South of Limoux, road and rail track the Aude valley, skirting the minuscule thermal resort of ALET-LES-BAINS, with its half-timbered houses and excellent hotel, the Hostellerie de l'Évêché (tel 04.68.69.90.25, [email protected]; €40–55; closed Oct–April), standing beside the ruined cathedral.If you've got your own transport it's worth taking a detour south of Alet, following the D52 as it climbs out of Couiza and spirals towards the mountain-top village of RENNES-LE-CHÂTEAU. The views alone repay the effort, but the primary reason for the jaunt is the mysterious parish church run by Abbé Saunière from 1885 until 1910, when he was suspended because of his inability to explain how he financed his comfortable lifestyle and the lavish restoration work on the church. The church is full of veiled symbols and secret codes, which, some say, indicate that he had discovered the lost treasure of Solomon, brought here by the Visigoths in the fifth century. This and a host of other theories are explored in a video shown in Villa Bethania (daily: May–Sept 10am–7pm; rest of year 10am–6pm; €3.81), built by Saunière as a retirement home for priests, and in the small museum next to the church (same hours and ticket). Strange events continue to surround the village, the latest being the discovery of aerial photos, dating back to 1967, which reveal the image of a Virgin and Child in a nearby field.
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