Arles-sur-Tech

Arles-sur-Tech (, literally Arles on Tech; Arles de Tec) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.

Location
Arles-sur-Tech is located in the canton of Le Canigou and in the arrondissement of Céret.

Arles-sur-Tech is situated in the southernmost valley in mainland France before Spain, the Vallespir, through which the 84 km long river "Tech" flows. This small town is surrounded by the eastern Pyrenees which dominate the skyline around Arles-sur-Tech. The town sits on the only main road which passes through the valley, the D 115, making it accessible from Spain in the west and the plane of Roussillon and Perpignan in the east. It is located close to the larger and more well-known spa town of Amélie-les-Bains-Palalda.



History
At the end of the Spanish Civil War Arles-sur-Tech was the site of a camp housing Republican escapees from Spain. It was used as an initial sorting camp.

International relations
Arles-sur-Tech is twinned with:
 * 🇪🇸 Cubelles, Spain

Sites of interest

 * Abbey of Saint Mary : Arles-sur-Tech is best known for its abbey, which allegedly holds the relics of Saints Abdon and Sennen in a sarcophagus called Sainte Tombe, traditionally believed to have been brought from Rome by Abbot Arnulf in the middle of the tenth century. Its waters are traditionally believed to hold miraculous healing properties.
 * The Caixa de Rotllan, a dolmen.
 * Saint-Stephen church
 * Saint-Saviour church
 * Saint-Peter church
 * Holy Cross church
 * The Fou canyon, said to be the world's narrowest.