St Martin du Canigou in Languedoc-Roussillon

The abbey of St Martin du Canigou perches high above a ravine with breathtaking views over the eastern Pyrenees

It’s an easy 40 minute walk which climbs 300 metres through a limestone gorge but it’s worth it. The abbey of St Martin du Canigou perches high above a ravine with breathtaking views over the eastern Pyrenees.

Photo: St Martin du Canigou teeters above a spectacular gorge

First built as a monastery around the year 1000, the site was home to an order of benedictine monks until 1786. It was abandoned and left empty for the next 120 years before being restored and extended during the twentieth century.

Since 1988 it is home to the Catholic Community of the Beatitudes , a fundamentalist group within the Catholic Church.

The abbey itself is closed to visitors in January but offers guided tours throughout the rest of the year. Its situation, complete with a dramatic public viewing point is spectacular anytime.

The short 1.6 km walk to reach it starts from the village of Casteil, 3 km south from the picturesque spa town of Vernet les Bains.

St Martin du Canigou is particularly easy to reach from our properties in Pyrénées Orientales:

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• 
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