Montagne d’Alaric
- Moux
- Statue at the tomb of the poet Henri Bataille
This terroir is dominated by the long humped shape of the Montagne d’Alaric, like a huge animal brooding over the Aude valley between Narbonne and Carcassonne. The mountain is distinctive both for its shape and for the stripes of bare rock running along its length, the result of geological upheaval. On damp days, a halo of cloud sits on top of it: "Alaric porte son chapeau" ("Alaric is wearing his hat"). Why Alaric? The name refers to the Visigoth King Alaric II who fought some doughty battles against the Franks in the 5th century. Local rumour has it that he left a vast treasure buried in the caves beneath the mountain. For good measure, the riches of Solomon and Caesar are said to be buried there too.
Treasure or no treasure, at 600 metres the mountain offers the opportunity for a bracing walk (the GR77 waymarked path runs to the top of it) with a fabulous view at the end. It is possible to drive up to the summit via a long and winding rocky track from Moux, though we recommend a robust vehicle (and equally robust driver) for this. Once there, you will find a tower for firewatchers (an important occupation during the dry summer months).
- St Michel de Nahuze
- Chapel on the Montagne d’Alaric
On the south-east slope, overlooking the narrow, precipitous Gorge du Congoust, is the ruined chapel of St Michel de Nahuze. Until the 1940s pilgrimages from surrounding villages came up here to pray for rain in dry years. The ruins were partly restored in the 1970s by a workman from Lagrasse who came up daily with a donkey carrying tools and materials. The sheltered little valley below the chapel is full of wild flowers during the spring.
- Fontcouverte
Most of the villages in this terroir are on the main road (the N113) which runs along the Aude valley from Lézignan to Carcassonne, parallel to the motorway. Fontcouverte is an exception, lying just off it. It has a pretty little square with a café, a fountain, a church, and a château.
- Moux
- Clock
Moux’s claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of the poet Henry Bataille (1872—1922); his tomb, on the outskirts of the village, is adorned by a particularly gruesome skeletal statue.
Floure, another attractive little village tucked away off the main road, also has its poet: Gaston Bonheur (1923—1980). He founded a surrealist magazine, Choc, wrote novels, made wine, and found time to be director of Paris-Match as well. His home was in the château, which started life as an abbey in the middle ages and was converted to a country house during the Renaissance. It is now a hotel and houses a restaurant called Le Poète Disparu. As if that weren’t enough you can also taste wine there.
Capendu, the largest village in this terroir, is in the local tradition of circular defended villages on a large scale. At the centre is a hump of rock on which stands the ruined choir of the 13th century chapel, all that now remains of Capendu’s medieval castle. The nineteenth-century church which replaced it huddles rather shamefacedly to one side. Bed-and-breakfast accommodation in a converted 19th-century winery is available at Le Relais Occitan.
At Douzens, a village adorned with windmills, there is a museum of birds, insects, and butterflies.
