Bouilhonnac: Château, Churches and the GR78

Bouilhonnac combines a distinctive village layout with architectural history and hiking. If you are looking for a hotel in Bouilhonnac, the château, churches and GR78 can offer different points of focus for planning your trip.

Village layout and the Château de Bouilhonnac

The village is laid out in an amphitheatrical shape around the Château de Bouilhonnac, which was built at the end of the 15th century. The term describes the relationship between the village layout and the château: the Château is a historic building and also a focal point of the settlement’s design. It was formerly owned by the monks of Lagrasse Abbey; its construction period and former ownership reveal different aspects of its history. The Château includes a large round tower and an underground room. It also has the remains of a 15th-century chapel, which is protected as a historic monument. The Gothic chapel of the Château is 15.25 metres long and 6 metres wide. Its length is more than two and a half times its width, illustrating the proportions. The chapel ruins were listed as a historic monument by decree on 10 April 1948. This date refers to the listing, not to the construction period of the Château.

Church history and architectural forms

Church history includes an early dedication and a specific architectural form. The original church, dedicated to Saint Paul, already stood on the plain in 855. The church in the new village of Bouilhonnac has a trapezoidal floor plan and a five-sided apse without pointed arches. The date and dedication refer to the original church; the details of its form describe the building in the new village. A trapezoidal floor plan describes the shape of the ground plan, while the apse is the end section of the church interior. The five-sided apse and absence of pointed arches add detail from different perspectives: one describes the shape of the end section, the other the design of the arches. This makes it possible to identify the church by its geometry and architectural features.

The year 855 is many centuries earlier than the end of the 15th century, when the Château was built. This comparison in time highlights different historical reference points in Bouilhonnac.

The GR78 through Bouilhonnac

The GR78 Camin Romieu runs from Azille to Carcassonne through Bouilhonnac; on its section towards Carcassonne, it follows the Canal du Midi. The route through the village and its connection to the canal are therefore clearly defined parts of the same hiking route. If you are planning to walk the GR78, check the route conditions before setting out.

Find a hotel for Bouilhonnac

When looking for a hotel in Bouilhonnac, it helps to decide first what you want from your trip: is your stay mainly about the village’s architectural history, or would you like to include the GR78? The first option leads to the churches and the Château; the second, to the hiking route towards Carcassonne. These offer two different focuses for planning your trip.

Discover more destinations: Castelnaudary, Montgaillard, Massac, Couiza, Belcastel-et-Buc, Aragon, Pech-Luna, Quintillan

See the regional travel overview: Aude.