Ciuserans and its 18 valleys

 The cave of Niaux: Dating from the time magdalénienne, it made known Ariège in the whole world. It is the largest cave decorated with those with Lascaux and Altamira. Very fragile museum, its visit is limited to the “black living room”, hemicycle with the covered walls of drawings the line black. The other parts, like the Clastres network, are not accessible. To visit the cave it is necessary to make a reservation by telephone to the 05 61 05 88 37. On the other hand, of the réproductions of works of Niaux are visible in their entirety with the Pyrenean Park of prehistoric Art with Tarascon on Ariège. The cave of the Cow: In Alliat, very close to Niaux, this cave conceals a prehistoric habitat dating from Magdalénien. It is the only French site where the public is allowed to on the spot admire the 20 years result of archaeological excavations. The cave of Lombrives: Equipped with immense rooms and a network of long galleries, it is vastest of Europe open to the public. Located close to Ussat the baths, it would shelter according to the legend the Pyrene tomb with which Hercules was in love. 25 different visits guided and with accompanying notes are proposed (it is single in Ariège) on 3 circuits: 1h30, 3h and 5h, of the workshops (practical activities or of observations) for children like visits with meal and in the concerts.

Cathar castles

 Montségur and cathares: With the turning of the year 1000, a little everywhere in Europe, many religious deviances resulting from Christendom appeared. They translated a major spiritual discomfort of the Western company vis-a-vis the traditional church which was lost in temptations of the capacity and the money. New preachers emerging from nowhere and all social conditions spoke to recall, the message of Christ. The catharism falls under this context. It ended, although some say that there always exists, to Montségur where hundreds the “perfect ones” were flarings. The castle of Montségur located at the top of a rocky outcrop is the most impressive vestige of this time. The castle of Foix: it is a perfectly preserved construction of the Middle Ages. Most famous of the counts de Foix was Gaston Fébus who defied the authority of king de France while refusing to pay homage to him. It was a poet, he left us a song in occitan that everyone takes again at the time of festive meal “canto that recanto, canto not per iou… ”, it as left us the receipt of its preferred aperitif “will hypocras it” as you will have the occasion to taste.

St lizier town of art and history

 In the Saint-Lizier church one discovers a whole of frescos of XIeme century constituting “first great Romance paintings to have reached us for the Pyrenean area.” Work of a workshop of Italian origin having worked with Saint-Lizier about year 1080 they develop in the register a lower cycle of the incarnation and in the register a higher college of apostles. This unit is complèté, in the northern absidiole, by of the same paintings time, illustrating celestial Jerusalem. In the Hospital, a pharmacy miraculeusement preserved will enable you to bore the secrecies of the famous vinegar of the 4 robbers or the elixir of life. The Romance Cloister which is next to the church is a haven of peace. The Treasury of the bishops of Couserans: exposed in the old sacristy which is next to the Romance Cloister present of the sticks ivory and silver, the bust réliquaire of Saint-Lizier and an important whole of goldsmithery The style of châpiteaux oldest belong to the second workshop of the church of Sea-bream in Toulouse. The Palate of the Bishops, built at the XVIIeme century, dominates the City. Inside the Departmental Museum of Ariège presents collection BEGOUEN coming from the famous valley of Bethmale. The monuments of the city are registered with the world inheritance by UNESCO.

The pyrenean park of prehistoric art

 Single park in its kind. At the same time ludic, cultural and scientific. It is addressed to all: the children will find there a large park entertaining, the adults will assoiront their culture as regards prehistory. You will discover paintings now inaccessible to the public. Located at Tarascon-on-Ariège, it proposes a new approach of the prehistoric inheritance of Ariège, one of richest of Europe. It uses the last techniques of visit and setting in scene to create a universe of 15 hectares where the visitor evolves/moves freely. A giant facsimile restores thanks to the ultraviolet rays the integral work of the famous cave of Niaux. One will see such as they were painted there are 12000 years the drawings of the “living room black”, the “Clastres network” and the “dune of the steps”, inaccessible in the cave of Niaux.

Barns with step of birds of cominac

 Cominac is a small hamlet located at 5 km of the village of Ercé, spread out over a vast sunny plate. It profits from an exceptional panoramic sight on the mountains of Aulus and the solid mass of the Valier mount. The meadows are strewn with stone barns whose pinions have a very particular form. Many visitors raise the question: why so much of barns around such a small village? The inhabitants of Cominac were mainly stockbreeders of bovines, the breeding being practically only possible agriculture in a climate of mountain to 800 m of altitude and an inclined ground. One thus needed much hay for the animals in winter. The stockbreeders had many small meadows dispersed around the village with like means of access of the small broken paths. They thus built a barn on each pre or together of meadows to store the hay and as from November the cows or ewes are kept around the barns; they graze the pre one and receive hay in complement. When the hay of a barn is exhausted, the stockbreeder bring them towards the next barn while approaching the village in order to use with hardest of the winter the barn nearest to the dwelling and to avoid the long steps exhausting in snow. In summer the cows were and are always still in mountain pasture in high mountain, which makes it possible to make the hays.

The stone garden and the valley of bethmale and the biros

 The valley of Castillon in High Couserans is a torrent of mountain to water clear and full of fish, it is there at the edge of Lez in the village of Alas that this garden strange and full with charm is. Mr. X who does not like that one speaks about him created this unexpected place in 25 years of work. It was to have an access to the river since its garden that it started by building a small stone terrace then with time it became a passion and a true work of art. In summer the garden is a freshness and haven of peace, in particular for the pilgrims (the Way of St Jacques de Compostelle crosses the village) who like to make a pause there. The castle more exposed to the center of the torrent was already destroyed four times by impetuous risings of Lez but each time Mr. X rebuilds it… Biros and Bethmale are one of the moved back areas which preserved the most traditions. Architecture meets in villages close to the river and soulane. The villages of soulane to the strong architectural unit gather houses and similar barn-cattle sheds of forms, a simple volume with pinion vis-a-vis the slope, a small balcony on the last level (houses) under a sloping slate roof covered and bored attic windows. Vallé the E of Bethmale is known for its original folklore, its objects and its clothes of which the C lèbres shoes of hètre with very long points. The architecture of its houses grouped in villages is however close to that of Biros, with many roofs finished by a small croup sheltering the balcony. Cheese tasting of Moulis, Core, Bethmale…