The Sainte-Eugénie Church in Souanyas is a small Romanesque building with a single nave, a pointed barrel vault and a semicircular apse.
Souanyas is part of the official Autour de Prades tourism area, which is presented as a destination with Romanesque heritage, villages located on elevated sites and nature at the foot of Canigó.
Renting a holiday apartment in Souanyas can form part of your personal stay planning.
Culture and history
The Sainte-Eugénie Church is built of slate and emerged from two successive construction campaigns. Inside are several pieces from the 14th century, including a wrought-iron chandelier and the central statue of the high altar reredos. There is also a bell wheel and a baptismal font.
The Chapel of Saint Fructueux in Marians was first mentioned in 1413. The small single-nave building has an east-facing apse, a continuous barrel vault and a calotte.
The church in Marians contains a rosary reredos with ten paintings and a statue of the Virgin and Child.
Around 1340, the Viscount of Evol, a supporter of the King of Mallorca, had a castle built near the church in Souanyas. The castle was built to withstand attacks by the King of Aragon. The protection provided by the castle is considered the true starting point of the village of Souanyas; at the same time, the village benefited from the castle's protection.
Landscape
Around the villages of Marians and Souanyas are meadows crossed by dense hedges of deciduous trees. Together, they form a bocage landscape above the valleys, with occasional distant views between the trees.
Hiking
The “Nyer, Pas du Grau, la Serre, Sounyas, Marians” hike passes through Souanyas and Marians above Olette.
After the car park, the route leads left onto the Sentier des Chemins de l'histoire and the chemin rural de la Serre.
More location pages: Palau-de-Cerdagne, Collioure, Estoher, Pollestres, Claira, Saint-André, Tordères, Serralongue
