Alet les Bains
Alet-les-Bains is an attractive town in the Aude département nesting to the east of the River Aude. It lies on a relatively flat area in the Aude valley surrounded by mountains. It calls itself the gateway to the Haute Vallee de l'Aude (gateway to the upper Aude valley). It is 33 km away from Carcassonne to the north, an hour away from the Mediterranean Sea to the east and another hour from the ski resorts to the south west. Located in the Razés between Limoux and Quillan, 26 km in the heart of the "Pays Cathare" (Cathar Country).
Alet-les-Bains was once a walled city with its own abbey - and later its own Bishop and Cathedral. In 1197 the Abbey and the town were fortified by ramparts and a moat. Now it is little more than a village of just over 500 people but you can still see vestiges of the city walls and ruined Cathedral.
During the Middle Ages, Alet les Bains was a place of pilgrimage. It was suggested that part of ‘the trus cross’ was held within it’s walled Cathedral.
Alet's centre is well preserved and the ruins of the Cathedral are worth a visit. There are numerous "belles demeures à colombages" - half timbered houses. There is also medieval square featuring traditional medieval houses, including the one where Nostradamus was believed to have lived.
Alet’s Thermal Springs
Alet has been renowned for its thermal waters since Roman times. The natural springs here were known In ancient times and attracted the Romans - who always homed in on natural springs in any newly acquired territory. According to local history both Charlemagne and Nostradamus favoured the water here.
Spa waters here are reputed to be good for the treatment of digestive disorders and metabolic afflictions - obesity, diabetes, gastritis and colitis. Some say that it was his digestive problems that brought Charlemagne here.
A slow filtration process during the water's subterranean journey from the mountains to Alet provides trace elements and mineral salts containing potassium, calcium, and magnesium. It is claimed that the physicochemical properties of Alet mineral water come from the Pyrenees.