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Origin and history

The Bastida, also called Bastida Nova, was built between 1335 and 1345 by Jean de So, Viscount of So, on the banks of the Tet in Olette. This 25-metre square castle, flanked by circular towers at the southeast and southwest angles, served as a strategic centre for its lands. In 1345, after the defeat of James III of Majorca against Peter IV of Aragon, John of So had to submit to the latter, losing the vicount of Flight, before his property was partially returned to his sons in 1351.

In the 15th century, the site was enriched with a chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, built between 1413 and 1428 by William of So, son of Bernard. A village developed around the enclosure, housing up to a hundred inhabitants. However, the Bastida was bombed in 1674 and considered demolished in 1680. In 1820, the owner had the last buildings shaved, keeping only the two towers still visible today.

The ruins, protected since 1927 as historical monuments, bear witness to the medieval Catalan military architecture. The site initially consisted of ditches, an esplanade, and a dwelling house backed by the eastern wall. Today, only the remains of the towers and some walls remain, recalling its defensive and residential role under the Viscounts of So and the kings of Aragon.

The Bastida illustrates the political conflicts of the late Middle Ages in Roussillon, between the crowns of Aragon and Majorca, then its gradual integration into the French royal domain. Its decline in the seventeenth century reflects the strategic and urban transformations of the region, where the fortified bastides lost their usefulness in the face of modern artillery.

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