Laroque-D'Olmes: Churches, History and Views

Laroque-D'Olmes combines churches and chapels with traces of its textile history and viewpoints across the landscape. These themes offer different starting points for planning your trip: you can explore the history of the buildings, take in views of the surrounding countryside or focus on one of the described hikes.

Churches, Chapels and Textile History

The Church of Castella was built in the 14th century and is one of the region's rare Gothic churches. It is a fortified building in the Flamboyant Gothic style; its octagonal bell tower also dates from the 14th century. Since 2004, the church has housed the fully restored former organ of the royal chapel at the Palace of Versailles. The building, tower and organ each tell a different chapter in the history of the town and its furnishings.

The architecture of Notre-Dame Chapel can also be described: it has a single-nave hall, a semi-pentagonal apse and ten stained-glass windows. Its location provides a clear landmark in the townscape. It lies northeast of the town center, opposite and east of the cemetery, across the Touyre River. A footbridge here allows you to cross the river.

Saint Roch Chapel was built following the plague of 1549. From the Castella Plateau, it is about a 15-minute walk each way. At the viewpoint by the chapel, the 180-degree panoramic view takes in Lac de Montbel, the Aude and the peaks of the Massif de Tabe. A visit here can therefore be combined with views of several named landscape features.

The textile industry is also part of the town's history. Narrow green cloth in fourteen shades was produced in Laroque-d'Olmes. It was transported via Chalabre and Carcassonne to the port of Marseille, and from there toward the Levant. A charter granted by Jean de Lévis on February 14, 1507, recognized textile production. The recorded history of the town goes back even further: the first known mention of the fortified settlement dates from 1145. The castle of Laroque-d'Olmes was destroyed by crusaders from the north in 1212.

Viewpoints and Trails

The Castella Plateau is the highest point in Laroque-d'Olmes. From there, the panoramic view extends across the plain and beyond the Plantaurel to Montségur and Saint-Barthélémy, as well as the Pyrenees. At the Castella viewpoint, an orientation table and interpretive panels help you make sense of the view. This view from the plateau differs from the panorama at the Saint Roch Chapel viewpoint, whose viewing angle and landscape features are described separately.

Two hiking descriptions offer different destinations to help you plan your route. The hike through the Touyre and Hers valleys starts at the edge of Laroque-d'Olmes, follows the Touyre River and then reaches the Voie verte as far as the village of Dreuilhe. The “La chapelle Saint Roch” hike follows a shady stretch of trail to the village of Labastide-sur-l'Hers, then takes the Voie verte des Pyrénées Cathares to Laroque-d'Olmes. Compare the destinations listed to decide which description best suits your day's plans. Check trail conditions locally before setting out.

Discover more destinations: La Bastide-De-Sérou, Dun, Tignac, Ascou, Bethmale, Montaut, Carcanières, Varilhes.

Go to the main travel overview: Ariège.