Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Auriac, mentioned in 1028, was built at the end of the 10th century in a territory initially entrusted in 865 by Charles II le Chauve to the Counts of Carcassonne. This strategic site, located on a rocky spur of the Corbières, controlled the routes between the Verdouble and Orbieu valleys, as well as the mineral resources exploited since Roman times. In 1070, Countess Rangarde de Carcassonne sold it to Raymond, Count of Barcelona, which marked its importance in feudal rivalries.

In the 12th century, the castle changed hands several times because of the conflicts between the Counts of Toulouse and Barcelona, as well as the moving alliances of the Viscounts of Carcassonne (Trencavel House). During the Albige crusade (c. 1210), the family of Auriac, supported by the Archbishop of Narbonne, resisted the encroachments of Simon de Montfort. In 1227, a papal bubble confirmed the restoration of the castle to the archbishop, after usurpations by the vassals of Montfort.

The Treaty of Corbeil (1258) between Louis IX and Jacques I of Aragon moved the border southward, reducing the strategic importance of Auriac. In the 15th century, the younger branch of the Pompadour, allied by marriage with the Auriac, partially restored the castle. Hélie de Pompadour and his wife Raymonde, granddaughter of the local lords, introduced Gothic elements. The ruins, classified in 1948, now bear witness to its dual role: frontier fortress and seigneurial residence.

Architecturally, the castle consisted of two concentric enclosures, dominated by a north dungeon today collapsed. The Romanesque house, rebuilt in the 15th century, was the jewel of the ensemble, while a chapel bordered a ravine where a waterfall, the highest of the Corbières, fell into the Orbieu. The southern defences, organized in chicane with a square tower on three levels, contrast with the absence of fortifications on the north side, protected by natural cliffs.

The decline of Auriac began after the Corbeil Treaty. In 1263 Bertrand's property was seized, and his widow Beranguière inherited it to repay his dowry. The map of Cassini (18th century) already describes it as ruined. His inscription in the Historical Monuments in 1948 saved his remains, now a mixed property (state and commune), but closed to the visit. The excavations and archives (papal bulls, Compoix de 1747) illuminate his turbulent history, linked to the struggles for the control of the Termenès.

External links