Montlaur is a common French, located in the department of the Aude and the area Languedoc-Roussillon. Its inhabitants is called Montlaurais.

Geography

Located in the Corbières, in full country Cathare, the village of Montlaur is in a valley delimited in north by the mountain of Alaric and in the south by the hill of the Hull. A source in the center of the village comes to inflate a brook which further throws a few kilometers in the Orbieu.

Three small Colline S overhang the village:

• the Château of which there remain only some stones

• the Moulin S (two mills of which there remained only the circular wall hones some today transformed into dwelling)
• the Bergerie (a mill and a sheep-fold in ruins transformed today into dwelling)

History

Montlaur of the prehistoric age to the Romans

Between 1200 and 700 years before JC, the first Celtes come from Central Europe settle and occupy most of the south of the current France. Towards 600 before JC, the Ligure coming from Italy and the Ibères of Spain settled in the Corbières. After a conflict strapping these two people amalgamated. Then there be a second wave of Celtic people come on other side of the the Rhine and thus appeared the Gaulois. In our Midday, they were the tribes of the Volsques. Credits, intelligent, turned towards progress, they built roads (of Lagrasse to Carcassonne passing by Marcodames). In 1839, with Serviès-in-Valley of the coarse gold medals allotted at the time Gallic were found. In the neighborhoods of 120 before JC (is with-to say before the defeat of Vercingétorix into 52 before JC vis-a-vis the armies of Jules César), the Romains occupied most of the Provence and Languedoc in a great area which they called the Narbonnaise, but the existing Marécage S prevented them from settling. In IIe century, they could build a road of Narbonne to Carcassonne passing by Moux, Comigne and Trèbes. Then our Vallée was occupied: the Plaine remained uncultivated and uninhabited but one is established on the heights or at semi-coast. Gavart, Roquenegade, Congoust (Co Augustum: narrow passage), Vinesolus (of vine), Septembrianum (of the name of its owner: Perhaps September, towards Saint Genis), the Valfrège (cold valley), Cadoual (hot valley), Mata (comes from low-Latin mattus, " wet " , but in Occitan " " subdued; mean also bulky bush),… were built by the Gallo-Romans. The marshy valley full of water and with " mattes" valley of the Mattes is called. The river is called Rec of the Mattes (rec meaning brook in occitan) and the only village built in the middle of the Mattes takes the name of Subdued (it is there that will draw up Montlaur). Behind the valley of the Mattes, an area rich in game extended. In homage to Diane (goddess of hunting) the Romains will baptize it Val of Dagne. The villages whose name ends in - ac (Fajac-in-Valley, Saissac, Cuxac-with Aude) or by - year (Tournissan, Fabrezan, Lézignan) come from this time.

Country of the Mattes under the Visigoths

The Visigoths of Germanic origin , like the Celtic , had become the Masters of the Narbonnaise which belonged to the Royaume Visigoth of Toulouse (from 414 to 507). Clovis attacked them, overcame them with Vouillé into 507 (close to Poitiers), continued them until Toulouse, invades the Lauragais and put the seat in front of Carcassonne, but had to be withdrawn without to have taken it. The Visigoths strengthened Carcassonne and placed it under the protection of the two forts of Alairac and Miramont towards which they deviated our roads: Villedese is born from this modification. They imitated the Romains in any thing but they did not have the genius of it. Their language alone left traces: villages in - ens (Douzens, Badens) dates from the Visigoths. After a three centuries domination, their empire succumbed under the blows of the Sarrasins into 712. With Montlaur , the latter destroyed all: the villages were shaved, the exterminated population. Charles Martel which had beaten them with Poitiers was called and overcame them one second time at the time of the Bataille of Berre, of the name of the river being thrown in the pond of Bages and Sigean.

Country of the Mattes under the Carolingians

After Charles Martel, Pépin the Brief drives out the Sarrasins Septimanie in 759. But those will return to reconquer Narbonne and Carcassonne by borrowing the aquitanic way which passed by the Hull. In 793, they will meet Guillaume de Gellone, duke of Aquitaine which will fight battle to them, probably in the Val of Dagne. After hard combat, the Sarrasins will push back the attack and will be intalleront again in our area for little time. They will pass by again the the Pyrenees charged with their spoils taking along the prisoners and will not return any more. From this time we still find Villas: Villedèse, Donneuve, Villefrancou, Villemagne, Villalaur perhaps (does the name villa laur come from the bay-trees which is the symbol of the victory?) and of the Monastery S: the Abbey Sainte-Marie de Lagrasse and the church of Saint Michel of Nahuse.

Montlaur with the Middle Ages

houses of Barcelona and of Toulouse made War during two hundred years and as we was on the way Aquitaine which was a Roman Voie, it is on our premises that one fought. To take cover from the two camps, the lords of the country of the Mattes jointly reflect their efforts to build the Château Montlaur (about 1160). New alliance will build a fortress which will not have the importance of that of Carcassonne but which will exceed those of Termes and of Minerve. Already famous at that time these two last are it always today. On left bank of the brook which sprinkles Villalaur, a peak in the shape of truncated cone rises. The site is formidable for a Forteresse. The escarpé rock which it crown will be doubled of a wall and it will be the first enclosure. One will make has semi-coast, a second wall with three doors and a Barbacane and it will be the second enclosure. The first enclosure develops 300 to 500 m, whereas the second enclosure develops 500 to 600 Mr. Two doors with the the East and the Occident make communicate the place with the strings. The strings in their turn have 3 to 4 exit doors. Only one is still upright, one calls it " gate of Bissens". In this primitive fort, the strings was reserved to the combatants and prohibited with the dwellings. Those had all to go up at the top of Pech (of the Occitan puèg and which means hill) in the first enclosure. But this Château during the wars between lords was very quickly demolished. Already in 1360, the first enclosure was in ruins. To protect itself from the bands of brigands one went up the second Enceinte and all the population was wedged between the two walls. The Château was nothing any more but one crossing of the moon. After the War One hundred Year old, one will leave the walls and one will pass even the brook of Fargue.

Administration

Demography

Places and monuments

Personalities related to the commune

See too

• Common of the Aude