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CASTELLAS DE BOUSSAGUES
Castles and defences
in La Tour-sur-Orb
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Construction of the Castellas (or High Castle) dates back to the 11th-12th centuries, at a time when fortified castles were flourishing in the region. The complex comprised an imposing quadrangular keep, a chapel and a courtyard with an orchard, and was supplied by an ingenious water supply system. Integrated into the rampart at the highest point of the village, the Castellas was at the heart of Boussagues' defensive system. The two-storey keep, with its two-metre-thick walls, was surmounted...
Construction of the Castellas (or High Castle) dates back to the 11th-12th centuries, at a time when fortified castles were flourishing in the region. The complex comprised an imposing quadrangular keep, a chapel and a courtyard with an orchard, and was supplied by an ingenious water supply system. Integrated into the rampart at the highest point of the village, the Castellas was at the heart of Boussagues' defensive system. The two-storey keep, with its two-metre-thick walls, was surmounted by a covered walkway accessed by a very narrow staircase. The Castellas may have been in optical communication with the fortress of Dio, visible from the sentry walk (it's possible that Mont Caubel was razed at its summit to ensure the passage of the light beam). It was in the courtyard of the Castellas that the Consuls of Boussagues were elected. Today, the site is privately owned.