Amélie-the-baths-Palalda

Amélie-the-Baths-Palalda (in Catalan: Els banys of Arles ) is a common French located in the department of the the Eastern Pyrenees and the area Languedoc-Roussillon.

Its inhabitants is called Améliens.

Geography

the commune is localized in the valley of the Tech, in the middle of the Vallespir, in the west of Céret.
It is served by the secondary road 115, which must be the subject of installations in the next decade in order to allow a better communication between the city and the littoral plain.
the city moreover was served by the railroad before its dismantling at the 20th century. A green lane in fact is envisaged on the platform of the old railway (until Arles-on-Tech.

the current city of Amélie-the-Baths-Palalda gathers in fact two distinct sites: villages of the Baths and Palalda.

the place seems to have been occupied as of the age of iron: blocks of gneisses discovered following Aiguat of the Tech of 1940 were engraved signs of this time. They were the subject of various theories (cromlech, temple,…) but none is really founded on verifiable elements.
the site of the Baths of Arles ( El Banys ) comprises thermal springs which were exploited as of Antiquity. The Romans built there thermal baths, whose an arched room and a small swimming pool remain.
Later, at the 8th century, an abbey is founded there by some Castellan , probably within the ancient thermal baths. However, the Normands raids at the 9th century carry out the monks to move their monastery with Arles-on-Tech, monastery which remains always today.
the Baths will depend on the abbot of the monastery transferred to Arles until in 1237, date on which the lord of Roussillon and Vallespir, Nunyo-Sanche, acquires of it. Only, the parish church Saint-Quentin remains under the jurisdiction of the abbot of Arles.
Towards 1670 a fort, which remains still today, is established above it village in order to defend the Spanish border. The locality takes the name of Extremely-the-Baths then.
on April 7th 1840, the king Louis-Philippe re-elects the village in Amélie-the-Baths .

Until the Revolution, the village of Palalda bore the name of Palaudà , in reference to a " palais" (or rather a residence seigneuriale) which occupied the current site of the village. Indeed, number of " palais" existed in the area: with Saint-Jean-Pla-with-Corts or Céret to quote only some examples.
Palalda is mentioned for the first time at the 9th century. The seigniory passed between the hands of several families to the wire of the centuries.
the fortifications which one can see today are the work of Guillaume-Hugues de Serralonga (first known lord of Palalda), who made them build towards 1250.
the site preserves its medieval seal still today, with the place in the center of the old castle giving on the Saint Martin's day church.

the church Saint-Quentin . Mentioned into 869, it had undoubtedly been built shortly after the foundation of the monastery for the inhabitants who had been established with the surroundings. Devoted again in 1061 following work of restoration (or enlarging), it was altered at the time Gothic before being shot down in 1932 at ends of town planning. The building had been classified however historic building.
the church Our-Lady-of-Life . It is the current parish church of Amélie, built 1868 with 1871. It preserves a Romance virgin of the 13th century, coming from the Saint-Quentin church.
Palalda .

Palalda preserves its medieval seal and of the important remainders of the medieval castle, including two massive towers.
the church Saint Martin's day , mentioned for the first time in 967, is made up of an arched single nave of a cradle " écrasé" 11th century or 12th century. The oriental party of the building was completely rebuilt at the 16th century. The chorus preserves a superb retable baroque gone back to 1656 as well as the other works not stripped of interest.

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