Notre-Dame de Capimont is a 12th-century Romanesque chapel to which a 17th-century hermitage was added.
Overlooking the Orb valley, perched 400m above Lamalou les Bains and Hérépian, the sanctuary of Notre Dame de Capimont, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is a haven of peace and freshness amidst evergreen oaks.
Behind the building, a steep path leads to a small chapel at the top of a monumental staircase, the chapel of Sainte Anne, mother of Notre-Dame.
From the esplanade in front of the church, a superb panoramic view stretches from Carlencas to Caroux and from Pic de la Coquillade to the Orb.
A little history...
Situated on a hill overlooking both Lamalou les Bains and Hérépian, the Capimont site was an early settlement. Discoveries attest to its occupation in the Neolithic and Gallo-Roman periods.
The origins of the name go back a long way, with references to Capimont, Capimon, Cabimon, or Caprimon, meaning "hill of the goats", being found as early as the 12th century.
Written documents mention the Capimont chapel from the 12th century onwards.
The Capimont platform provided an ideal vantage point over the Orb Valley.
At the end of the 16th century, although the Wars of Religion ruined the Abbey, Notre-Dame de Capimont seems to have been spared.
On August 22, 1676, Monsieur de Thézan, viscount of Poujol, had a dwelling called the "Hermitage" built in Capimont to ensure divine service, served by priests, guardians of the sanctuary, also known as "Hermites".
A pension was granted to them through the generosity of the Seigneur du Poujol.
For 134 years, ten hermits succeeded one another at Notre-Dame de Capimont, until the French Revolution, when volunteer guardians took over.
Today, only the buildings remain.
Chapel of Notre-Dame de Capimont
34240 Lamalou-les-Bains
Friends of Notre Dame de Capimont
Mr Tenza
Tel. 04.67.95.82.47
https://www.tourisme.grandorb.fr/Les-incontournables/Notre-Dame-de-Capimont/3818.html
Translated with DeepL.com
(free version)
