Escales
Encyclopedia
Escales is a commune
in the Aude
department in southern France
, principally involved in viticulture
.
wine growing area 30 km from Narbonne
to the east, and 30 km from Carcassonne
to the west.
in 2006 to manufacture red, white and rose wines. The factory was built in 1933 when 133 local winegrowers produced 10,210 hectolitres of wine.
Recent excavations have unearthed many pieces of black pottery and glass bottle shards which confirmed occupation from the beginning of the 11th century to the 15th century by a colony of Jews.
According to legend, the original tower was built in Roman times.
Originally the village of Escales was called la Tourette, and in Roman times this small village expanded around the spring.
church is centred in the village. Built on the site of a spring, it has been added to in the 18th and 19th centuries, but the main building with the distinction of three apses, a large central one and two smaller ones on either side, dates back to the 11th century. The altar is constructed from a first or second-century Roman marble sarcophagus
.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the Aude
Aude
Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine, and mother...
department in southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, principally involved in viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
.
Geography
Escales lies in the northernmost part of the Corbières AOCCorbières AOC
Corbières is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for wine in the Languedoc-Roussillon, and it is this region's largest AOC, responsible for 46 per cent of the region's AOC wine production in 2005. Red wine dominates the production in Corbières with almost 95 per cent, with 3.5 per cent rosé wine...
wine growing area 30 km from Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
to the east, and 30 km from Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
to the west.
Population
Economy
Escales benefits greatly from its wine. It has a small factory called 'Le Progres' which joined forces with a neighbouring factory in TourouzelleTourouzelle
Tourouzelle is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:...
in 2006 to manufacture red, white and rose wines. The factory was built in 1933 when 133 local winegrowers produced 10,210 hectolitres of wine.
Landmarks
Within the boundary of the commune there are two important landmarks, the old tower which necessitates a walk through a wooded hillside, the other the church, which is situated in the centre of the village.The tower
A good example of a square fortress tower which stands south-east of the village approximately 1 km away. The village cannot now be seen from the tower base as the surrounding area is now wooded, however it is 100 metres higher than the village itself. Nowadays it lacks a large portion of the castellation. It was abandoned during the 17th century where until that time it was a quadrangular-shaped manorial home, with 1.90 metre thick walls. The tower was renovated and heightened in the 11th century from 6 metres to 18 metres in height. Its dual purpose was as a look-out tower preventing Spanish invaders marching on Carcassonne, and a signaling tower using two lit torches sited on the upper platform. The upper platform was re-strengthened in 1980 where originally the main living area would have been found.Recent excavations have unearthed many pieces of black pottery and glass bottle shards which confirmed occupation from the beginning of the 11th century to the 15th century by a colony of Jews.
According to legend, the original tower was built in Roman times.
The spring
Directly beside the church, the spring still works today. From the 2nd century onwards it was given the name 'Fontaine de Goltron'. It is also mentioned in an act of 1096 under the name of Fontaine de Goltrem.Originally the village of Escales was called la Tourette, and in Roman times this small village expanded around the spring.
The church
An impressive example of a RomanesqueRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
church is centred in the village. Built on the site of a spring, it has been added to in the 18th and 19th centuries, but the main building with the distinction of three apses, a large central one and two smaller ones on either side, dates back to the 11th century. The altar is constructed from a first or second-century Roman marble sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
.