The forgotten waters of Perillos, or the unexpected magic of a postcard

 

A history of water

We have often been confronted with the problem of water and its relationship with the village of Perillos. It is said that the absence of this vital liquid was the reason – or pretext – why the village became abandoned. Unfortunately, this conclusion does not wash (pun intended), as even today there are still several places in the village where there is a sufficient amount of water present to support the small population that Perillos was.
Indeed, when one does a survey of the area, it is clear that there is a substantial presence of water underneath the village, which even extends beyond its confines. We have been able to identify no less than three watering points in the village itself, and one spring that has a depth of at least two metres, a short distance from the village. This is without counting the famous “Puits de France”, the “Well of France”, which has never been seen to be dry, even in the hottest times of the year, and this for as long as one can remember, which in this case is at least 1815, when engineer Jordy Marsello mentioned its enormous capacity in his survey.
At the time, the “Well of France” was known as “Francella”, slightly more feminine than today’s name, and perhaps more in line with the pagan traditions, which saw springs and rivers as feminine.

Marsello, making his inventory at a time when the village was anything but abandoned, mentioned two watering points in the village and, remarkably, stated that they were of an excellent quality, and were even reputed to have curative powers.
Marsello’s survey is located in the archives of the Department, and there can hence be no doubt about the validity of the report, its author, and the claims this report will allow us to make. For with the information that Marsello provides, it is possible to locate – precisely – the places of the resurgences. Indeed, a quest is required, for today, these wells are no longer detectable as such and unknown to all, for even at the beginning of the 20th century, only one of them remained in use, alongside that which is known as “the Well of France”.

The comfort of the “Whistling Well”

In our survey, we do not count the water point that is allegedly “restored”, on the side of the small road that leads to the village, a short distance from the electric transformer. The restoration has upset the former balance of this watering point, for ten and more years ago, one could still draw potable water here, even in the middle of summer. Today, it has become a rather stagnant pool of water, and little more than that. In origin, it was a drainage that came from the old natural cavity that sat underneath the old chapel of the lords of Perillos.
This ingenious drainage system was possible due to a connection with a second natural location, nearby, yet smaller, which served as a type of decompression system. This was done in the shape of a dry stone tube, descending less than two metres in depth, and which was in evidence by the draught that came through this original and astute mechanism of cleansing. This secondary opening was known as the “whistling well”, for people – especially children – were known to descend into it, and with a lighted candle, or a match, knew that soon, a flow of air, always coming from the same direction, would extinguish the flame.
This ancient mechanism tells us several interesting facts. First, that those present knew, since they settled in this location, and this is likely to be in Roman times, that there was this cavity under what would later become the church of Saint Michael. But, also, that the locals were going to use its presence and their knowledge – and the Romans were masters when it came to water technology – to canalise the water that was present in this gallery and direct it downwards, where it could be used.
These ancient engineers also understood that a secondary and vertical exit of this network allowed the installation of a siphon, which meant that the underground room – later to be the church’s crypt – upstream would remain dry.

… and Man destroyed

This ingenious equilibrium remained in place until approximately two years ago, when intrusive engineering works, using cement and stones, totally upset this aquatic balance. Why? “To make it nicer” – better-looking – is what we were told. At best, it is short-sightedness, at worst, it is done with an agenda, but the end result is the same. But despite the fact that the ingenious system was broken, it is clear that something still remains, for the restored well always has some water inside it.

A careful observation of the structures that were once built around this primitive sanctuary show that these were built so as not to break the fragile equilibrium that had been installed below, and let the ground “breathe” as it should.
Then there was the ill-considered, and hazardous construction of the foundations that are closest to the church. These foundations, built against the natural fault-line, were still partially visible until a few months ago (Fall 2007), when it was completely blocked as part of some of the “restorations” that are being carried out in the village. As such, in the last two months, more inconsiderate activity has destroyed this drain that for centuries has cleansed the underground section of the chapel. The authorities have not shown any interest in this wanton destruction, which is either carried out without any detailed architectural knowledge, or is precisely done so that in the months to come, “a problem” will be found, one that will mean that someone will “have” to open up the floor of the church, to see what is causing this problem… and no doubt use that opportunity to “see” some other things too.
This type of restoration work, which is currently ongoing, also shows that this is no restoration at all, for it shows a blatant disregard, and actually destroys, that which is old and should be the cornerstone of the restoration.

Jordy Marsello’s account also mentions that inside the storage houses that are within the perimeter of the old keep, there are two small buildings that held water; they still do, in spite of the collapse of the installation itself. The careful observer will note that one of these points is a simple well, but that the other is more curious in form.
It is a type of canalised flow, ending in a type of basin, or that which could be a type of sarcophagus – for very small people, or children, it has to be said. The report itself suggests that we should consider the likelihood that this was a type of basin used by domesticated animals, but the engineer also thought that this problem was more complex than that. When having studied the access to this local underground structure more precisely, not a single animal, like a mule or a cow, would have been able to access this location easily, if only because of its narrow access, let alone its location. We will add that some people, sometimes, especially in winter, did want to have animals in their homes, as they provided an additional source of heat. Even though the temperature in these parts sometimes descends to below zero, it is seldom long-lasting and before seeking refuge to such animal solutions, normally, a more common solution was to see that all the homes were constructed one against the other, so that the heat from one could be “reused” in the neighbouring house. In Perillos, most houses are detached.

Success?

We have thus tried, and succeeded, in relocating these “watering holes” within the village of Perillos. The task was greatly aided by having amongst our possessions a copy of the old cadastre, from the time of the Revolution, currently in the possession of an inhabitant from Durban-Corbières. Today, retracing these points on site is not a difficult task, but is dangerous, as various sites have or are in the process of collapsing. It therefore meant that due care and attention was required whenever we went in search of corroboration on the ground. In the end, we learned that one of these sites is not too dangerous, but the other is only accessible by daredevils, and hence we will have to rely on modern technology to be the wiser.

When we take in the totality of the installation, then it is clear that it is part of a larger whole, which appears to be old, if not ancient. When observing the morphology of this quarter of the village, one can suppose that this boxed-in location in the basement of the keep could actually have been at ground level, seeing it was built on a slope, or worked into a type of half-basement, partly above, partly below ground.
As time progressed, the village tightened itself around the feudal mound; the new or improved homes and other constructions used the fortuitous and convenient watering points, which flowed below the surface without any intervention. The ancient engineers realised that water constantly rose to the surface underneath the later church and the only intervention they had done, was to make sure it went to where they wanted it to go, from where humans could use it.
Of course, it seems likely that as time went by, the locals were aware of how this system worked and carried out minor additions to the system. This can be seen in the “basins”, observed by Marsello. This is a stone object that does resemble a small coffin. Similar watering troughs for animals can be found elsewhere in the south of France, though normally located in the middle of a field, not in the middle of a small room, in the basement of a keep.
But there are parallels to be drawn to more interesting “miracles”. Specifically, the line of thinking we are pursuing here is that, not of a basin, but of a sarcophagus, the one in Arles-sur-Tech, specifically the “Holy Tomb”, which sits just outside the front door of the church, and which is the site of a “miracle”, as this sarcophagus constantly fills up with, and discharges, water. It is of course possible that a similar “miraculous display” was on show in Perillos, but for that we have no evidence, and we will hence not conclude such things. But what we can conclude is that a basin, which apparently filled up on its own, without any human intervention, is – or could be – precisely the same mechanism at work in Arles-sur-Tech.

Reflections of Rennes-les-Bains in Perillos?

The baths of Rennes-les-Bains

All the evidence suggests that the first basement of this type, considering its placement, must have belonged to the keep. This could therefore easily explain why the castle never possessed a cistern: it would have been a waste of energy and space to install a cistern when those inside the keep knew that they would have a steady stream of water provided to them.
Nevertheless, we remain troubled with the presence of this small “sarcophagus” in the basement of a building where large animals would have great difficulty of coming – let alone staying. Furthermore, though there is a continuous supply of water, the quantity is not such that one would expect it to support both humans and animals – and one would assume the local lords would not have desired to drink from the same basin where a cow just plunged its head into. Furthermore, we note that the lay of the land would allow for this water to rise to the surface, higher up, so that there would be no need for humans or animals to descend to the basement to get their water.

Hence, the question needs to be asked what these small basins were used for: massive, made from stone, slightly oval in shape and largely made not for animal, but for human use. As we cannot make these stones speak, we need to work with comparisons… and note that we can compare them with what we know existed in Rennes-les-Bains. There, the old baths, sitting on the road at the northern edge of the town, have been preserved and remain faithful witnesses to the time when Rennes-les-Bains was a spa town… in Roman times. What we find here, is that the bathing equipment is installed in the basement of the buildings – a first parallel with Perillos. Furthermore, the site where the visitors would come, was closed, if only because the people that came here, even in winter, were normally ill, and hence preferred – if not needed – the warmth of an interior, over exposure to the elements. In Rennes, the water also arrives “naturally”, without much human intervention. It hence bears several comparisons to what we have seen in Perillos. Can it explain the quaintness of the small basins? The answer is a simple yes; these small “sarcophagi” are present in Rennes and were indeed intended for human usage, and it was where the sick took their “baths” – “les-bains” of Rennes.

Though it would appear we have solved the riddle of the basins, it is nevertheless a perilous journey to conclude from this evidence that Perillos was once a spa town. Though we will soon bring supporting evidence to argue this might indeed be the right conclusion, we must nevertheless express our surprise when we learned that Perillos at one point might have been “Perillos-les-Bains”. Why did no-one mention or know this? Why is it yet another forgotten dimension of this town?
No doubt, others too will be surprised to hear this conclusion, and might comment that Perillos is so arid, that the presence of a bath-house is about as unlikely as finding… an oasis in the desert? But it is a fact that we find oases in the desert, and it is a fact that the watering holes that still exist, are still full of water, no matter how dry the summers are. Any exploration of the village and its immediate surroundings (200 metres in either direction), will reveal a multitude of wells and resurgences, some of which that are hidden by stones or small bushes. And we have the observations of the engineer, at the beginning of the 19th century, that Perillos was a well-functioning watering mountain. Still, his report also enables us to suggest that these bathes of Perillos were no longer in operation at the beginning of the 19th century, unlike Rennes-les-Bains, even though there, the Roman site was no longer in use, and the spas themselves had moved closer to the town centre.

Hurray for the postman!

If Father Christmas does not bring you gifts, then perhaps the postman will. And in this instance, it was post from the beginning of the 19th century that made us very happy.
For years, we have informed everyone in the region to be on the look-out for old photographs, maps… anything that is linked with Perillos and its past. We’ve asked locals whether the local school had a yearly photograph taken. We were told this was not the case. Postcards? “No.” Still, we knew that despite these negative answers, one postcard about or involving Perillos had existed, as there was a legal depot of one in Paris. But no-one was able to put their hands on a copy of this card.
It therefore came as a welcome surprise to learn that someone in the vicinity of Durban had discovered an old postcard. It shows, in some minor manner this time, that the link between Perillos and Durban had continued to exist post the 18th century. It is this same individual who was able to show us an old map of Perillos, before the Revolution, which shows that the village had some minor differences with what we find today – as one could expect. The most interesting aspect is perhaps the location of the Mayor’s Office, which changed locations around 1830.

The card itself had yellowed with age, a nostalgic reminder of days gone by. First, the writing on it: “Monsieur, à mon passage à Périllos monsieur Millegou étant absent en souvenir je lui envoie son pays. Salutations Sincères – signature.” “Dear Sir, passing through Périllos, as Mr Millegou was absent I send his country to him as a souvenir. Sincere greetings – signature.” The card is sent to the address of “Monsieur Millegou, Mayor of Perillos near Opoul, Py-Orientales”. There is a postage stamp, worth 10 cents, and it is stamped in Opoul, then Rivesaltes, on April 15, 1908. The date is confirmed on the recto, where “Rivesaltes 15 avril 1908” is written.
The photograph of Perillos is sepia, not too neat, but nevertheless clear enough to make a comparison between the village then and now. Normally, such photographs are enlivened with a scene in the foreground, like a couple standing, enjoying themselves, but this postcard has dispensed with such niceties: it is an image of the village, nothing more – and nothing less. Only the outline of the village and its buildings is visible, with the clock tower of the church visible in the background, as well as the ruin of the keep, whose outline has changed little in the last century.

Perillos-les-Bains?

As everyday as sending a postcard may be – and was – in this case, we should thank the person involved for sending it – and Fate for preserving it across the ages, for it is clear that the image on the postcard, and in this case the message in itself, was not very keepworthy – hence no doubt why we had so much difficulty in recovering such old cards.
In 1908, Perillos was not yet attached to Opoul. One would therefore expect it to be named “Perillos”, without any addition, or “Perillos, Pyrénées Orientales”, if people didn’t know the exact whereabouts of the tiny village. Instead, we read “Perillos-les-Bains”. Reading this title obviously came as a surprise and at first we suspected that the sender had named it such as part of a joke, or an error, as in the person not knowing the name of the town he was in.
Let us note that three decades later, the village would be totally deserted and even in 1908 there weren’t too many people about, so perhaps he just got it wrong. Still, our reaction was illogical, for definitely in those days, the written word was rarely used for simple jokes, and definitely when it would come to such a common postcard. Also, let us note that the addressee is the mayor, so jokes would not be the norm in such correspondence, however amicably.

We thus set out to find who had written this card, and whether we could find out more information about the “Perillos-les-Bains” inscription on the top of the card. First of all, the card was addressed to “Monsieur le Maire de Perillos par Opoul”, suggesting the person writing was indeed not joking, but serious. The short note also doesn’t reveal any great informality or friendship. Also, the writer seems to be passing through Perillos and hoped to meet “Monsieur Millegou, Maire de Perillos”, but apparently the mayor was not at home. To tell this person that he had passed, but no-one was home, as “proof” of his passing, he seems to have sent the mayor this card.
We eventually located one Léon Begai, who could be the person who sent this card. He was apparently versed in mineral and hydraulic analysis… for we find evidence of him and his works in the archives of the mayor of Perillos… also located in Durban at present. If he is the one, perhaps the “les-bains” addition is an allusion to his professional interests, if not the reason for his visit. Of course, we offer this scenario purely as a hypothesis, for we have no guarantee that we have identified the right sender.

The healing waters “below Perillos”

Perillos is situated on top of a veritable reservoir of natural, subterranean waters. Let us not forget that Opoul is currently taking its water from a subterranean water reservoir which is not only impressive in its quantity, but is of such purity that the quality would allow it to be bottled under the name “natural mineral” water, which is highly unusual. Indeed, this water is taken at great depth and we are obviously quite far removed from the valley or the hill of Perillos. But, as the experts know, subterranean water moves over tremendous distances, and it is the entire region that is equipped with subterranean waters, which on occasion rise to the surface, if only because the network they use are nothing more than a system of caves, some of which, as everyone knows, reach the surface.
To this, we add that some of these waters in the general area of the village could be classified as “curative”. For example, near the village, in the general sector of the Convent of St Cecile, is a well with “brackish” water, which has a saline nature.

Again, nothing of these observations are too special, or unique. The sector of the Aude and the Pyrénées-Orientales was known, in Roman times, for its curative waters, and it is clear that not all of the sites used by the Romans are presently known, and that the Romans did not use all of the sites they could have used; such bathing complexes were also subject to the economic principle of offer and demand.
But let us also not forget that springs that possessed “powers”, or abilities, were, until the start of the Middle Ages, often linked with certain deities, which were quickly supplanted by a number of saints, some of whom were more debatable than others from a historical point of view, but which were called into action to Christianise a pagan site.
Finally, let us note that these “enabled waters” were often seen as sacred, and were often used to wash the dead, or to perpetuate certain “royal powers” from one to the other. Indeed, such curative sites – the spas – often had a dual usage, whereby the obvious often masked a less obvious use.

A miniature San Juan de la Peña, in the Roussillon?

With all of these elements in place, it is not a stretch of the imagination to ponder the possibility that Perillos was a site that had curative works… magical waters, and that these were used as such until the Middle Ages, when perhaps it came into the ownership of the Lords of Perillos, and a different economy was pursued. For sure, such use would not have been as extensive as for example that of Rennes-les-Bains.
It seems that Perillos had a pagan, pre-Christian sanctuary, as is in evidence by the fact that St Michael was chosen as patron saint, as well as the legends that speak of the presence of a “beast” – the Babaos – that had to be conquered. Such conquests, which for example also happened in St Patrick’s Purgatory, where St Patrick conquered a giant serpent, are tell-tale ingredients that something of importance was present there in pagan times. Furthermore, let us also note that in the case of St Patrick’s, where the seeker came to enter Purgatory and meet the souls of the deceased, preparation was required before such a feat could be accomplished. In Greek times, and Greek oracles, the seeker was often locked in an underground vault for a few days, given a special diet, before he was allowed inside to meet the oracle, seated in an underground cave, on top of the “tomb” of a God and, in the case of Delphi, near the intersection of fault lines out of which rose trance-inducing vapours.
The keep of Perillos might have served such a purpose… perhaps only when Ramon de Perillos upon his return from Purgatory and his visions, was trying to give a demonstration to his villagers.

But apart from St Patrick’s Purgatory in Ireland, there is another site, closer and even better known by the Perillos family: San Juan de la Peña. This is the site where the Kings of Aragons were in residence and where tradition has it that the Grail– or at least “a” grail – was located.
The Old Monastery and its mausoleum where the kings and nobles of Aragon were buried, sits beneath a rock overhang. The Old Monastery also displays a curious water feature, which is still in evidence, though which is less impressive than it once was. On the first floor, water streams from a type of “fountain” into a canal, which runs behind the High Church, and then downwards, where the original church was located. Where it is cascaded down, on the first floor, we find the mausoleum. It was specifically located here so that the water literally washed the dead bodies – and their sins – of the kings and nobles.
Apart from washing their sin, the water of course then continued down into the Aragon river, which “fed” the entire kingdom. As such, the essence of the kings and nobles of Aragon streamed into the river, and from there, into the mouths from all those who drank from it. It is powerful symbolism, and it is clear that this was not chosen by accident, but by design.
Let us note that the Lords of Perillos were the right-hand men of the Kings of Aragon and that they might have desired, if not already have, a similar installation on their own territories. As San Juan de la Peña was directly associated with the Grail, let us note that Perillos was also associated as such, and specifically by Saunière himself, who labelled one site near the village as the “Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea”, a man who in medieval times was upgraded from a minor biblical character to the protector and keeper of the Grail.

Fragile: hypothesis inside

Perillos-les-Bains definitely wasn’t ever on the same scale or fame as Rennes-les-Bains. Nor was it San Juan de la Peña. But we did see certain general and highly specific correspondences, which suggest that something of a similar nature, though on a much smaller scale, was present in Perillos. The question is: was it purely used in Roman times, or was it used, in some form, until much later, the 12th-14th century, when the Lords of Perillos became players in world politics.
If it did, the curative powers of the waters of Perillos would not be a public, grand-scale event like at Rennes, but instead was probably secondary, if not part of other rituals. We can think of Arles-sur-Tech, where royals were washed too; perhaps the dead were brought here to be washed before their burial. Water, as one of the four elements, plays an important role in so many religious rituals, that we can go on forever why someone might want to use these curative waters for some religious purpose.
But let us not forget the proximity of the vault of the chapel, where the lords of Perillos were – are – buried, and where the layout of the site might have made the choice as to why they wanted to be buried there “logical”: like the kings of Aragon – and so many other royals – they wanted to be buried in the stream, where the water would wash over them. It might even explain why Ramon de Perellos y Roccaful, the Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, preferred to be buried in Perillos, rather than in Malta. The knowledge that his body would be “washed” by water might have clinched the deal as to why he preferred Perillos over the Cathedral of Saint John in Valletta.

We are indeed aware that the hypothesis which is constructed on top of the known ingredients and facts – that Perillos has a relationship with water that goes beyond the obvious – contains some unproven elements. But within the scientific mindset, a hypothesis is precisely what is required, and we have pondered who and what could provide counter arguments that would negate the hypothesis presented above. In fact, most of the thoughts that have been left out of this essay, add further credibility that this hypothesis might be the right conclusion to draw from the available evidence. Perillos might indeed have been “les-bains” for some.

André Douzet

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