Col de Panissars

• The Col de Panissars is a Pass in the eastern Pyrenees, next to the town of Le Perthus, which marks the Frontier between France and Spain. It has an altitude of 1,066 feet (325m).
• The Frontier is in the High street in the middle of Le Perthus.

History

• It is where the Via Domitia from Gaul meets the Via Augusta from Hispania.
• It marked the border between the Province of Gallia Narbonensis and Hispania Tarraconensis.

Roman Sites

• Trophy of Pompey
  • Pompey set up the Trophy Monument at the Col de Panissars Pass in 71 BCE to celebrate the Republican victory in Hispania in that year.
  • The Trophy is located on the Route Nationale N9, at the Col des Panissars, Le Perthus, France.
  • On it was an inscription recording that Pompey subdued 876 towns.
  • Only the base of the Monument remains in situ, at the Col des Panissars.

Fort de Bellegarde

• Nearby and overlooking the Roman fort, is a massive fortress enlarged by Vauban in 1679, also built to defend the Pass of the Col de Panissars.

Roman Roads

• Via Augusta
  • Trophy of Pompey-Barcelona–Cordoba–Cadiz
• Via Domitia
  • Trophy of Pompey-Narbonne–Nimes–Mont Genevre Pass

Col de Panissars