Villefranche de Conflent Attractions

The old fortified town of Villefranche (alt. 435 m/1,425ft; pop. 600), once an important staging-point on the pilgrim road to Santiago de Compostela, lies at the junction of the rivers Cady and Têt. Above the town is a massive citadel which could be reached on an underground staircase. The fortifications were rebuilt by Vauban in the 17th C. Other features of interest are the church of St- Jacques (12th- 13th C.), with a richly decorated interior, and some elegant old houses of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

South of Villefranche, at the foot of Le Canigou, is Corneilla, with the church of Notre Dame, which is thought to have been built in the early 11th C., and was later incorporated in a monastery. Over the doorway is a finely carved tympanum; the interior is richly decorated.