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Origin and history

The Castillet, or Castellet in Catalan, is a historical monument of Perpignan which served as a city gate, defensive fortress and state prison. Built in three distinct phases, it consists of the Grand Castillet (1368), the Porte Notre-Dame or Petit Castillet (1481-1485), and a polygonal bastion (1542). Its unique military architecture, combining Moorish and medieval influences, makes it a symbol of the city. It is now listed as a Historical Monument and houses the Catalan Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions, called Casa Pairal.

The Grand Castillet was erected in 1368 under the command of the Infant Jean d'Aragon by the master builder Guillaume Gatard, to replace the old door of the Vernet and strengthen the city's defences. Designed as a castle, it included a drawbridge and thick 3.5-metre walls at the base. After Louis XI's ephemeral occupation of the Roussillon, the Castillet lost its defensive role and was transformed into a state prison, with fenced windows and dungeons in its basements.

In 1478, the Petit Castillet was joined to the Grand Castillet to maintain an exit to the suburbs of the Vernet, while the city was under French domination. This new element, called Portal de Nostra Dona del Pont, was harmonized with existing Aragonese architecture. In 1542 Charles Quint added a polygonal bastion in front of the Grand Castillet, using the materials of the Notre-Dame du Pont chapel, demolished for strategic reasons. A statue of the Virgin, originally placed in this chapel, was then incorporated into the façade of the Castillet.

In the 17th century, Vauban strengthened the bastion and put the Castillet in a state of defence, while a Guard Corps was built on the south side (demoli in 1843). In 1904, much of the walls of Perpignan were destroyed, insulating the Castillet. In the 20th century, it will successively house the municipal archives and, from 1963 onwards, the Catalan Museum of Folk Arts and Traditions. His story also includes a macabre riddle: in 1948, the skeleton of a child, probably dating from the late 19th century, was discovered in a small of the Petit Castillet, without his identity ever being elucidated.

The Castillet illustrates the architectural and political developments of Perpignan, marked by the changes of domination between Aragon, France and Spain. Its style, combining bricks, pebbles and Gothic or Moorish elements, reflects the cultural influences of the region. Ranked a Historical Monument in 1889, it remains a major testimony of the military and prison history of the Roussillon, while playing today a cultural role through its ethnographic museum.

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