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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

Roquefixade Castle, also called Lo Castèl de Roca-Fissada en Occitan, is an ancient castle called "cathare" of the eleventh century, now in ruins. Its remains stand on a limestone spur 400 meters northwest of the village of Roquefixade, in the department of Ariège (Occitanie). Its name evokes the rocky fault that it spans through a vault, geological characteristic of the site. Ranked a historic monument in 1995, it illustrates medieval military architecture linked to the Cathar epic.

The castle was first mentioned in 1034 and became a fief of the lords of Pailhès. In the 13th century, he played a key role in the Albige resistance: Simon de Montfort took over in 1212 after burning the village. In 1272 King Philip III the Hardi seized him to the Count of Foix Roger-Bernard III, installed a royal garrison there (1278) and strengthened his fortifications to monitor the Aragonese border. The site was restored to the Counts of Foix in 1463 by Louis XI.

Between the 15th and 16th centuries, the castle underwent reshuffles before being destroyed in 1632 by order of Louis XIII, after his participation in the Languedoc uprising led by Henry II of Montmorency. Sold as a national asset at the Revolution, its remains – including a dungeon and two enclosures – recall its strategic past. The site, owned by the municipality, is now accessible to visitors.

Its architecture is marked by an entrance castle, a central courtyard and an arch overlooking the rocky rift. The dungeon, re-established in the 14th century, dominates the whole. The castle symbolizes the struggles between local authorities, French kingship and the Cathar movement, as well as the military transformations of the 12th-17th centuries.

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