The church of Castella is a fortified building in the Flamboyant Gothic style, with an octagonal bell tower dating from the 14th century. It was built in the 14th century and is one of the region's rare Gothic churches. Since 2004, it has housed the fully restored former organ of the royal chapel of the Palace of Versailles.
Anyone planning a stay in Laroque-d'Olmes will want to rent a holiday apartment there.
Culture and history
The first known mention of the fortified settlement core of Laroque-d'Olmes dates back to 1145. A charter granted by Jean de Lévis on 14 February 1507 recognised the town's textile production. The historic textile economy included the manufacture of narrow green fabrics in fourteen shades, which were transported via Chalabre, Carcassonne and the port of Marseille towards the Levant.
Laroque-d'Olmes Castle was destroyed in 1212 by crusaders from the north. The Saint Roch Chapel was built following the plague of 1549.
Notre-Dame Chapel has a single-nave body, a semi-pentagonal apse and ten stained-glass windows. It is located northeast of the town centre, opposite the cemetery and east of it on the other side of the Touyre River; at this point, a footbridge allows pedestrians to cross.
Landscape
The viewpoint at Saint Roch Chapel offers a 180-degree panoramic view of Lac de Montbel, the Aude and the peaks of the Tabe Massif. The Castella Plateau is the highest point in Laroque-d'Olmes and offers panoramic views across the plain, beyond the Plantaurel as far as Montségur and Saint-Barthélémy, as well as of the Pyrenees.
The Castella viewpoint has an orientation table and panels interpreting the landscape. The remains of the former Castella castle wall are among the sights that can be visited.
Hiking trails
Saint Roch Chapel can be reached from the Castella Plateau via a walk of approximately 15 minutes each way. The hike through the Touyre and Hers valleys begins at the outskirts of Laroque-d'Olmes, follows the Touyre River and then reaches the Voie verte as far as the village of Dreuilhe.
The “La chapelle Saint Roch” hike follows the shaded section of the path to the village of Labastide-sur-l'Hers and then continues along the Voie verte des Pyrénées Cathares to Laroque-d'Olmes.
