Discover Montolieu: Hotels for cultural trips

Montolieu brings together several clearly distinct cultural themes: the Musée des Arts & Métiers du Livre focuses on the history of writing and bookmaking, while the Coopérative-Musée Cérès Franco houses an extensive art collection. The village’s industrial history, a fresco in honour of the Retirada and the Chapelle Saint-Roch east of the village add to its attractions.

Book history and exhibitions

The Musée des Arts & Métiers du Livre explores the history of writing and the traditional craft techniques of bookmaking. These two themes bring together two aspects of book culture: the development of writing and the making of books. The museum presents two to three temporary exhibitions each year, exploring connections between art and literature. It also offers guided tours, educational workshops and courses. When planning your trip, you can therefore distinguish between the museum’s central theme and its changing exhibition programme.

Art and village history

The Coopérative-Musée Cérès Franco has been based in Montolieu since 2015; its collection now comprises more than 1,700 works. It includes Brazilian and European naïve art, Art singulier, artists from the CoBrA movement and artists from the Nouvelle Figuration. Its focus differs from that of the book museum: rather than writing and bookmaking, it centres on a range of art movements.

La Manufacture textile de Montolieu presents the village’s industrial history. A large-scale fresco in honour of the Retirada is located at La Manufacture de Montolieu. Alongside art and bookmaking, this lets you include two historical perspectives in your trip planning: Montolieu’s industrial history and the fresco’s connection to the Retirada.

Chapelle Saint-Roch and a walk

East of Montolieu, the Chapelle Saint-Roch stands on a rocky rise. A six-kilometre walk follows a path around the hill and starts at the nursing home car park. In addition to the cultural sites, this gives travellers a specific route for combining their stay with a walk. A pilgrimage takes place at the Chapelle Saint-Roch on Pâquettes, the Sunday after Easter. The walk and the pilgrimage offer different reasons to visit: a route around the hill or a particular Sunday in the Easter calendar.

Plan dates and travel

The Pôle culturel de la manufacture hosts cultural events and regular, recurring dates linked to various festivals. If you would like to plan your trip around a festival, check the specific dates in advance. During the summer holidays, Montolieu and the Musée des Arts & Métiers du Livre can be reached from Carcassonne on RTCA bus line D on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. As this is a seasonal timetable, check the information for the relevant holiday dates before travelling.

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