Many old villages in the Languedoc are built around a mediaeval church and manor house. Normally the principal buildings were built on top of a hill, for security reasons, with the village being built around the centre, in a circular fashion. As the village developed, successive houses and streets were built in radiating circles from the centre.

In Languedoc, these villages are known as Les Circulades, or circular villages. The village shown to the right is Puissalicon, a village with a population of just under 1,000 inhabitants, located 10 kilometres north of Beziers. It is one of the Circulade villages. The village château dates from the 11th century, and the church from the 14th century, though most of the houses are more recent.

Below is a satellite picture of the same village, showing the circular arrangement of the central, old village. The image is taken from Google Maps and you can zoom in and out on the photo to see detail, by using the controls to the left. You can also check the street plan by clicking on the Map tab.

You can read more about these villages at the Circulades website.

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