen of Aragon in 1162. As Aragonese property it was outside the territory ravaged by the Crusaders during the Cathar wars. Like Queribus it therefore provided a refuge for those fleeing from the invading forces. Those who took refuge there included both Cathars and faidits, that is to say those who had forfeited their property because of their opposition to the invaders. These faidits included high nobles, such as Guillaume de Peyrepertuse.

Puilaurens was ceded to the French some time before 1255. After 1258 its possession by the French crown was ratified by the Treaty of Corbeil, when the Aragonese border was moved south. In 1260, it was garrisoned by 25 sergeants. It was taken by Spanish troops in 1635, but lost all strategic importance after the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659 when the border was moved even further south to its present position along the crest of the Pyrenees.

In the 13th century it belonged to the Lords of Fenouillet. Defended by Pierre Catala and, more importantly, by Guillaume de Peyrepertuse, it withstood attack by Simon de Montfort and his successors until the end of the crusades. After 1243, its owner was Roger Catala, Pierre's son, but it was defended, like Quéribus, by Chabert de Barbaira, a Cathar military commander who was the last person to defend the Occitan cause.

Numerous Cathar deacons sought refuge here after the fall of Montsegur. It is thought that the castle was finally forced to surrender (probably around the same time as Queribus) c.1255.

After a picnic lunch we went to the Gorge de Galamus where the waters of the Agly & Eagle Rivers dug the limestone walls over 500 metres deep to reach the Mediterranean. This is where St Antoine founded a hermitage in 1395, previously it was a teaching cave of the Magdalene now a simple chapel where water collects behind the altar.

Alet les Bains Day 1

Today Jacqui picked us up at 8.30am and drove us to Alet les Bains our home of the retreat for the next 12 days. Once we arrived Jenny was already here and strolled through the village showing us all the sites in the morning and we returned to our hotel for some lunch.

This is the island in the middle of the Aude River, which is said to have been a Druid Island in the past.

The little bridge going onto the island from the village.

Natural springs here were known in ancient  times and according to local tradition both Charlemagne and Nostradamus favoured the water here. In 1886 The French Ministry of Health acknowledged its virtues and granted official authorisation to bottle it. Water here has been bottled and sold for more than 120 years, putting it among the oldest brands in France.

There is a pool where the spring water comes through about 30cm deep in which there are a dozen square sloped stones where the local women come to wash still to this day. Behind the pool are four large basins and water flows into them from spouts in the wall. This is where people collect the water to take home and drink.

There is a spa pool however this is not open at the moment, however a few of us did go down and sit on the washing rocks with our legs in the water which was I am told 23 degrees so very nice.

The waters here are reputed to be good for the treatment of digestive disorders and metabolic afflictions - obesity, diabetes, gastritis and colitis. Some say that it was his digestive problems that brought Charlemagne here.

This is a view of the pont to the village over the Aude River.

Abbaye Sainte-Marie d'Alet (more commonly known as the Abbey of Alet les Bains), considered by some to be the most beautiful ruin in France. Founded circa 813 AD and consecrated to the Virgin Mary, the monks of the abbey adopted the Benedictine rule. The abbey was damaged by the attacks of the count of Carcassone in the 11th century, but survived due to its relics of the True Cross which attracted pilgrims. Repair and further construction were undertaken in the latter 12th century, including the addition of defensive walls and trenches in 1197.

In 1318, during the stormy period of the Cathar Crusade, the abbey church became a cathedral. A Gothic choir was added. In 1577, the abbey was destroyed by Protestants during the Wars of Religion. It was never completely rebuilt, and what remained of the abbey was further destroyed in 1792.

Of the original abbey, remains of two towers can still be seen, St. Michael's Tower (north) and Notre-Dame Tower (south). The small chancel is well-preserved. The pillar capitals are ornately decorated with vegetation and geometric patterns.

The abbey is next door and within the grounds of our retreat hotel. 

The village itself is so quiet and charming. The age of the buildings so old offering you so many hidden treasures at every glance.

By the main square with its statue of Athene, is the house where Nostradamus used to live, the home of his grandparents. Nostradamus (Michel de Nostradame) lived from 1503-1566. His writings are thought to predict events in world history far into the future with a remarkable degree of accuracy, according to some. 

Nostradamus spent his student years not far away, in Avignon and Montpelier. It is during this time that Nostradamus may well have had a logical reason to live in Alet. The plague has closed his school in Avignon. He then went into the countryside researching herbal cures. Perhaps tying these to the reputed cures attributed to the thermal waters at Alet les Bains is not unreasonable.

It is also possible that at the end of his life Nostradamus might have had a logical reason to stay in Alet. Nostradamus is known to have been afflicted with gout in his later years. It does not appear that common treatments for gout worked too well. It is certainly possible that he may have come to Alet to seek temporary relief from the pain in the thermal waters. 

The Eglise St Andre

Looking down into the grounds of our hotel.

Standing on the pont looking into the village.

The Hotel and grounds, there are roses growing everywhere, it is so green and peaceful, just the perfect tranquil setting for a retreat such as this.