Those archaeological excavations provide us with information on the daily life of the people who had lived in this valley more than 7.000 yrs ago. We also learn that there are no traces of war or fights and that there were no burials within the Cirque. The grave-diggers lived at the western and eastern ends of the valley, towards Salasc and Villeneuvette.

The newer history of Mourèze has its beginnings in the Middle Ages, 900 yrs ago. The fortifications erected by the Romans were torn down and a new fortress was built instead in order to protect the old Roman road connecting Nîmes and Toulouse. The church Saint Mary of Mourèze and some other buildings were built out of the stones of the ancient fortifications. Some names of locations still date back to those medieval days like the name “Courtinals”. It is originating from the word “courtines”, curtain walls of a fortress. And in fact traces of several curtain walls have been found along the tall rocks.

The great rock across from Mourèze is called “Hôpital”, as the order of the hospitaliers used to have their rest-areas right by this rock. Many years before them this location was visited regularly by the Catharers, who had their easternmost settlement St. Michel just above Lamalou-les-Bains. The most important place of pilgrimage of the Knights of Catharer was St-Guilhelm le Désert at all times. The fortified location of Courtinals is just half way between their home castle St. Michel and the abbey of St-Guilhelm le Désert. On their horses it took them 8 hrs from St.Michel to reach Courtinals and another 6 hrs to St-Guilhelm le Désert: therefore an ideal rest area!


We can state the presence of 3 knightly orders: the Catharers, the Hospitaliers and the Templars.
All over Courtinals you can find counterforts cut into the walls. Sometimes they are already quite weather-beaten depending on their geographical situation and the densitiy of the rock, but nevertheless they prove the existence of large fortifications for defence. The fortified bridge right in the middle of Courtinals has been reconstructed according to the counterforts found. Unfortunately it has not been possible to date those notches in the rocks: Prehistory, Roman or Medieval Times? The excavations underneath the fortification did not help to resolve this enigma.

The counterforts are a proof for a system of defence, consisting of palisades, curtain walls und bridges. As in fact 90% of the Parc des Courtinals are enclosed by a ring of rocks only a few walkthroughs had to be blocked in order to have a fortress which was easy to defend.

The remains of constructions on the surrounding mountains as well as the Hermitage St.Jean, close to Mont Liausson, testify the links to Courtinals during millenniums.