HeritageNatural heritage
Fillols is located in the natural regional park of "Pyrénées Catalanes" which includes the north side of the Canigou Mountain, and includes more than 1000 plant and animal species. These natural resources justified the creation of special protection areas, natural park areas which includes Fillols.
Canigou Mountain, a natural flora and wildlife rich site
The Canigou state forest, a 7,820 hectare area (19,315 acres), at a height between 2,150 and 2,784 m (7,052 ft and 9,131 ft), is at Fillols gates. The natural heritage is therefore very rich. This natural habitat includes: forest, heath, grass. Wildlife : "isard, chat sauvage (wild cat), loutre (otter), chevreuil (roe deer), cerf (deer), sanglier (boar), desman des Pyrénées, chauves-souris (bat), lagopède alpin (alpine ptarmigan), perdrix grise (grey partridge), faucon pèlerin (Peregrine Falcon), aigle royal (Royal Eagle), gypaète barbu (bearded vulture), grand tetra, chouette de Tengmalm (Tengmalm owl), apollon". Flora : "pin à crochets, rhododendron, genêt purgatif, fétuque, azal".
Canigou mountain is a special conservation area for natural habitats, wildlife and wild-flora. The site of the directive « habitat, wildlife, flora », which includes Fillols, (https://inpn.mnhn.fr/site/natura2000/FR9101475).
A special bird protection area
Fillols is also in "Zone de protection spéciale (ZNP)" defined by the directive « bird » for wild birds conservation, as it is mentioned into the national natural heritage inventory https://inpn.mnhn.fr/docs/natura2000/fsdpdf/FR9110076.pdf.
This area shelters rich and various mountain wildlife, like raptors, passerines and gallinaceous. It is also regularly frequented by some couples of "Gypaètes barbus" and, in summer, by numerous tawny vultures (between 40 and 120) coming from Spanish territory. Finally this special area is located on an important migration path, particularly for the percnoptere vulture, "milans (kites), bondrée apivore (honey vulture)" and storks.
A description of the protection zone and the Canigou birds is available on https://www.canigo-grandsite.fr/content/des-milieux-naturels-pr%C3%A9serv%C3%A9s
Architectural heritage
Religious heritage
Saint-Félix church: named for the first time in 1094 in the will of Guillaume Ramon (He was the Count of Cerdagne). The current church is from the end of XIIth century. It is an advanced roman style construction. Regarding its nave, the vault draws a broken arch, as its hemicycle apse, entirely built with cut granite inside and outside, presents for unique ornamentation a gear tooth frieze underlining the cornice, like in Corneilla de Conflent. On the other hand there are no arches, and the bell tower has geminate bays on four sides of its unique floor. It has been built against the church lateral door. The metallic steeple is from XIXth century. The two bells are named: Augusta-Catherina and Joséfa-Maria. The Gerona Saint Félix with its grindstone statue, and the ones of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Maurice, from XVIIIth century, are close to the main altar. In the chapel we can see a Christ on the cross.
Saint-Pierre chapel: was owned by the Cuxa abbey, it presents a half circular apse built with freestones. Up to XXth century, it was a Fillols Mining Company property. Today it is a private property, and unfortunately in ruins.
Mining heritage
Veins have been operated since antiquity. Discovery of roman objects and slags allows us to date rich iron and manganese mining from the 2th century before Christ. For a long time property of Saint-Michel de Cuxa abbey, the mine has been operated by and transferred to different mining companies (becoming in 1936 the Fillols Mining Company). Mining stopped in 1957. A 6 km aerial cable going to the Ria train station allowed, at the time, a way to send the ore to the processing sites. Also, Fillols has a unique mine pit on the Canigou with more than 60 meters depth.
Natural heritage
Fillols is located in the natural regional park of "Pyrénées Catalanes" which includes the north side of the Canigou Mountain, and includes more than 1000 plant and animal species. These natural resources justified the creation of special protection areas, natural park areas which includes Fillols.
Canigou Mountain, a natural flora and wildlife rich site
The Canigou state forest, a 7,820 hectare area (19,315 acres), at a height between 2,150 and 2,784 m (7,052 ft and 9,131 ft), is at Fillols gates. The natural heritage is therefore very rich. This natural habitat includes: forest, heath, grass. Wildlife : "isard, chat sauvage (wild cat), loutre (otter), chevreuil (roe deer), cerf (deer), sanglier (boar), desman des Pyrénées, chauves-souris (bat), lagopède alpin (alpine ptarmigan), perdrix grise (grey partridge), faucon pèlerin (Peregrine Falcon), aigle royal (Royal Eagle), gypaète barbu (bearded vulture), grand tetra, chouette de Tengmalm (Tengmalm owl), apollon". Flora : "pin à crochets, rhododendron, genêt purgatif, fétuque, azal".
Canigou mountain is a special conservation area for natural habitats, wildlife and wild-flora. The site of the directive « habitat, wildlife, flora », which includes Fillols, (https://inpn.mnhn.fr/site/natura2000/FR9101475).
A special bird protection area
Fillols is also in "Zone de protection spéciale (ZNP)" defined by the directive « bird » for wild birds conservation, as it is mentioned into the national natural heritage inventory https://inpn.mnhn.fr/docs/natura2000/fsdpdf/FR9110076.pdf.
This area shelters rich and various mountain wildlife, like raptors, passerines and gallinaceous. It is also regularly frequented by some couples of "Gypaètes barbus" and, in summer, by numerous tawny vultures (between 40 and 120) coming from Spanish territory. Finally this special area is located on an important migration path, particularly for the percnoptere vulture, "milans (kites), bondrée apivore (honey vulture)" and storks.
A description of the protection zone and the Canigou birds is available on https://www.canigo-grandsite.fr/content/des-milieux-naturels-pr%C3%A9serv%C3%A9s
Architectural heritage
Religious heritage
Saint-Félix church: named for the first time in 1094 in the will of Guillaume Ramon (He was the Count of Cerdagne). The current church is from the end of XIIth century. It is an advanced roman style construction. Regarding its nave, the vault draws a broken arch, as its hemicycle apse, entirely built with cut granite inside and outside, presents for unique ornamentation a gear tooth frieze underlining the cornice, like in Corneilla de Conflent. On the other hand there are no arches, and the bell tower has geminate bays on four sides of its unique floor. It has been built against the church lateral door. The metallic steeple is from XIXth century. The two bells are named: Augusta-Catherina and Joséfa-Maria. The Gerona Saint Félix with its grindstone statue, and the ones of Saint-Pierre and Saint-Maurice, from XVIIIth century, are close to the main altar. In the chapel we can see a Christ on the cross.
Saint-Pierre chapel: was owned by the Cuxa abbey, it presents a half circular apse built with freestones. Up to XXth century, it was a Fillols Mining Company property. Today it is a private property, and unfortunately in ruins.
Mining heritage
Veins have been operated since antiquity. Discovery of roman objects and slags allows us to date rich iron and manganese mining from the 2th century before Christ. For a long time property of Saint-Michel de Cuxa abbey, the mine has been operated by and transferred to different mining companies (becoming in 1936 the Fillols Mining Company). Mining stopped in 1957. A 6 km aerial cable going to the Ria train station allowed, at the time, a way to send the ore to the processing sites. Also, Fillols has a unique mine pit on the Canigou with more than 60 meters depth.
