Villelongue-de-la-Salanque is a town in the Pyrénées-Orientales, in the Occitanie region, 8 km north of Perpignan.
Its territory of 7 km² is located in the Roussillon plain, on the left bank of the Têt, a coastal river descending from the Pyrenees and which flows into the Mediterranean a few kilometers downstream from the locality. The watercourse constitutes the "southern" limit of Villelongue-de-la-Salanque and the agouille of the Auca, one of the old beds of the Tet, its "northern" limit.
More than 85% of the land is cultivated: the vine has been replaced by the production of fruits (apricots in particular) and vegetables.
Mentioned as of the 10th century as dependent on the abbey of Saint-Génis-des-Fontaines, the village developed at the beginning of the second millennium around its Romanesque church, following a spiral plan. The city even had fortifications in the 14th century.
In the middle of the 17th century, King Louis XIV confiscated the land of the local lord for a time so that his income could finance the border garrison of Perpignan.
Nowadays, the town has 3300 inhabitants and benefits from the dynamism of the Perpignan agglomeration but also from the proximity of the sea (the seaside resort of Sainte-Marie is 4 km away…). While highlighting its heritage, it has a leisure offer to take into account during a stay in the region.
Thanks to the local association of history and heritage, signs are installed in the center of the village and the surrounding countryside to highlight and explain the heritage sites and elements of Villelongue-de-la-Salanque.
A discovery trail can begin with the Saint-Marcel church, built in the 12th century in a Romanesque style with the agreement of the King of Aragon. It was then fortified because it was located in the border area with the kingdom of France. A bell tower was added at the beginning of the 16th century (as well as a second nave) and the whole was rebuilt while retaining the original bases during the last third of the 19th century. Built in pebbles and red bricks, the church has an entrance to the south in the form of a pointed arch door surmounted by a bay decorated with stained glass windows and an oculus. However, it is its high quadrangular bell tower (32 m) that sets the building apart. Of Moorish inspiration, it is made up of four levels: the ground floor serves as a narthex (vestibule leading to the nave), and the upper floor has a dome, a crenellated parapet, and turrets at the angles, with of gargoyles. If the interior was refined in the 20th century, we notice that a bas-relief and a funerary slab from the 14th and 15th centuries are preserved in the church.
Attached to the church, the Portalet (arch) provides access to the Place de la République. Formerly, it was one of the doors of the "cellera", in other words the center of the village and its cellars (where food was kept). Spiral-shaped, this historic heart has retained all of its picturesque charm today.
To see again, the Saint-Sébastien chapel, built in the 16th century to contain plague epidemics through prayer.
The site of the old parish of Sant Esteve del Pi, in the north of the territory, abandoned before the 15th century due to floods, testimonies of the old wooden ferries and footbridges that allowed crossing the stream before that a permanent footbridge be built after the Second World War, the old mill on the Têt (16th century) and the old wine cooperative (early 20th century) which brought together up to more than one hundred winegrowers conclude this overview.
On the cultural level, activities (readings, meetings, workshops) and exhibitions are offered throughout the year at the library: inquire at +33 4 68 52 21 57.
For sports, a course de santé is located on avenue du Littoral and the Saint-Antoine park is ideal for walking… or jogging. In addition, are accessible to visitors and vacationers a skate park, tennis courts and a bowling alley. Information on +33 4 68 73 95 95.
Finally, it remains to take advantage of the potential offered in terms of hiking: in addition to the bucolic charms of the paths crossing tree and market gardens or following the banks of the Têt, larger loops allow easy access to the coast and the beaches or even the city of Perpignan. And for cyclists, secure routes are also available, to the Pyrenean foothills up the valley or to reach the coastal tracks. Maps and information on +33 4 68 66 30 30.
