Saint-Martin-le-Vieil

• The remains of the castle, but also the many "cruzels", troglodyte habitats.
• A garden in volume, of medieval inspiration, honors the stone and multiple Mediterranean plants.
• Three marked hiking trails allow you to explore the surroundings and in particular to join the visit of the village to that of the abbey by a forest trail.
• The castle :

• It is mentioned as early as 1180. From its long history it must be remembered that this castle of which there are only two towers was given by Simon de Monfort to the Abbey of Villelongue in 1213. It is ravaged during the wars of religion (1578), rebuilt in 1676 as shown on the date on one of the sides of the tower. It seems that in 1759 he still possessed his moat and three towers, one of which was certainly used in the 1870s to build the town hall and school.
• Among the coseigneurs of Saint Martin, let us quote Raymond Forti (Le Fort or Lefort) whose title of glory was, by the name which it had acquired or during the Hundred Years War, to leave the black prince off the village while spreading terror throughout the region.
• The last lord of Saint Martin the Old was François-Alexandre Rocruse found drowned in the river Tenten on February 18, 1793.

• The abbey:

• It appears in the twelfth century (1152 according to some historians) transfer from the monastery of Compania located further north and more austere. It knows a boom with the crusade against Catharism in the thirteenth century. In particular Simon de Monfort grants him all the lands of Saint Martin le Vieil. It was plundered by the Protestants in 1568 and slowly decayed until 1789 when only two religious remained. Although confiscated in 1792, it was auctioned off and turned into a farm.
• It is classified as a Historic Monument in 1916 and is now part of the status "site - pole Cathar" since 2002 and receives about 6,000 visitors per year.

• The church:

• This parish church, dedicated to Saint Martin, is representative of a 14th century Gothic style remodeled in the 15th century. It houses a 14th century Gothic inferno, the tomb of Raymond the Strong and his wife Beatrice d'Eschau.
• Anecdotally, note that one of the two bells of the church was transported to the clock tower to punctuate the hours. Which tower is nothing but a barbican, that is to say a defensive work at the foot of the castrum.

• The Cruzels:

• This term refers to underground cavities that occupy the southern and northern flanks of the rocky outcrop that constitutes the primitive village, or about 35 "cruzels" with 10 to 150 m² surface area. These cavities were dug from the ninth century either as a refuge or as a dwelling.
• Each year for eleven years, the town has organized an "international conference on troglodyte sites", bringing together researchers and PhD students.

Saint-Martin allows its location to visit many sites nearby. Visit the Cathar castles and Saissac Lastours. Visit the giant pit of Cabrespine and cave of Limousis. Book village of Montolieu, the paper mill Brousse and Villaret, Abbey of St. Papoul, and of course the castle and ramparts of Carcassonne.

Many equestrian centers offer horse riding (Alzonne, Moussoulens, Montolieu...). The nautical base of Saint- Ferreol allows swimming and practicing water sports. The Australian park Carcassonne, Castans llama for animal lovers. It is also possible to make ropes to Lake Cavayère in Carcassonne. The heated pool Montolieu welcomes swimmers all summer.