Camon
Camon is in the Ariege department of the Midi-Pyrenees, south-west of Carcassonne.
Whilst this area of France has some beautiful scenery and is packed with incredible Cathar castles there are not a great number of beautiful towns and villages which makes Camon all the more welcome.
Camon is a fortified village which has grown up around a benedictine Abbey. The origins of the abbey date back to 923 and possibly earlier. However the abbey and the village were destroyed along with Mirepoix and many other villages in the area in 1289 when a natural dam gave way.
The village was rebuilt in the style of a royal fortress including a crenallated wall. By the 15th century though the abbey was derelict but the bishop of Mirepoix began its rebuilding and this work was continued.
The abbey has been a private building since the French revolution and nowadays the monks cells are bedrooms and the abbey a chambre d’hote. It is possible to take a guided tour of parts of the abbey including the cloister and the bishop’s private study which contains 16th century frescoes. Tours are organised by Camon’s tourist office.
Amble around the village and soak up the atmosphere of this peaceful and attractive village. Notice too the many roses planted in the village. There are one hundred rosebushes. These have been given by local vinegrowers who used to use roses as a kind of early warning system against potential diseases of the vines. Roses would be attacked first giving the winegrowers a chance to take action to protect the vines. (The vines disappeared from this area in the early 20th century).
Another interesting feature of Camon is its cabanes. There are more than 100 of these stone shelters scattered around the countryside around Camon. These used to be used as shelter and storage by the winegrowers and before them by the monks. There is a walk that you can do to see many of these. The walk takes about 2.5hrs and you can get a map from the tourist office.
Visit Camon (Midi-Pyrenees, Ariege) travel, gites and hotels
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The Camon hotels listed feature descriptions, guest reviews, ratings, location maps, online booking etc. as well as the 'best-price' guarantee. The search for hotels in Camon is provided by booking.com. General holiday / vacation options- See Midi-Pyrenees gites for Camon holiday rentals - Holiday villages in Midi-Pyrenees Holidays nearbyLooking for something close by? See a wide choice of hotels, holiday villages and holiday rentals at: VisitSee Visit Camon for places to visit near Camon including: a detailed map, villages in bloom and most beautiful villages DiscussAsk questions or leave a comment about Camon in our Midi-Pyrenees forum Airports near CamonCarcassonne airport at 43 km Perpignan airport at 104 km Toulouse airport at 94 km Camon property for saleSee Midi-Pyrenees property for sale
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Places to visit near Camon, France
Explore places of interest within about 70 kilometres on a map at places near Camon.
Some places to visit within 30 km: 
29 km: Gorges de l'Aude (Dramatic gorges,) 13 km: Mirepoix (Interesting town) 22 km: Montsegur (Cathar castle) 29 km: Quillan (town)
See also Camon (version Francais)
