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Origin and history

The castral complex of Saint-Michel de Mourcairol, located in Les Aires, is a medieval vestige of the 12th century, although the castle was mentioned in 990. This site includes the ruins of a castle, a missing castral chapel, and a parish church Saint-Michel, cited in 1182 in an agreement between the Saint-Nazaire chapter of Béziers and the Abbey of Villemagne. The medieval village, surrounded by ellipse ramparts (800 to 900 m), also housed a square tower and various buildings, now partially preserved.

After the Albige crusade, the seigneury of Mourcairol seems to return to the king and then inferred to various lords. The Romanesque chapel, with a narrow nave and semicircular apse, underwent modifications in the 19th century (door and bell). The outer enclosure, less ancient than the castle, surrounded the village with the latter. The current remains include facades of the chapel and elements of the castral ensemble, protected by inscriptions to the Historical Monuments in 1963 and 2014.

The site, owned by the Commune des Aires (Herault), preserves traces of its past as a place of pilgrimage and fortress. The ramparts, although partially erased, still draw the perimeter of the former city. The chapel Saint-Michel, although remodeled, remains a testimony of local Romanesque architecture. The successive excavations and protections underline the historical importance of this castellas in the medieval organisation of Languedoc.

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