The Gothic church of Saint Jacques
Built in the second half of the 14th century, it was remodeled in 1510 and enlarged in 1694.
The bell tower was also built in the 14th century, in "cairou", the local red brick. The top two floors collapsed in 1563 and were rebuilt the same year. Above the entrance door is a small marble plaque carved around 1200 by Ramon
de Bianya. It depicts two angels carrying a soul to heaven in a shroud.
On either side of the door, two stones engraved in 1227 and 1304 mention, in Latin, bequests to the church and the creation of masses in memory of deceased donors and their families.
On the right, an inscription in Catalan recalls the first remodelling of the church: "l'any mil sinc cens y deu prime die de mag fou començada
la obra de caritat", i.e.: "l'an 1510, le premier jour de mai, fut commencé l'oeuvre de charité". On the threshold we read: 1694, the date of its enlargement.
Its special feature
The Saint-Jacques church in Canet-en-Roussillon features a carillon with five bells cast in 1897 by the Bollée foundry in Le Mans. They give the notes D3, F3, G3, A3 and C4. Three of them (the largest) can be rung on the fly in "lancé-franc" mode, while the two smallest are fixed and are only tinkled.
Possibility of hearing the 12 strokes of noon from the bells of St Jacques: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canet-en-Roussillon_-_cloches_Saint-Jacques_12_coups.ogg
The Viscount's castle
Mentioned as early as the 11th century, it was subsequently modified many times.
It is surrounded by a fortified enclosure, the remains of which include towers and ramparts. The château's interior comprises several buildings, including the Saint-Martin chapel, the keep and the seigneurial dwellings.
In the 14th century, the Viscounts of Canet built a new, more powerful fortified enclosure. In the 17th century, an ice well was built, one of the finest in the region and in perfect condition.
The château was abandoned for good after the French Revolution. It was then used as a stone quarry by the inhabitants of the
village.
Its special feature
An ice well was dug in 1688 in the shadow of the chapel, to the north to benefit from the cold breeze of the Tramontane and on the Têt side. All these conditions combined to ensure the best possible operation of the building (refrigeration, water drainage, etc.).
The dimensions of the well, sometimes called "pou del glaç", "pou del gel" or "pou de la neu", are: height: 8.55 m / diameter: 6.10 m / capacity: 100 m3
The walls of the ice well are made of alternating rows of pebbles and bricks. To keep the water cool, a double-angled corridor leads into the well via a low door. This well used the ice formed in winter by the waters of the Têt collected in specially designed basins, but above all, the packed snow from the mountains. This snow, heavily pressed into the well, was transformed into ice for use in hot weather.
The surrounding tower
Known as "the seesaw".
In memory of the nearby municipal weighbridge. It was built at the end of the 14th century. Its thick base, the embankment, protected it from bombardment.
In the Middle Ages, Canet was surrounded by solid walls flanked by 14 towers. The town was entered through three gates: "de la Fontaine", "de la Mer" and "du Moulin".
The Tour de la Bascule is one of Canet-en-Roussillon's two surrounding towers to have survived the test of time. A place steeped in history and imbued with the joie de vivre of the artist Flap, who has his studio in this private tower.
The hand press
A symbol of Canet's intense winegrowing activity in the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th.
The Roussillon plain was then covered with vines thanks to the arrival of the Perpignan railroad in 1858, which greatly facilitated wine exports. This new means of transport facilitated the development of viticulture, which became an important source of
income for the region.
Until then, Canet's economy was based primarily on the production of wheat, barley, oats, fodder, potatoes and
sheep. Later, fruit (apricots, peaches) and vegetables (lettuce, artichokes, asparagus) were added.
The operation of the press was simple: the grapes were fed into the vat, then the press was operated by men or animals. The pressure exerted by the press separates the grape juice from the seeds and skins. The juice is then collected in vats and fermented to become wine.
Cannonballs
Inlaid into the front wall of an old shed as a good-luck charm.
They seem to have been frozen in time, mute witnesses to another era. They were found in the ground during excavation of the foundations
of this building erected in the former city moat. Their rounded shapes and rough asperities evoke the violence of war.
They had been fired at Canet's surrounding wall by the Prince de Condé's artillery in 1641. As a result of this conflict, Roussillon and
half of Cerdagne were annexed to France under the Treaty of the Pyrenees.
Today, the cannonballs that bear witness to this history are a symbol of peace and prosperity. They watch over the city, guardians
of a glorious past and a radiant future.
