Céret is a town and commune in the French département of the Pyrénées-Orientales, corresponding to the ancient Roussillon, now part of the present-day Languedoc-Roussillon région. It lies in the foothills of the Pyrénées mountains in southwestern France.

It is the capital of an area called Vallespir. Inhabitants of Céret are called cérétans. The arms of the town, shown above, feature in chief the yellow and red arms of the old Roussillon county - which are also those of Aragon, the Kingdom of Majorca, and the modern Pyrénées-Orientales département.

The town of Céret developed during the period when the Roussillon belonged to the Kingdom of Majorca. It was during this period that the town walls were constructed to make it defensible. There were two Gateways into Céret , which you can still see today, one towards France to the north (la porte de France ) and one towards Spain to the South (la Porte d'Espagne). Ceret was besieged on many occasions and the defensive walls rebuilt several times before being largely dismantled under Napoléon (1769-1821), as were the walls of so many other medieval towns.

Chagall, Dali, Matisse and Picasso all lived here and their works hang in the Modern Art Museum here. Also works by Juan Gris, Maillol, and Dufy. Picasso's 50 or so pieces mainly consist of a series of ceramic bowls painted with bullfighting scenes and a couple of paintings, so don't expect to see many of his famous works here. It was in Ceret that Juan Gris (1887 - 1927) one of the three most influential cubists along with Picasso and Bracque painted a mountain in the Pyrenees called Canigou in December 1921. The Café Pablo in the town is dedicated to Picasso and The Grand Café, still operating today, was a meeting place for many famous artists in the early part of the twentieth century.

Juan Gris (Jose Victoriano Gonzalez) (1887 - 1927) Canigou (Painted in Ceret, December 1921) Oil on canvas, 65 x 100 cm (25 5/8 x 39 3/8 in); Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY (DC 384)

 

The region around Céret is major fruit producer, famed in particular for its cherries. The first of the seasons's pick are, by local tradition, sent to France's President Before polytunnels and genetic modification they were always first ripe cherries in mainland France each year. Céret hosts a cherry festival each year with activities such as drinking cherry beer and a cherry-stone spitting competition. Céret's Saturday Market is a bustling, busy market mostly selling local produce: fruit, vegetables, cheese and wines. It is as much a social event as anything else. Like the markets at Espéraza and Miropoix it is now dominated by the large population of English, Dutch, German and Scandanavian immigrants who have moved to the Céret area since 1990, or more precisely, since Ryan Air started flying to Perpignan.

Georges Braque. (1882-1963). Man with a Guitar. Céret, summer 1911-early 1912. Oil on canvas, 45 3/4 x 31 7/8" (116.2 x 80.9 cm).

 

Céret also holds an annual Bullrunning festival where young bulls (usually with their horns blunted) are coralled by a group of Camargue horsemen and women and run through the streets of the town. Young men wearing traditional red and yellow Catalan outfits, chase behind in an attempt to catch hold of the bull's tail and hold on for as long as they can.

Le Pont du Diable (The Devil's Bridge) was built in 1321 when the Roussillon belonged to the Kings of Majorca (les rois de Majorque). It is a spectacular example of medieval architecture - a single arch of over 45 metres across the River Tech, the keystone 25 metres above the river. According to legend the Devil built this bridge in a single night.

The town sits at an altitude of 175-1400 meters. It is located 7 km from the Autoroute A9, 200 km from Montpellier, 250 km from Toulouse and 180 km from Barcelona. As you would expect Céret still has has a strong Catalan feel to it. You will often hear the Catalan language being spoken there.

The tourist office on avenue Clemenceau (tel: 04 68 87 00 53).

Not far away is the Mediterranean port of Collioure, another artistic centre.

Some things to see:

• the Modern Art Museum. The museum is open from 10am till 7pm. Tel: 04 68 87 27 76   
• the cherry harvest, which takes place around Easter time
• there is a sardana festival on the last-but-one Sunday of the month in August, celebrating the Catalan folk dance sardane ("Sardinia").
• there are Bullrunning here in the summer in the arena on the road to Amélie-les-Bains , on the opposite side from the market square.
• The Devil's Bridge (Le Pont du Diable) - Fouteenth century bridge over the river Tech. Listed historical structure (Classé Monument Historique).
• Ceret's north Gateways - The French Gate - La porte de France (Thirteenth century). Part of the town's fortifications and the principle entry gate. The was originally a dry ditch (fossé) along the walls, with a draw-bridge to allow people into the town. The house (maison de maître) built on to it is nineteenth century and now the médiathèque de Céret.
• Ceret's South Gateways - The Spanish Gate - Porte d'Espagne also known as the Moors' Gate - Portail des Maures, dating from the thirteenth century.
• Catalan architecture around the town
• la maison du Patrimoine archéologique Françoise Claustre.
  

 

Juan Gris (Jose Victoriano Gonzalez) (1887 - 1927) Landscape with Houses at Ceret 1913; Oil on canvas, 100 x 65 cm; Galeria Theo, Madrid (DC56)

Juan Gris (Jose Victoriano Gonzalez) (1887 - 1927) Landscape at Ceret 1913; Oil on canvas, 92 x 60 cm; Moderna Museet, Stockholm