[Connection] Ortaffa-Argelès

3 points of interest

• 

  

  Cultural heritage

  Chapel of Sainte-Eugénie-de-Tresmals

  A small building in the middle of the fields, mentions of Sainte-Eugénie date back to 951, 1067, and 1145. It served as a parish church until 1347 and remained a place of worship until the French Revolution. Afterward, it was decommissioned and repurposed as an agricultural building, particularly as a "casot" (a small storage hut). The architecture of the vault in the current structure dates back to the 12th century. The building consists of a single nave covered with a broken barrel vault with a doubleaux (a supporting arch) and a semi-circular apse.

• 

  

  History

  The Camp Monolith

  The monolith at the camp marks the southern entrance to the Argelès-sur-Mer camp, which was opened in early February 1939 to intern some of the refugees who had fled Spain during "La Retirada." Over 100,000 refugees, including women and children, passed through the camp until summer 1939, all sleeping directly on the sand in makeshift shelters. The camp was reorganized and reopened following the declaration of war in September 1939. After France's defeat in June 1940, the camp became more international, with refugees from Northern and Eastern Europe, including foreign Jews, and the return of Spanish workers. The Vichy government used it as one of the main camps in southern France, interning French nomads there in the autumn of 1940.
  
  People from over fifty nationalities lived together behind the barbed wire at Argelès. These "undesirables" were confined on a beach where living conditions were extremely harsh, with high mortality rates, particularly among infants. In 1941, the Ministry of the Interior transferred most of the internees to the Rivesaltes camp and deported some Spaniards and international brigadiers to camps in Algeria. By June 1942, with only a hospital remaining, the Argelès-sur-Mer camp was converted into a French Youth Work Camp before closing permanently in November. Erected in 1999, this monolith pays tribute to all the refugees who passed through the camp.
   

• 

  

  Flora

  Pine Wood

  If you're looking for a place to relax in the shade of maritime pines, this is the perfect spot. You'll also find picnic facilities just a few meters from the beach shopping alleys.