Camon

One of France's most beautiful villages

Labelled “plus beaux villages de France“, “villes et villages fleuris” and encircled by a wide loop of the Hers valley, the peaceful village of Camon blossoms in a superb setting of hillsides and is just waiting for you!

Getting there

A city full of

with charm!

A subtle blend of history and architecture, it all begins in 778, since legend has it that it was Charlemagne who, on his return from Roncesvalles, had a monastery and church built.

The abbey would prosper to become a simple priory of Lagrasse. But, like most villages in the Hers valley, Camon was destroyed by the flood caused by the bursting of the Puivert dam. The village was then rebuilt in the image of royal fortresses, hence its nickname of “petit Carcassonne“, and became the fortress of the meander, “Cambo dunum” in Gallo-Roman, which is said to have given the village its name.

Philippe de Lévis, appointed prior of Camon in the early 16th century, was to profoundly influence the village, its church and its abbey.

Stroll through

Camon

In its streets and alleyways, facades are decorated by climbing roses, giving the nickname “village aux cent rosiers”. Indeed, Camon has an important winegrowing history, and rose bushes were planted. These, affected by diseases before the vine warned the winegrowers who could organize themselves to stem epidemics.

Traditionally the Rose Festival takes place on the 3rd Sunday in May. This year the event will take place on Sunday, May 14.