the counts of Roussillon achieved independence, Perpignan became the capital of the county, with Elne remaining the Episcopal city. The high altar of the present cathedral of Sainte-Eulalie-et-Sainte-Julie was consecrated in 1069. Its Romanesque cloister was built in the 12th to 14th centuries. In 1285, under the Aragonese domination, during the Aragonese Crusade instigated by Pope Martin IV, the town was plundered, the cathedral set on fire and the people, who had taken refuge inside, massacred by the French troops of Philip III. During the later Middle Ages, Elne was increasingly overshadowed by the growing prosperity of nearby Perpignan; the counts of Roussillon moved their seat from Elne to Perpignan, and after vicissitudes lasting two centuries the episcopal seat was finally transferred to Perpignan also, in 1601 by a Bull of Pope Clement VIII. In 1472 the inhabitants of Elne revolted against French rule. The town, yet again besieged, was conquered and its captain, Bernat d'Oms, beheaded (1474). In 1493 Elne, along with all Roussillon, was returned to the Crown of Aragon. In 1641 Elne suffered another siege by the French and after the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659), became French. The medieval ramparts were partly destroyed in 1680 on Louis XIV's orders. Since then Elne has become an agricultural town which, in spite of repeated destructions caused by its several invaders, remains a witness to its past glories, attracting some 70,000 visitors annually. In the twentieth century a sculptor and a painter have left their imprint: Aristide Maillol and Etienne Terrus, to whom a local museum is dedicated. "Pomone" by Maillol serves as the World War II war memorial, and the studio of Terrus, where Henri Matisse and André Derain were received, saw the birth of the Fauve movement. Currently the city is extending towards the north, in a carefully planned urbanization— "Las Trillas"— extending over 40 hectares, which takes advantage of picturesque views of the cathedral. A pedestrian boulevard through the city, on the model of Barcelona's successful "Las Ramblas", is under way, as well as a new square, Place Jordi incorporating the ramparts of the upper city. Demography See also Communes of the Pyrénées-Orientales department References External links Elne.fr Elne (official site); (in French) Elne, ville d'Arts (official site): (in French) Catholic Dictionary: "Diocese of Perpignan" Communes of Pyrénées-Orientales Medieval cities